Jane Haden Standing for Devon County Council in Newton Abbot South I've lived most of my life in Newton Abbot and 35 years in Buckland after being forced into council housing when Tory policies in the 1980s left us homeless.

Full statement

Today, we're still in social housing, but thanks to the Bedroom Tax, we were ripped from the home where we raised our family, a home we'd lived in for 25 years. We were pushed just three streets away, still on Buckland, but the damage was done. This isn't just my story, it's the story of countless others who've been failed by decades of cruel, short-sighted housing policies. I know firsthand how vital a safe, secure home is, and I've seen how unstable, short-term rentals devastate families. I will fight relentlessly for quality council housing that offers long-term security and rents people can actually afford.
During the pandemic, I helped run a mutual aid response group, delivering prescriptions and food to those in need. While I was proud to support my community, it's a disgrace that in the world's 6th richest country, families are going hungry.
This isn't inevitable, it's a political choice to target the poorest and most vulnerable rather than taking the real tough choice of taxing the top 1% who own more than the bottom 70% combined.
I will fight for secure jobs, a living wage that actually covers the cost of living, and welfare benefits that allow people to live with dignity, not desperation.
As a disabled person and an active member of Unite Community, I'm deeply connected to the struggles faced by workers and the most vulnerable. I'm the branch treasurer and a delegate to Torbay Trades Council, and I see every day how austerity and cuts destroy lives.
Let me be clear: austerity is not necessary. It's a brutal, calculated attack on the working class by an outor touch cute. whitinctooth ana nail acinsonis Labour dovernments cue, occhuse they are not just cruel they are a lie.
Buckland is a stark example of inequality. Once a proud council estate, it's now a patchwork of privatised homes, private rentals, and pockets of social housing. In 2023, public health officials confirmed what we already knew: Buckland is among the 4% most deprived areas in Devon and the top 20% most deprived nationally. Many here, like me, rely on disability benefits, and we're terrified by Labour's plans to slash them further.
Housing is in crisis, substandard, overpriced and insecure. Public transport is a joke, with poor and unreliable bus services. Many people I've spoken to have to catch the bus at least half an hour before they need to if they have an appointment because there is no guarantee a bus will not be late or cancelled altogether.
As a TUSC candidate, 1 witt:
Oppose all cuts to council services, jobs, and pay. No privatisation, no outsourcing-our services belong to us.
Reject council tax, rent, and service charge hikes that punish working-class people for government failures.
Demand councils use reserves and borrowing powers to protect services, and fight for full funding
from central government
Resist any government-appointed envoys sent to impose cuts on our communities.
Support climate plans that create jobs, protect workers, and improve our environment-not ones that sacritice the vulnerable for promi
Donate my council allowance to local causes and union efforts to defend workers rights.
This isn't just about Buckland-it's about every community being crushed by austerity and neglect. I will be a voice for the voiceless and fight for a future where no one is left behind. If not us who? if not now, when?. It's time to fight back