I’ve always loved the end of the year. The autumn trees, crisp days, bonfire night, pantomimes, festive lights, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year. Maybe even some sledging with my children. It’s a time when people put so much energy into creating joy for each other.
This year like every other, I know people across our community will go the extra mile to create that joy. From Christmas fairs, to estate parties, to school plays, to hampers for those who are home alone, our Southwark spirit always shines through.
However, over recent years the strength of community spirit we need to get us through has been ever increasing.
Our national cost of living crisis is leaving more and more families struggling to get by.
The decisions like when to put the heating on and when to pick up some treats in the supermarket are now much bigger than they should be. And even the little gifts we all want to give our nearest and dearest have become out of reach for a growing number of families.
The truth is people across our country are being forced into poverty. Having to choose between heating and eating. It should not be like this in the 21st century. Not in one of the world’s richest countries.
We should be able to look to government for some hope. For a plan to build on our countless national strengths, and turn our fortunes round.
Yet the truth is the whole country has given up on the idea that this government will do anything to help.
While Rishi Sunak is getting all excited about holding a conference with Tech billionaires, they seem to have given up on the bread and butter of ruling our country. Leaving local communities and councils to pick up the pieces.
In Southwark we are doing something very different. We are working together across our council, voluntary sector, NHS, local business and more to help people get by and get on.
Last winter, the council distributed Cost of Living support to more than 11,000 households. Putting money in the pockets of families who would otherwise been left unable to heat their home or put food on the table.
Struggling Southwark households to get £60 to help with high cost of living bills
We have set up a new Cost of Living Fund for this winter to continue to provide financial support to low-income households at risk of hardship due to the higher cost of food, energy, and other essentials.
We are finalising plans to relaunch Warm Spaces for this winter, where people can go to keep warm, have a hot meal or drink, and meet others.
Warm Spaces open to help out Southwark residents this winter
We are helping over 1,000 children and their families with our School Uniform Grant and for a decade, Southwark Labour has been making sure that every primary child in the borough has free, healthy school meals. This autumn we have extended that offer, with a new pilot that is providing free, healthy school meals to hundreds more secondary pupils whose families are on low incomes too.
Southwark secondary schools get £187k kitchen upgrades for expanded free school meals scheme
As the cost of living spirals, these free nutritious meals are becoming a lifeline for even more families. With two in every five children in London now living in poverty, and many more families only just getting by, you can see why.
Our free school meals have been so successful that, the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is now providing them for the whole of London.
This winter we are also continuing to help people save money on the fuel bill. Stepping in where the government is failing to deliver.
We have created the Energy Advice Centre at London Southbank University. The centre provides free expert advice and information on things like home improvements, and way to get grants to upgrade your home. Everyone can get advice on energy efficiency around the home, with tips to get more out of your central heating, or guidance on whether you should change to LED lightbulbs.
These students are giving free energy advice to residents to cope with rising costs
Making green improvements to your home can be incredibly complicated and frustrating. This service will help homeowners overcome obstacles to make their homes greener and lower carbon.
The Labour party nationally has big plans to reform the way we get our energy.
Keir Starmer’s speech at Labour Party conferenced showed how we could deliver what we do in Southwark on a national scale.
A Labour Government would launch Great British Energy, a publicly owned company that will make clean British energy, which is cheaper than fossil fuels and will generate jobs. That is the kind of leadership Britain needs a forward thinking approach to benefit everyone and an end to the chaos of the Tories.