Too many people in Redditch are not feeling the effects of the recovery

It's not enough to simply be told the economy is recovering people want to feel it.  And I'm afraid too many people in Redditch are not feeling the effects of the recovery.

In Redditch there are 355 young unemployed people, 5,500 people in fuel poverty and hundreds feeling the effects of the desperate shortage of affordable housing.  Labour will not stand by and tolerate this. 

Young people leaving school need access to training and skills. That's why the Labour council's apprenticeship scheme was set up to help tackle youth unemployment which stands above the English and county average.  I am angry that local conservative councillors did not support this scheme.

Energy companies should not be allowed to hike up prices year after year for bill payers, throwing more people into fuel poverty.  I wrote to the Redditch Conservative MP Mrs Lumley asking her to support Labour's energy price freeze to help families afford to heat their homes.  Instead she voted against the price freeze - against measures to help people in fuel poverty in Redditch and voted in favour of increased profits for energy companies.

Last week there were 183 bids made by local people for just 8 available homes across the social housing providers.  We simply need more affordable homes as people are trapped unable to afford to buy and often paying too much in private rent. 

A labour government would build 200,000 homes each year of the next Parliament and wants to immediately reduce private rents.  Yet yesterday Mrs Lumley once again voted against helping her constituents, this time those who are renting, by not supporting measures to reduce private rents for people in Redditch.

I want everyone to be better off and while those who are doing their best still cannot afford the cost of living crisis I cannot be a cheer leader for the economic recovery.