Momentum issue coronavirus demands to Labour councils

Momentum is calling on Labour councils to support local mutual aid groups in their area, which have seen more than 2.5 million people across the country volunteer to help the vulnerable in their communities.

They stated that, as community leaders, councillors should identify key leaders and groups, point out vulnerable populations and ensure relief efforts are coordinated with community groups, faith leaders and other organising groups.

The network urged the local Labour representatives to “ensure a transparent, community-led response”, suggesting that senior councillors should ensure that all, including party members and the wider community, are able to influence the response.

The group also declared that the Coronavirus Bill passed in parliament this week will remove local council support for vulnerable people and leave thousands of the disabled and elderly without the care they need.

The network of councillors has therefore also made a number of demands of central government in relation to the role of local councils and councillors in the health crisis:

• “An emergency pandemic fund for councils to protect people and businesses with central government underwriting the cost of freezing council tax, business rates and council tenants’ rents and expanding local councils’ budgets.
• “Additional powers for councils to protect the vulnerable so that local authorities can be empowered to support vulnerable groups through expansions of social security, public food distribution, the suspension of rents and evictions.
• “Support for local public ownership of essential services such as housing, food, transport and energy to tackle the pandemic.”

The stated aim of Momentum’s councillor network is to bring together socialist councillors committed to promoting municipal socialism, increasing democracy in local government and supporting community campaigns.

It met last week to agree its demands and to decide on a guide for socialist councillors in the crisis. The network states that it is focussed on knowledge and skills sharing and the development of progressive policy solutions.

584 people in the UK have died from coronavirus and there are over 12,000 recorded cases across the country. There are nearly 10,000 in England alone, while London has the highest number.