• AT the weekend I had the privilege of attending the TUC Black Workers Conference held here in Camden.

The event was filled with many articulate, intelligent, and passionate contributors who are active in their workplaces and communities.

They are living examples of how we can work together in solidarity to make things better. They make real the importance of having diversity at the heart of the decision-making process to help address concerns around institutionalised discrimination.

At the conference we heard about the consequences of austerity; about cuts that have put a strain on vital local services that bond and knit our communities together.

While cuts to housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and the environment affect us all, it is those who are the poorest and most vulnerable that are worst affected – and so, for example, BAME communities disproportionality suffer.

The growth of inequality is a direct consequence of pernicious austerity policies pursued by this current government, but, of course, started originally by the last Liberal Democrat/Tory coalition. So we now have a growing number of families relying on foodbanks because of benefit cuts.

Community cohesion has suffered as the government has chosen to scapegoat migrants rather than tackle the root causes of underinvestment.

An example of this has been the disgraceful treatment of the Windrush generation. They are the victims of the “hostile environment” immigration policy started by Theresa May as home secretary in the coalition government, and which ended up with racist “Go Home” vans driving around our streets in London.

For me, as a socialist and a campaigner for equality and fairness, it is important that diversity is at the heart of decision-making and which is why I made the choice to stand as a Labour candidate in Cantelowes ward.

In my view it is only Labour that has the policies, together with the diversity of its candidates, that is able to honestly tackle local issues.

So I urge you to please vote for your three Labour candidates across Camden on May 3.

RANJIT SINGH
Labour candidate for Cantelowes ward