by Her Excellency Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the United Kingdom
The imposition of austerity measures as a neoliberal response to the crisis of 2008 has had multiple effects, not least upon the industrial north, which was already reeling from the effects of Thatcherism, in particular due to the loss of its industrial base.
A particular effect of this has been the rise in homelessness in Manchester, which has gone up 41 per cent since 2016, though experts estimate that official figures are approximately half of the actual total of rough sleepers.
Since 2010/11 the city council’s budget has been cut by nearly a third, with an attendant cut of just over a third of its workforce. As well as cuts limiting the amount of services it can provide, just under 3,000 people have been made increasingly vulnerable due to these job losses.
Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS
Fertiliser chaos triggered by Gulf conflict could send prices soaring and leave millions facing devastating hunger, writes DYLAN MURPHY
LOTTE COLLETT welcomes the arrival of a new party for the left, a vehicle for councils to finally fight for progressive policies on housing, green spaces and public facilities, rather than administering cuts and misery from central government



