A LABOUR government would be on the side of working people, families, and pensioners, a shadow cabinet minister said in an impassioned plea ahead of the local elections.

Politicians and prospective councillors have been active in Hartlepool for weeks ahead of the May vote, and although the upcoming election only involves electing a third of the authority’s councillors, many locals see it as an important litmus test to gauge local feeling ahead of a future general election.

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Jonathan Ashworth visited the town on Friday to support local Labour councillors ahead of the council election in May, but also to gauge the opinions of people on the doorstep.

But before talking to The Northern Echo, local fisherman Paul Graves identified Mr Ashworth inside the Headland Café and lamented the lack of Government action after thousands of dead crustaceans washed up on North East shores, threatening the fishing industry.

It is an issue affecting the livelihoods of many from Whitby to Hartlepool, and one that is emphasising residents’ discontent towards local politics.

Read more: Anger over dead crabs on North East & North Yorkshire beaches

The Northern Echo:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his party’s Hartlepool by-election victory in May 2021 was “a mandate for us to continue to deliver, not just for the people of Hartlepool and the fantastic people of the North East, but for the whole of the country”.

However, Labour accuses the government of failing to support its ‘red wall’ areas and have criticised its levelling up strategy.

The once thriving steel town and industrial port was recently named the 10th most deprived town in England and its unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country.

Mr Ashworth accused the prime minister of letting locals down, and himself pledged to support working people, families and pensioners.

 

It comes as the Chancellor Rishi Sunak was forced to defend his spring statement over claims that it failed to help the poorest. Mr Sunak chose to deliver a £6bn tax boost to working people rather than upgrade welfare payments, but was criticised after a warning that his measures could push 1.3 million people, including 500,000 children, into poverty.

For Labour, Mr Ashworth said his party would have taken a different approach. “We would not have gone ahead with the biggest cut in the pension, deep cuts to Universal Credit, and wouldn’t be imposing these punishing tax rises,” he said.

“We can re-industrialise the North East by investing in green energy and renewables. Not only is that good for jobs, but it is also key for investment in the future.

“Boris Johnson has betrayed their trust – he’s let them down. All the promises he made to them have turned out to be a tissue of lies. When I talk to people, I think people have had enough of 12 years of the Conservatives.”

Read more: Hartlepool waiting for levelling up cash from Boris Johnson

Child poverty is increasing faster in Hartlepool than almost every area nationwide. The 2019-20 research estimated that 37.8% of children in Hartlepool live in poverty, the second highest in the Tees Valley behind Middlesbrough, which at 39.4 per cent features in the top 20 highest rates nationally.

The figures are calculated by looking at the percentage of children in households with below 60 per cent median income after housing costs.

Child poverty did not feature at any point in the government’s levelling up white paper, Mr Ashworth pointed out, something which would change under a Labour government.

The Northern Echo: Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Jonathan Ashworth in HartlepoolShadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Jonathan Ashworth in Hartlepool

Labour’s plan, he says, would include ensuring everyone has a good standard of living, a well-paid job, and that every pensioner is “given dignity and security” in retirement.

“In places like Hartlepool you have families in work who are in poverty, struggling and making choices between feeding their children or their meter,” Mr Ashworth added.

“If you want to level up you need to give people a good wage, support people to raise their children in a flourishing environment, and you shouldn’t have a situation where pensioners are foregoing hot showers because they cannot afford the bills associated.

“We will be putting forward policies that improve the lives of people in this area, extend opportunities, and ensure that people in Hartlepool, Sunderland, Durham, and elsewhere are given the same life chances as others in the country take for granted.

“I strongly believe that if you really want to level up you give people good jobs and a decent income, but you also give every child the best possible start in life”

Looking ahead to the upcoming local elections across the country Mr Ashworth said he believes now, after 12 years of Conservative rule, is a time for change.

He said: “When there is a cost of living crisis and people are struggling to feed their children; it shows that it’s time for change.

“We need to sweep this lot out of power and put in place a Labour government that is on the side of people in Hartlepool.”

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