Southwark Labour Leader Sarah King has slammed the Southwark Liberal Democrats for voting to cut council spending on emergency food provision at the annual budget meeting last night (25th February).
Describing the £6,000 annual cost as “indulgent”, the Southwark Lib Dems voted to cut catering costs, even though they knew the money was providing emergency support for children and families in crisis.
The funding the Lib Dems sought to cut is used to help families when they don’t know where they will be sleeping that night, for the Children in Care Council, as well as the Southwark Youth Parliament – who hold meetings after school.
The Lib Dems’ callous cut was however voted down by Labour councillors.
While the Lib Dems sought to cut funding for children, Southwark Labour delivered a no new cuts, all investment budget, balancing the council’s finances and investing in local communities.
Labour’s budget reflects residents’ priorities by supporting local families struggling with the cost of living, keeping neighbourhoods safe and building genuinely affordable homes. The budget ensured Labour would continue to invest in vital public services including in libraries, leisure centres, parks and more.
Cllr King said: “For the Lib Dems to paint spending on emergency food relief as a splurge is disgraceful.
Labour will never apologise for feeding children in crisis and those in our care. We will never apologise for giving young people a leg up in life. We will never apologise for supporting our youth parliament so that Southwark’s young people can become the leaders of tomorrow.
While the Lib Dems sought to cut funding for children, Southwark Labour delivered a no new cuts, all investment budget once again.”
