Portsmouth South candidate Gerald Vernon-Jackson and Fratton candidate Dave Ashmore support Portsmouth charity clothes banks

'Charity starts at home' as the saying goes, but nothing could be further from this at Portsmouth City Council's meeting last night. 

As Christmas approaches, Councillors from all parties gathered to consider plans to budget for running the city next year, but one miserly proposal from the Conservatives stood out from the many mean cuts. They ganged-up to cream-off charity cash! 

Dotted around Portsmouth are charity clothes banks. Last year when City Councillors agreed to take over the running of the various clothes bank sites on Council-owned land, like pavements and car parks - a promise was made that charity causes would not be worse off.

That promise was broken when UKIP, Conservative and Labour Councillors voted together to take much-needed cash generated by the clothes banks from 'Hampshire & IoW Air Ambulance', 'Salvation Army', 'British Heart Foundation', children's charity 'Dreams Come True' and UK textiles redistribution charity 'TRAID'.

Lib Dem Councillors pleaded with them not to do this, but were ignored. Shockingly UKIPs Portsmouth [Nelson Ward] leader said:

"The less privileged are going to be collateral damage", adding, "my only option is to support this [joint UKIP/Tory/Labour] budget".

Help us fight this decision. Click here to sign the petition.