I HAVE just read your article on the comments made by Rachael Maclean MP and I would like to say how out of touch she is with the worsening situation of many of her constituents in Redditch.
We at Batchley Support Group Redditch Communities operate a community pantry foodbank to support clients on benefits or no or low income with food.
We buy food directly from Fareshare, a national charity and we have had to increase our deliveries from three to five per week to meet this demand, we also gift food from Greggs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
We are seeing more working families in crisis who are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living soars but wages and benefits remain static.
We currently have some 600 people registered with us for support and this number is increasing weekly.
I would suggest that Rachel Maclean talks with the people who are directly involved with her constituents welfare to gain a true picture of what is going on locally.
She is obviously out of touch with the reality and the seriousness of this escalating problem and her comments do little to support those she was elected to represent.
M Barron, Batchley Support Group
OUR out-of-touch MP Rachel Maclean suggested on Sky News that those who were struggling to make ends meet should consider, ‘taking on more hours or moving to a better paid job’.
Who knew the solution was such a simple one!
She may be able to work fewer hours with greater impact if she and her party would stop dithering and starting listening to the suggestion put forward by the Liberal Democrats for an emergency VAT cut funded by a one-off windfall tax on large energy companies.
The saving of £600 per family would certainly go some way towards helping.
A Fieldsend-Roxborough,
Redditch Liberal Democrats
HAVING seen the interview with Rachel Maclean on Sky News on Monday saying people could work more hours or get a better paid job and the utter angry outrage that ensued from it.
I’d like to know who Rachel thinks this suggestion will help?
How many extra hours would compensate for the rise in cost of living and the 15 extra tax rises given in last two years alone, let alone the extra childcare needed and what’s about to hit people in the upcoming months?
Anyone who listened to it all the way through would’ve also heard Rachel saying working extra hours was a long term aim of the Government.
My thoughts are if Rachel claims it it is the Government’s long term solution for people to be working extra hours, that’s worse than it being a short term suggestion for now.
If this is how the Government sees the future of people working longer and longer hours where does this leave us and those who cannot work for justifiable reasons?
But I suppose Rachel would also accuse me of deliberately twisting what she said to ‘feed the outrage culture’.
A Berry, Batchley
I AM Redditch resident and wanted to something for a while which has only been heightened after reading the comments by Redditch MP Rachel Maclean.
I have watched the demise of Redditch from a youngster to a near 40 year old and having read MP Rachel Maclean’s comments ‘’work more hours or get a better paid job to combat the cost of living crisis’’ has infuriated me.
What is the MP’s economic background? As the UK is worth circa £7trillion, (yes trillion) does she not think that much of current earnings goes on taxation, the current inflated cost of living, national insurance and the duties which are applied to almost everything we buy?
Specifically to Redditch – I have witnessed the land sale of government property, I can see the several hundred houses and associated road works adjacent the Abbey Stadium, the building at Webheath and Amazon near Church Hill, but at the same time I can see schools, hospitals, shops and various facilities ceasing to operate.
So, with these savings the closures will have brought and the income from so many large developments can she advise where and when we will see the savings being used to combat the current cost of living instead of people having to seek more hours or quitting our job for new jobs?
Can we also see what the lands were sold for, what agreements are in place to benefit the residents of Redditch, if any?
After a recent use of £1million in taxpayers money going on paving/tarmac the Church Green, can we please query if this £1million+ could have been used to save hospital services instead, or used to reduce council tax for nearly 100,000 residents or to reduce business rates.
Name and Address supplied
CAN anybody say how much the State Opening of Parliament costs?
I guess I can’t be alone in wondering whether it is strictly necessary when millions of people can’t afford food and/or their energy bills.
At the end of the day the Queen – or this year Prince Charles – just reads out a statement prepared by the Government.
In the 21st Century the address could be done by video link and confirmation emailed to MPs.
The Establishment and many MPs love the opportunity to dress up in pantomime outfits and wear their medals but with the country heading for recession is the whole outdated charade value for money for us the taxpayers?
I Welch, Redditch
