THIS WEEK Neil Kinnock will launch Labour's election campaign at a major rally in Birmingham. The choice of venue is not acidental. In this election, as in every previous one, the fate of the Midlands seats is crucial to the outcome. Labour will be defending four seats where they have majorities of less than 1000; and there are several more that they need to win if they are mingham the West district elections ingham, Walsall, well. In 12,000 40,000 The was five seats this trom Spellar, thfield, Knowles, ingham's Groub.
Chest on the the everyone vice chairs council committees.
the women's, and race relations and equal opportunites commitices aespilt opposition 300-strong picket outside. The message to the electorate was fighting of women. gays was not our individuals vith hold up.
themselves Coll t like ass' rse, DUldvd done nothing to But confronting BirMidlands more imamongst them We D ovucH poverty UnemployuCul Daı wa 20.8 per cent in October 1986 compared with : a national average of 11.7 per The city also boasts the highest proportion of long-term unemployed in Britain with a quarter of its claimants out of work for over three years.
However, even these figures hide the huge difTerences Li eAs OcLwCc. different areas of the city. In the Birmingham Core wc ves lally inner-city wards, the rate of unemployacnde ment is 34 per cent. Not surmany of these DIslikiy wards have a substantial black population and it is the disproportionate unemployment deprivation that they suffer which has fueled the struggle insiae tne local Laboul Party for stronger action on issues of race.
This situation is placing enormous pressure on ine controlled local authority - particularly its social services calicalivl and housing departments - in a context of increasing cuts in government grants Since it took power in 1984 the response of the Labour group has been to maintain the level provision through massive rate increases ta sercetirl first year) and creative accounting, while attempting to build up alternative employment opportunities the crisis ridden manufacturing sector. The bid for the 1992 Olympics and a f120 million conven. tion centre are the fruits of this strategic approach.
Meanwhile its pleading with central government the council has flaunted its low-spending record on basic facilities reminding Ridley that: Of the 36 metropolitan housne atone has the second highest pro portion ol population overcrowded dwellings, the fourth highest proportion in accommodation which is not self-contained, and the seventh highest proportion without a bath/wc.
It is these conditions and the failure of the local Labour council to convince people that they have an alternative to them, which the real roots of Labour's problems in Birmingham and which if not tackled will cost them dear