Opinion
Featured in Various local papers, November 2009:
Dear Editor,Readers may have seen recent statistics which have shown that the number of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance in Bath and North East Somerset has eased a little. The fact that our area is weathering the economic storm better than many other places is good news, but will unfortunately be of little comfort to those who have been hit by the recession and there is no room for complacency.
There is no magic wand which can create jobs for those who have lost them, or boost the income of those who have had to take a pay-cut in order to keep their job. But it is important that government, both at the local and national level, does what it can to support local residents and sustain our area’s economy during the recession.
This year, B&NES Conservative Councillors established a ‘Recession Reserve’ fund in the Council budget. This has been used to support initiatives to boost our area’s economy and to support those worst affected by the recession.
Some of this money has been used for ‘Recession Relief Grants’. These grants have been administered by the Quartet charitable foundation to give help and support to local groups who have been impacted by the recession.
One example of how this money has been used is a £10,000 grant given to the Bath & District Citizens’ Advice Bureau for two extra client interview rooms to help with additional work, and a further £8,600 given to the North East Somerset Citizen’s Advice Bureau for expanded outreach services. Another example is the £20,000 grant given to Care & Repair and the Centre for Sustainable Energy in a joint project to deliver energy-saving advice to older people.
In addition, other Recession Reserve money has been used towards a ‘Supporting Public Events’ fund, administered through Future Bath Plus and Bath Tourism Plus to attract more visitors to the city, and a ‘Promoting the Local Economy’ fund to publicise our area as a business destination. The Council has also worked with organisations such as Business West to run ‘Credit Crunch’ clinics and advice surgeries for struggling local businesses.
We have taken these steps to support our local economy and ensure that when local people are hit by the recession there is the help and support needed.
Yours faithfully,
Cllr Bryan Organ,
Cons, Keynsham East