COUNCILLORS have reacted angrily to remarks that “poor people” vote for opposition parties.
The comments were made by deputy leader Cllr John Kaiser during the debate on the climate emergency action plan annual report, part of a meeting of Wokingham Borough Council on Thursday, July 22.
Speaking about the council’s commitment to build social housing such as the Gorse Ride scheme, he told opposition councillors: “It’s the people that support you that need housing, the poor people”.
Cllr Rachel Burgess, the Labour group leader, felt that the comments were “entirely inappropriate” and revealed a “certain Conservative mindset”.
She felt that the council’s regeneration of Wokingham town centres was “almost exclusively for the benefit of those who are better off”.
“A council that has cut funding for bus services, that had to be strong-armed into reforming its council tax debt collection processes and that has built just 11 council houses in over 20 years is certainly not a council working for poor people,” she said.
“(During the debate) Cllr Kaiser was unable to address Cllr Carl Doran’s valid concerns about the lack of a plan to tackle the increased traffic, and therefore emissions, caused by house building.
“Instead, he implied that Cllr Doran was simply complaining about the number of houses being built, and seemed to conclude, bizarrely, that he must be against social housing. Just a brief look at Cllr Doran’s record at Planning Committee would reveal that he regularly objects to the lack of affordable housing in developments, and show just how ill-informed these comments are.”
And Cllr Clive Jones, the deputy leader off Wokingham Liberal Democrats, felt that Cllr Kaiser was using language from 200 years ago, relating to the Poor Laws.
“It shows just how out of touch the Conservatives are, it really does,” he said. “There’s no place for that sort of language in society at all. I don’t think people should be referred to as poor, it is such an old-fashioned term.
“It’s quite insulting.”
But Cllr Kaiser sought to clarify what he meant.
“The point I was making is that Labour claim to stand up for the least well-off in our society, but don’t live up to that in their words and their actions. They don’t want to talk about how we’re helping the poorest in our community and instead want to manufacture a row about the word I used,” he said.
“It just reinforces that they are stoking up division rather than doing something to help people.
“Calling people ‘economically disadvantaged’ doesn’t make them any less poor.
“One of my big concerns as executive member for finance and housing is actually helping people in the borough who are struggling.
“This Conservative administration has proven this time and time again in our policies: providing free school meals in the holidays; increasing Council Tax discounts for carers; removing Council Tax for people in care up to 25; delivering over 1,200 affordable homes deliver in the last three years; providing accommodation for rough sleepers when the pandemic hit – just to name a few.
“I think residents will take a very dim view of Labour’s attempts to start a class war.
“We Conservatives will get on with the task of continuing to make this the best place for everyone in our community.”
