Time to stand against cuts

They reduce the very services that the poor and vulnerable rely on and are a breach of the government’s fundamental duty to keep the people safe.

Now we know that the cuts have caused increased deaths.

The Office for National Statistics has reported that mortality rates in 2015 rose by 5.4 per cent compared with 2014 – equivalent to almost 27,000 extra deaths.

ONS reports that the increase is the highest since 1968 and is against a background of death rates steadily falling since the 1970s.

The trend has been reversed since 2011 after the Conservatives came to power.

An adviser to Public Health England has reported that the largest factor in the biggest annual rise in deaths in England and Wales for nearly half a century is the cuts to social services.

Despite that, East Sussex County Council has passed a budget to cut adult social services further.

The Conservative-led budget did not use the £2.7m transitional grant for the next two years to protect the people of East Sussex, but instead squirrelled the money away.

As Labour’s deputy leader, Cllr Godfrey Daniel, said in the debate in relation to the grant, the council was not there to create reserves, but to provide services to people.

It is time for the constituency’s MP Huw Merriman to stand up against the government’s cuts, to protect the older and vulnerable people and to put aside his personal career ambition.

If Mr Cameron’s family can protest against the cuts, then surely we can expect the same from our own MP?

Danny Atkinson

Oakland Drive

Robertsbridge

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