Heating or Eating?

This week the Bedroom Tax was upheld after a Labour-led motion calling for its abolition was defeated in the House of Commons. Can this Government be any less caring? Yet further proof that Cameron and Clegg have no hearts, but rather thumping gizzards. I recently met a woman on the doorstep who was recovering from cancer treatment; her adult son lives with her and has severe epilepsy. They have a small spare room to accommodate carers and are being forced to lose benefit support. This is cruel and unacceptable; as Labour activists we have to rise to the challenge and call out the government on this morally bankrupt policy.

Perhaps the biggest challenge many will face this winter will be the choice between heating and eating. Pensioners, disabled people, single parents, those on low incomes, the most vulnerable in society, are facing a harsh winter ahead.

According to Fuel Poverty Action, 5 million UK households are in fuel poverty, with 10% of our income going on energy costs. Deaths from hypothermia have doubled in the past five years. Dave tells us to put on an extra jumper.  But this is one situation that cannot be solved by knitwear alone.

And things are going to get worse. We are set for 17 more years of above-inflation energy and water bill increases because we – the consumer – have to pay for infrastructure renewal. With record profits, surely this should come from the Big Six coffers and not from a nan with a lap blanket. As if it’s not bad enough that winter fuel allowance for those under 80 has been cut by £50, and £100 for those over 80.

Feeling the cold shiver of profit over people? Brace yourselves.

Nearly half a million people in the UK are now accessing foodbanks – and it’s not just the unemployed and those on benefits. People from working families cannot make the paycheck stretch far enough and are accessing an emergency 3 day supply of food that charities like the Trussell Trust provide.  Three years ago there were 28 Trussell Trust foodbanks in the UK. Now there are 309.  And those that dare criticize the Government policies that are forcing people to go hungry, like foodie spendthrift and all round food bank champion Jack Monroe, are ripped apart by the rightwing press for daring to claim benefits.

These figures are truly shocking. We are awaiting Defra’s research into the rise of food poverty and the sudden explosion of food banks, but because it is so closely linked with welfare reform, I suspect the government will try and bury its findings.  It is no coincidence that food bank usage has been building for 2 years with a spike in April – just when the welfare reforms kicked in.

Luckily, people across the UK have bigger hearts than the government and donations to food banks is on the rise. I’ve started a weekly collection at Duckie, the club night I run every Saturday night in south London.  Some might be surprised to learn that people out for a good dance and a few pints will actually tote tins of baked beans, too. But Duckie has always been rooted in activism, from our annual Amnesty International Write for Rights campaign to raising money for our LGBT brothers and sisters in Uganda. To date we have collected enough food to feed almost a hundred local families.

Despite all the bad news, I’ve been inspired by innovative responses to the Heating vs Eating crisis. Lambeth Food Partnership is running a workshop on November 20th with practical solutions to tackling food poverty – how to recognize it, understanding the issues, and how to respond.  Equipping community leaders with these skills will save lives.

In a community based challenge to the Big Six, Brixton Energy scheme is a not–for-profit co-operative with three solar energy sites to harness power and sell it to local housing estates.  A community share offer raises funds with modest returns and tax relief. But the real benefit is the income generated is reinvested in the Community Energy Efficiency Fund to encourage energy saving in the local community.  It’s clean, democratic energy that puts decisions – and profits – in the hands of the community rather than faceless shareholders.

This is how the “Big Society” that Dave and his cronies keep banging on about should work.