Labour councillor for Newport East, Geoff Lumley, has tabled a motion for next Wednesday’s Full Council meeting.
Cllr Lumley is calling on members to recognise that the impact of the Government cuts to ordinary people has been unfair.
He is calling on the council to write to the Government urging them to introduce a Financial Transaction Tax (aka Robin Hood Tax).
Cllr Lumley’s motion:
This Council believes that the impact of the Government cuts upon ordinary people has simply not been fair. Whilst we recognise that many of these impacts have been due to the actions of Government in cutting grants to local authorities like the Isle of Wight Council, we believe this Council should have done more since 2010 to speak up for alternative policy options to the austerity approach prescribed by Westminster.
With national unemployment at 2.5 million, economic growth stagnant across the country, and frontline public services strapped for resources, we believe this Council should take a formal stand on this issue – and the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT, aka Robin Hood Tax) is an important way of doing this.
An FTT would raise up to £20bn a year in the UK. It would see the financial sector help clear up the mess it caused, rather than ordinary people paying with their jobs, frozen or lower wages, and declining public services. Local government has felt the cuts more than most, and should be at the forefront of the fight back against these centrally imposed measures.
This Council calls on the Government to introduce an FTT. In doing so, we would be making a real and popular policy suggestion that would help combat austerity both within our own local area and beyond.
The full council meeting takes place on Wednesday 19th June from 6pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Image: William Wan under CC BY 2.0
