Cuts still hitting the poorest despite Mayor’s warm words

Responding to the news that Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, has today joined a nationwide warning that ‘councils have reached breaking point’ over funding cuts, Green Mayoral candidate, Sandy Hore-Ruthven says,

“I welcome the Mayor expressing these concerns alongside other city leaders. This is something Greens have been asking him to do for some time now [2]. These cuts being pushed by this Conservative government are impacting councils across the country. We desperately need Westminster politicians to step outside of London and come and see the impact their decisions are having. Here in Bristol, I see every day how the most disadvantaged suffer disproportionately, but I have also been working hard to find alternative pots of money to keep providing vital youth services. We have had some real success in this and government ministers need to come and see these potential solutions.

Here in Bristol we also need the Mayor to move beyond his very welcome words. He needs to explain to the city how he intends to avoid what he describes as “catastrophic collapse in key council services”. Residents are rightly concerned about the future of services and need reassurance that this Labour administration has a plan.”