Cuts Watch Cymru Keeps Eye on Cuts

Poverty
NewsJuly 13th, 2011

Thousands of people in Wales face the reality of no job, no money and no home, as cuts in public spending and welfare benefits begin to bite.  The Bevan Foundation is working with Oxfam Cymru and eleven other organizations to find out how different people are affected by the cuts and what can be done to off-set their worst effects.

‘There are serious warning signs around us,’ says Head of Oxfam Cymru, Chris Johnes, on behalf of Cuts Watch Cymru, ‘People are already telling us that they have to choose between paying the bills or putting food on the table.  Not all cuts are necessarily harmful, but we’re watching to see what gets cut. Adrian Curtis, who run’s the Trussel Trust’s food bank service in Wales added ‘The signs of desperate times are not diminishing. Last week was one of the busiest weeks for the food bank in Ebbw Vale since we opened in 2008 with a fifty percent increase from our average number of clients. Cardiff food bank saw a 100% increase in clients during April and May compared to the previous financial year.’

Bevan Foundation Director, Victoria Winckler, said the project would provide evidence to inform policy makers’ decisions on the cuts, so that people who are already hard hit are not pushed even deeper into poverty.

The members of Cuts Watch Cymru are Advice UK, Age Cymru, The Bevan Foundation, Chartered Institute of Housing, Chwarae Teg, Community Housing Cymru, Disability Wales, Gwalia Care and Support, Oxfam Cymru, Save the Children, Shelter Cymru, The Trussell Trust and UNISON Cymru.

Cuts Watch Cymru is at http://www.cutswatchcymru.org/

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