Harrogate Liberal Democrat Party
Harrogate Liberal Democrat Party

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats react with fury over National Insurance hike

9 September 2021

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council has expressed her disappointment over Boris Johnson’s weak social care plan and broken promise not to raise National Insurance.

Pat said:

The Conservative Government has failed to produce a sustainable social care plan and broken yet another election promise, a total betrayal of those who elected this Government. Is this the best they can come up with after 10 years of being in power?”

This will be another burden on hard working families, the lower paid and smaller businesses and ironically those who work in the care system. It will be nurses who have to use a foodbank who will pay for Social Care whilst a retired billionaire doesn’t have to. This will barely impact the richest whose wealth continues to grow. Why doesn’t the Government go after those large international businesses, such as Amazon, and make sure they pay their fair share? Why burden those with the least?”

These are ill thought-out proposals which as usual impact on those who can least afford it and yet protect the wealthy.

The Liberal Democrats want to see cross-party talks on how to fund social care in a fair and sustainable way, along with urgent action to fix the staffing crisis in care homes and give unpaid carers the recognition they deserve.

Pat added:

With the £20 uplift in benefits ending, furlough ending, gas and electricity prices increasing and now this National Insurance increase, many on low pay will really struggle to make ends meet.  All this is brought to you by a government who still won’t properly tax big businesses and a cabinet of millionaires.

Many local people will wonder, rightly, whether In the middle of a pandemic, we really are all in this together?

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