18 March 2015
Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said:
"This final Coalition budget offers little hope to the many millions of people across Britain who are struggling to get by."
"We needed to see a radical departure away from the business-as-usual economics on display in today's budget, and it unfortunately didn't happen."
"Incomes are still lower than they were in 2010 (1), household debt is up (2) and inequality continues to plague this country. In the world's sixth-biggest economy, people should not have to queue at food banks or work in insecure jobs that don't pay enough to get by on.
Cllr Howard Allen, the Green Party's general election candidate in Solihull constituency, said: "George Osborne's budget was quite gimmicky, and it didn't address the legitimate concerns of people in Solihull."
"This Lib Dem/Tory government has presided over a huge drop in our living standards over the lifetime of this Parliament. The coalition has decimated public services. We will have £14 million in cuts by Solihull Council next year, with children's centres closing."
"In their 2010 manifesto, the Lib Dems promised that they would put an extra 3000 police on Britain's streets. But since supporting deep cuts to public services, the Lib Dems and the Tories have instead cut tens of thousands of police officers including thousands in the West Midlands. Police front offices in Solihull are also closing, and we may see the end of neighbourhood policing."
"Billions have been taken away nationally from NHS clinical services, as reflected in our A&E crisis, where targets have now been missed for fully 12 months."
"Only the Green Party has the policies necessary to restore living standards. Let's start with having a Living Wage -- something the Solihull Tories have repeatedly refused to give to hardworking council employees, whilst council executive pay is out of control."
"An immediate move to the Living Wage would save £2.4 billion nationally each year on tax credits, and generate another £1.5 billion in income tax and national insurance."
Notes
1) http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/7615
2) http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/why-inequality-is-an-economic-problem
