Beruflich Dokumente
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Labour party:
your voice
in difficult
times
21. Summary
The 2011 Local Elections across England are the most important
for a generation. With the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in
power marking some of the deepest cuts in living memory, this
election offers residents across England the chance to voice their
anger at David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s policies.
This document shows that the Guildford Labour party has the
answers to the big questions facing Guildford Borough Council.
Based on co-operative values of democracy, transparency and
community, this manifesto has the ideas to deliver a cleaner,
greener, safer Guildford.
Keith Chesterton
Chair
Rather than taking responsibility for the fact that Nick Clegg
agrees with these cuts, they sit in council meetings pretending to
be enraged by the Tory cuts only to rubber stamp them;
The Lib Dems AGREE with the xxx% cut in Guildford Borough
Council’s budget
The Lib Dems AGREE with Nick Clegg and have refused to voice
any opposition to any of the policies he has foisted on local people.
The local Lib Dems are supposed to be the opposition. They are
supposed to scrutinise everything the Tories are doing but they are
forced to keep quiet and accept the level and pace of cuts to
services because it is their Lib Dems bosses that are forcing them
on us.
The Tories and Lib Dems are proposing that Housing Associations
should charge 80% of the gross market rate for housing which
coupled with the changes in security of tenure and cuts in housing
benefit spell disaster for some of the most vulnerable in our
society.
1. AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
2. AFFORDABLE RENTS:
3. SECURITY OF TENURE:
4. UNDER OCCUPATION
5. HOUSING BENEFIT:
UNIVERSITY FEES
(ii) The Tories and Lib Dems are raising the cap on tuition
fees to £9,000, which coupled with living costs in
Guildford, could leave our students with over £50,000
worth of debt.
The Tories have had eight years to deliver and they have failed.
Guildford’s roads are getting worst and our public transport needs
new life. The Lib Dems have had four years as the only opposition
voices on Guildford Borough Council to offer a radical and credible
alternative to the Tories. It is clear that only the Guildford Labour
party can offer something new in our local area.
The Tories and Lib Dems in government have told us that the “Big
Society” delivers on co-operative values, but we all know what that
is really about; cutting services and trying to get you to do all the
work for free. We shouldn’t be fooled by it.
(i) Every service that the Council puts out to tender will have
to include a co-operative or mutual options, driven by local
residents
The Tories have for the last eight years hoarded power and
shunned public scrutiny. They don’t want their policies to be
The Guildford Labour party will continue to support the case for an
alternative economic strategy that doesn’t stall growth and
hamper job creation in the private sector. Cuts will have to happen
in government spending and the structural deficit does need to be
reduced, however the government are going too far and too fast,
endangering growth in Guildford’s economy.
The effects can be felt across the United Kingdom and no more
keenly than in Guildford, where shops are being vacated by
independent businesses who can no longer afford to stay open
when demand is so low, VAT increasing and lending to businesses
stalled. The questions that we have to ask are these:
The Guildford Labour party does not hold all the answers to these
questions; no political party does. However we can identify some
key areas that we need to work on in order to boost Guildford’s
economy:
(iii) Clean and safe high streets. The Guildford Labour party
would work with Surrey County Council to ensure that our
town centre pavements are safe for shoppers and get
more litter bins in place. The Guildford Labour party would
also close the upper high street to traffic at the
weekends.
The Tories and Lib Dems locally have failed to develop a coherent
growth strategy for Guildford. The Tories are only concerned with
chopping services and sacking staff and the Lib Dems lack the
imagination to reinvigorate the private sector in Guildford.
The Guildford Labour party also recognises the value of the public
sector and the work that is done by public servants in Guildford. We
are committed to efficiency in the public sector. We also recognise
the interdependent nature between the public and private sector;
job losses and cut backs in contracts often lead to significant job
losses in the private sector. Working with key actors in the public
sector we will work to protect services.
15. We will ensure that every service that the Council puts out to
tender will have to include a co-operative or mutual option,
driven by local residents
19. We will provide continued support for the Surrey Save Credit
Union
20. We will work with Surrey County Council, to promote the Young
Cooperative initiative in Guildford’s schools.
26. We will rename the current committee better reflect their actual
activity.
29. We would freeze car parking charges for three years as we look
to secure recovery in our economy.
31. We would work with Surrey County Council to ensure that our
town centre pavements are safe for shoppers and get more
litter bins in place.
32. We would also close the upper high street to traffic at the
weekends.