Benefit cuts lead to division

East End Life, October 10

History is very important for us in the East End. This is because we take inspiration from events in our past that show how effective we can be when we stand united in the face of adversity and bigotry.

This past week we have celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. The council and community organisations staged a week of events to mark this historic date. I was honoured to be able to share a platform with Cable Street veteran and activist, Max Levitas, as we unveiled a plaque to formally launch the restored mural at St George’s Gardens.

The events of 75 years ago are a salutary reminder of what happens when fear and rumour are spread about people of different races, creeds and lifestyles. Tolerance and understanding are things that we have to constantly work on.

That was why I was so disappointed by the tone of the media debate earlier this week likening parts of London to a ghetto under apartheid era South Africa. The quotes were attributed to a well-respected private school head teacher who I know meant well. However, his words were focused on the wrong target.

Firstly, this is not a community that has chosen to segregate itself. It is a community that has limited choices, in terms of where they live and where they can attend school.

I am most concerned about the government cuts further limiting the choices of communities. This is particularly the case with the cuts to housing benefits. This does have the danger of dividing London and our borough further along the lines of income.

This is why I am committed to building more social housing across the borough and maintaining investment in building schools for the future.

Concern would be better directed at those who do have the luxury of choice in terms of where they live and where to send their children to school. In the middle of this furore it seems to have been forgotten that the borough’s children achieved their best ever GCSE results this year and that we take every opportunity to broaden their range of experiences.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman