‘Let’s tackle poverty together’ – Ferguson

Over recent weeks I have been extremely disappointed with some representatives of the Labour Party using increased poverty figures from the Bristol Deprivation Report 2015 to attack the work that I have done as mayor.

The irony is that it is based on survey information gathered in 2012/2013 over which I can have had no influence. I have not attacked previous administrations, as I well might have done, in recognition that the same applies to all the cities of the UK including the majority which are under Labour control.

While I always welcome constructive criticism as to how we improve citizens’ lives, these irresponsible attacks are only an attempt to play party politics with poverty without substance.

This is clearly an incredibly important issue and something that we should work together to solve rather than create divisions. More importantly, Labour is not telling you the whole story. While it is true that poverty has increased in Bristol, poverty has been increasing in every UK city as a direct result of draconian cuts that are coming from central Government, with which we all have to live.

If we want a grown up discussion about how we should tackle an issue as important as poverty, then we must disclose all of the facts. So, will I shall not play politics but instead share some facts:

Since 2010 the government have removed £22 billion pounds from social security and tax credits. This has been accompanied by substantial cuts from Westminster to local council budgets across the United Kingdom.

Nationally these cuts have disproportionately affected working families, single parents, children, ethnic minorities, and people who are seeking employment. I am realistic and no mayor in any city of any party could prevent this having an impact on the most vulnerable in our society.

I have worked incredibly hard to mitigate the impact of these cuts. Rather than protesting I have been delivering policy and raising my concerns with the government ministers. I have protected the council tax reduction scheme to help people most affected by the Government’s cuts, something that a small minority of councils have sustained.

In 2013, soon after taking office, I set up a high level Fairness Commission chaired by Alison Garman CeO of the Child Poverty Action Group, following which I made sure we were one of the early councils to fully adopt the living wage and I proposed funding to support other recommendations which was strangely removed from my Budget as a result of a Labour group amendment. I have also opposed the ill thought through bedroom tax, and overseen a dramatic fall in job seekers allowance.

I am proud that working adults in Bristol have a significantly higher rate of employment and hourly wage than the UK average. I have actively sought to increase investment in Bristol and bring new jobs into all sectors.

In fact, we have targeted the highest deprived areas with strategic investment and championed the Filwood Green Business Park which will foster enterprise, innovation and job creation in South Bristol in a high-quality environment. Other regeneration projects, like that in Knowle West, Southmead, Lockleaze, and Lawrence Weston are evidence that we are working hard to address unemployment in a strategic manner.

Unemployment falling, job seekers allowance claimants decreasing, economy growing and a city that is open for business – I am unashamedly proud of these achievements and will not belittle the entrepreneurial spirit of our city.

However, at the backbone of everything that we do is compassion. We must do more to address disparities in this city but it is evident that Labour’s attack on my performance to address unemployment is totally unjustified and lacking in any offer of a new direction for this city.

Tackling poverty is not easy, it is a multi-faceted issue that affects every aspect of a person’s life. Eradicating poverty is not just about creating jobs. We need to address the systemic issues that cause poverty.

We are working towards this and by 2017 we shall have 10,000 new places at primary schools in Bristol, we have developed a housing initiative that has increased available housing in Bristol despite the fact that the housing market is still recovering from the 2008 economic recession and the constraints from central government.

We are working with the Food Policy Council and Bristol Green Capital Partnership to make our city healthier and more resilient to the stresses and shocks ahead. Sustainable development gets at the crux of what poverty is. Because it is inclusive, creates opportunities for all groups and shares the benefits of development and participation in decision-making. 

Bristol has a very strong economy and the success must be shared across our city. At the moment this is not happening but we are moving in the right direction under very difficult circumstances.

I want to work with every party in Bristol to find solutions and it is unhelpful when the Labour Party gear into election mode and try to score cheap party political points on something that is much more important than who wins an election in May.

We have the lowest level of poverty out of any core city. For example, Liverpool has a 10.2 per cent unemployment rate, little-changed since my good friend Labour Mayor Joe Anderson took office in 2012. Although, Liverpool and Bristol have differences in demographics and leadership, if Labour is going to attack me, as mayor of Bristol, for supposedly not addressing the unemployment rate then it should also be critical of its party for failing to address poverty in other regions.

I would not choose to attack others as I accept that it is not the fault of Joe or any of my fellow core city leaders, but it is the cuts that as leaders of cities we face from Westminster, with growing certainty of more to come. Once we have more powers devolved to tackle this we can do a greater job at mitigating it.

Poverty is not a new issue in Bristol, and it was certainly rife when political parties ran things here before 2012. As mayor I am doing things to protect the people most severely affected but it is clear to me that some within Bristol’s Labour Party would much prefer to keep this city divided to win elections rather than work collaboratively to find a solution that is in the best interest of the people of Bristol. Let’s pull together!