Burnham-On-Sea’s Labour parliamentary candidate has this week blasted the govermment’s ‘failure’ to deal with low wages in the area.
New figures for the Wells constituency, which includes Burnham and Highbridge, show 38% of workers earn less than a living wage, with the average annual wage around £17,000.
Labour candidate Chris Inchley, pictured, said: “It is likely that the number of working people claiming housing benefit is set to double because the Tory government has failed to tackle low pay, insecure work and the cost-of-living crisis, with the consequence of thousands more people are being forced to rely on housing benefit to make ends meet.”
“The tax payer is effectively handing their taxes to private landlords with no assets accrued for the tax payers investment, just redistributing wealth from those who do not have to those with wealthy assets.”
“To continue on this course of low pay insecure work will lead to higher welfare payments. It is obvious that a change of approach is required. We need a government that will tackle low pay, raising the skills of workers, which in turn must lead to an increase in the minimum wage and a move towards the living wage, a basic requirement in making work pay.”
He added: “The housing market needs to be rebalanced. It is unsustainable for the current (over) ten times annual salary for the average house price, with the gap between wages and house prices increasing.”
“It is clear many, many more affordable houses need to be built, without action the current housing crisis, will get worse, with the welfare budget increasing with little benefit to the tax payer or for the local communities.”
