September seemed to pass in a blur! There is a steady amount of casework, mainly this is people seeking help with housing issues. This month it’s been pleas for help with ‘rebanding’. Young families that need more space. It turns out that their is little I can do as a Cllr to assist. The only option would be the private rented sector. We know how pressurised and expensive that is.
I organised a ‘Sleep Out Saturday’ on Saturday 10th. To raise awareness of homelessness and the housing crisis. Several local Labour Party members came and slept out, several homeless people supported. About 11 of us in total. As a result of this I’m hoping to encourage Groundswell, trained and supported homeless health advocates to become active in the Thanet area. This is much needed, I didn’t know that homeless people die 30 years early than others! That’s shocking. I’m still seeking a meeting with TDC to raise emergency accomadation.
Cllr Matterface and I launched a ‘stop crushing our NHS petition’. This started really well, with 1,000s signing up, no one wants to see the NHS cut! We’d like to see this rolled out. It’s certainly a prompt for conversations that we need to have with many more people.
I’m still dealing with employment related issues. These are often complex, the solutions aren’t always easy, and sometime the law is stacked against people getting across to tribunals. I hope I’m at the very least a listening ear!
I was really pleased and proud to be elected by Ramsgate Labour branch to stand as a candidate for Kent County Council. Looking forward to that campaign!