The Standard View: Ambulance strikes are the most alarming of all

Christian Adams
WEST END FINAL

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If an elderly person falls in their home and breaks their hip, but no ambulance is available to drive them to the hospital, do you have a functioning healthcare system? It is less a philosophical question and more a practical one, as ambulance waiting times soar.

But things are about to get worse. More than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine trusts in England and Wales are set to strike in the days before Christmas in an issue over pay. The walkout will take place a day after nurses stage their second strike, also over pay.

The Unite union insists that “essential emergency cover” for patients would be maintained, but it is hard to imagine this industrial action will not negatively impact patient outcomes. That is what makes these strikes particularly concerning for millions of people.

The Government is intent on keeping the line on public sector pay, both to meet tight fiscal plans and as a tool in the battle against inflation. In the short-term, that is leading to strikes across the public sector. In the long-term, it is making recruitment ever harder, not least in the capital where living costs are highest and low-paid workers have opportunities to work elsewhere, often for fewer hours and greater remuneration.

A strike must be averted. The Government and unions urgently need to get around the negotiating table and hammer out a fair deal. The alternative isn’t simply economically damaging, like a rail strike. It could be deadly.

Urgency of free meals

Westminster Council has become the latest local authority to pay for all primary school children to receive free school meals, because of concerns over the soaring cost of living. It is now the fifth London council to do so, following Newham, Islington, Southwark and Tower Hamlets.

At present, all pupils in Reception to Year Two are provided with free school meals, in a scheme funded by the Government, but those in older year groups must pay unless their parents earn less than the threshold of £7,400 a year, excluding benefits.

As part of our special investigation into school hunger earlier this year, we called for that figure to be extended to all families in receipt of Universal Credit, so that more children could enjoy at least one hot, healthy meal a day.

A decent meal is not only a public health necessity but an educational one too. Learning to read or multiply fractions is difficult enough on a full stomach, let alone an empty one. By providing free school meals to each pupil who needs it, we are investing in all our children’s futures.

Moroccan roll

To amend a famous phrase from former England captain-turned-commentator Gary Lineker, football is a simple game. Twenty-two people chase a ball for 90 minutes — and at the end London always wins.

That is because no matter the teams involved, there is always a community in the capital to celebrate.

Last night was the turn of the city’s Moroccan fans, who had plenty to cheer following their historic last-16 victory on penalties over Spain. Such joy is one of the many benefits that living in a global city confers.

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