Ahead of Wednesday’s Spending Review, Adrian Ramsay MP, co-leader of the Green Party, accused the government of lacking a vision for a better future. He said: “This Spending Review shows that the government knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”
He went on to say:
“This looks like a spreadsheet Britain approach, leading the country into deliberate decline, when we need a hopeful vision for a better future.
“Austerity has meant our hospitals, schools and transport services have sustained real terms budget cuts, and long-term capital investment will not deliver fast enough to impact people’s lives. Millions of people are facing financial, health and housing insecurity right now. The Spending Review will fail those children stuck in poverty today – children who need warm homes and enough to eat.”
“We need to invest in a more secure future for everyone. Real security comes from people feeling warm and comfortable in their homes, valued in their communities and secure in the knowledge that climate action will safeguard the future for their children and grandchildren.”
Ramsay said there should be a much stronger focus on building, providing and retrofitting social homes. He said:
“Rather than turning the screw further on councils which are already on their knees, the Chancellor must commit the billions that councils need to buy, build and design social housing instead of offering a blank cheque to developers to build executive homes that few can afford.
“We know this is what people want. A new YouGov survey commissioned by the Greens has found that people are three times more likely to want the Government to build more social housing than encouraging developers to build more private homes.”
Ramsay also repeated calls for a fairer tax system to raise money and reverse chronic underspending in public services.
“A wealth tax of 1% on assets over £10 million and 2% on assets above £1 billion could raise £24 billion a year. Cutting support to disabled people while billionaires are gaining £35 million a day in wealth is indefensible. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world – it’s time the super-rich paid up and for Labour to start taxing wealth fairly.
Adrian Ramsay MP concluded:
“From child poverty to climate breakdown, the challenges we face are not small – and neither should be our response. People want a government that invests in them, in their homes, in their services, in building a resilient future. Cuts don’t create hope. Investment does. We need public services that are fit for purpose, homes that are warm and affordable, and a tax system that serves the many, not the wealthy few.”