Coventry actor's call for city council to "look after our own" amid homeless crisis

[dutchman]

Reece Dry says money should be spent on feeding the hungry rather than building a multi-million pound water park



An actor from Coventry says the city council needs to stop spending millions on leisure projects and instead needs to "care for its own people".

CoventryLive revealed this week that number of homeless families in the city has almost doubled in just a year and Coventry Foodbank handed out thousands more food packages than expected.

The news hit a nerve with Reece Dry who has never forgotten his Holbrooks roots despite now being involved in Hollywood films and music videos.

In his teenage years Reece turned to the city's foodbank in his time of need and still supports the charity whenever he can.

Reece, who is now 25, remembers the impact that help had on his 16-year-old self and believes the council needs to step up to the plate to help those in need across Coventry.

Latest figures show there were 278 families being put up in temporary housing by Coventry City Council in December 2017 - the highest figure recorded for that month since data was first collected in 2009.

A massive 210 of those were families with children.

It was also revealed that the council had a £4.2million overspend relating to Housing Benefit payments, particularly for the homeless, in its latest financial quarter, and in the same period the council also splashed £2.7million more than it had predicted on children's services.

However, Reece doesn't believe this is enough when £36million is being spent on a new water park in the city centre.

"£36million on a water park! We could eradicate hunger in the city and home a lots of the homeless people in the city with some of that money," he said.

"If people want to go swimming there are lots of other places to do that.

"Then with the work on the ring road and the City of Culture, it's a lot of money and they are just spending it on the same things. I can't fault some of the work they do, but it's like anything, if you have a problem you deal with it.

"If you have no pots and pans clean at home you wouldn't go out and buy more, you would wash them up.

"Until something sparks the council to stop and sort these issues out, they will keep spending and spending.

"It's not down to the people to fix. We don't get a say in where that money is spent. They (council) decide on that.

"But it doesn't take a scientist to work out we have a problem, as do other cities, but I'm from Coventry so I'm bothered about my city."

[rebbonk]

He has a valid point, but don't expect the council to listen, they have their own little vanity agendas