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Your correspondent Glenn Vowles (letters 1/8/17) welcomes the Mayor “beginning to make a case” against austerity. Having called for this for over a year, I too welcome the change in tone from our mayor.
However, a change in tone is all it is yet. Despite your 18th July headlined “Marvin Rees turns protestor”, the truth is that he is going to London to help present a “Core Cities Green Paper” (https://www.corecities.com/sites/default/files/field/attachment/91115_Core%20Cities%20Green%20Report_WEB.pdf).
I have read this paper and it makes no mention of the brutal level of central government funding cuts to local authorities, save to say that “city leadership has…delivered high quality public services despite austerity.”
It certainly makes no call to stop or reverse the cuts, or for local government to be funded fairly at a time of unparalleled demand for its serves with an aging population, an unprecedented housing crisis and unsafe, illegal air quality.
There appears to be no real anti-austerity message in this Core Cities approach to central government. I hope that when Marvin meets with ministers in September he will supplement his presentation from the Core Cities with some more forceful, well argued requests to better fund our cities for everyday services, and not just big infrastructure projects.
The many Bristol citizens faced with the reality of cuts to the services they depend on probably hope so too.
Eleanor Combley
Green Party Councillor, Bishopston and Ashley Down
Contact:
Twitter: @EleanorComb
Email: Cllr.eleanor.combley@bristol.gov.uk