More than 350 sign Bexhill and Battle tax credits petition

The petition will be handed to Huw Merriman on Monday

A petition to stop tax credits cuts has been signed by more than 350 people in the Battle and Bexhill constituency.

Campaign group 38 Degrees will hand in their petition after 364 residents backed them to Huw Merriman MP on Monday (November 23).

The petition is part of a nationwide campaign to stop Government proposals to cut tax credits – a form of state benefit – with 157,694 signatures across the UK.

Bexhillian Sally Goring has been organising the local campaign and said she got involved as it will directly effect her family and others she knows.

“I realised members of my family are in this position and I know that there are many other people who are going to suffer from these cuts,” she said.

“Children will be without food on the table if tax credits are taken away from the people who need them.

“It’s appalling as people don’t know how they are going to cope.

“People are becoming ill because of it and children are not getting their food.”

The group plan to hand in their petition to Mr Merriman’s office at 8 Amherst Road, Bexhill, at 12pm on Monday but he will be at the House of Commons.

The Conservative MP voted with the Tories and against the veto of the plans in the House of Commons last month.

Ms Goring hopes the petition will persuade him to change the legislation.

“We’re very much hoping that the information we give him will change his mind – this is what we are aiming for,” she said.

“He needs to know more deeply and understand how it will effect people and families.”

The House of Lords stepped in and temporarily stopped the proposals going through.

Ms Goring believes the plans needs to be drastically altered as it will cause families to starve.

“We can’t stop, it’s got to be completely changed,” she said.

“Families must be heard as they are being downtrodden at the moment.

“I don’t think people in this country think that we have starvation and children without food on their plates, but we do and it’s in front of us.”

A similar petition in the Hastings and Rye constituency has been signed by 850 people and will be handed in to Amber Rudd MP tomorrow (Friday, November 20).