Today’s Tory Government budget update will see cuts continue to services that working people rely on, like the council and the NHS. Against the backdrop of a chaotic Brexit, there is much uncertainty about the future health of the economy.

Key announcements in the Tories’ Autumn Statement:

• Cuts to the council will continue.
• Extension of Right to Buy for housing association tenants, funded by forcing the council to sell hundreds of council homes each year.
• A lower National ‘Living Wage’ than had been planned, which is well below the ‘real’ London Living Wage, which rises to £9.75 per hour in 2017.
• Continuing with cuts to Universal Credit that are part of changes that will see a fifth of Islington families lose on average £45 per week by 2020.
• A ban on letting agents charging fees to renters, following the lead set by Islington Council’s not-for-profit private lettings agency.

Shockingly, the NHS barely got a mention in the Autumn Statement, proving the Tories cannot be trusted with the NHS. There is also no new funding for social care, or any sign of the extra £350m per week for the NHS that was promised by Brexiteers.

Despite the cuts imposed by the Tories, last year Labour-led Islington Council helped over 1,150 local people into work, delivered hundreds of new genuinely affordable homes, and invested £500,000 in extra support for young people most at risk of turning to crime.

Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council, said: “The Tories talk a good game about helping those who are ‘just about managing’ but today’s Autumn Statement offered nothing to help people struggling to make ends meet.

“The Tories’ obsession with Brexit means they are letting working people down. Islington Labour is on the side of working people in our borough and we will continue to work hard to make a difference on the issues that matter to them.”

Pictured – Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council