Council unites to condemn Luke Charters MP

At the City of York’s Full Council meeting last night, all Councillors from the three main parties voted to pass a motion condemning York Outer Labour MP Luke Charters for his support of the Government’s £5 billion cuts to long-term sickness and disability benefits. 

The motion calls out Luke Charters and the letter that he signed which says: 

“As MPs, we understand that delivering this new social contract requires hard choices to be made. We welcome the work that has begun to rebuild our welfare system, and we are fully supportive of it.” 

The motion goes on to criticise the cuts supported by Luke Charters by saying:

“Support for disabled people has been severely impacted by years of austerity. Disabled people need better support, not a cut in income.”

The Council leader will now write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister to express the Council’s strong opposition to the Labour Government’s austerity measures and the Council will convene a task and finish group to look at ways it can mitigate the very worst of the cuts.

Disabled residents of York gathered before the meeting to protest the Labour Government’s cruel actions and many of them spoke out in the meeting.

Flick Williams said:

“Disabled people are variously angry, terrified and despairing knowing that we are now under existential threat fighting for our literal survival. Within the disabled community nationally already two people are known to have taken their own lives directly as a result.

“The Sunday Politics exposed the diametrically opposed views of the cities two MPs. One who fears the consequences of growing inequality and throwing another 50,000+ children into poverty and one who has joined the backbench… Tory tribute band who says taxing wealth doesn’t work. Good to know he thinks all of our problems stem from lack of self-respect.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor Stephen Fenton, who proposed the motion to Council, said:

“It’s good that we got cross party consensus for our motion against Luke Charters’ support of the cruel long-term sickness and disability benefits cuts. Even the only Labour Councillor in his constituency, Cllr Kate Ravillious, and his own Communications staff member, Cllr Anna Baxter, voted to condemn his words and actions. 

“50% of people receiving the health-related element of Universal Credit are currently either unable to heat their home, behind on bills, or have low or very low food security. There are 900,000 children living in a household where someone receives the health-related element of Universal Credit.

“We now know that UC Health is to be frozen, and for new claimants, it is to be halved and then frozen.

“This highlights the need for the Council to act so that we can prepare for an increase in demand for services that the council provides. I am pleased that work will now begin at the Council to blunt some of the worst effects of this Labour Government’s cruel actions.”