South Gloucestershire Labour has launched its campaign for the 70 seats on the district council that are up for election on Thursday 5th May.
The theme of Labour’s manifesto is that the Party will be the community’s voice in the tough times ahead. It outlines the Con Dem Coalition’s harsh treatment of local government, the litany of broken Tory promises and gives five pledges to local voters.
Launching the Manifesto, Leader Councillor Roger Hutchinson (Labour, Filton) said:
“The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats support massive cuts in council services and their government is taking millions of pounds away from South Gloucestershire. We need to make it clear to voters that only Labour will speak up for local people against this government and the destruction it is causing.”
Councillor Hutchinson continues:
“We will not be able to afford all that needs to be done for local people, so the key job of the next council will be prioritising and defending services. The big difference between us and the other parties is that we believe in the value of public services and recognise the damage that deep cuts will do. By electing Labour councillors, South Gloucestershire voters will have a first line of defence against savage cuts and the wholesale outsourcing of council services.”
Councillor Hutchinson points out the Tories broken promises:
“The Tories made a number of promises four years ago which they have not kept, despite running the council since then. These are included in our Manifesto to remind voters not to trust the Tories and their Lib Dem allies this time round.”
Councillor Hutchinson concludes:
“We have made pledges on five key themes. We support value of money but this should be achieved through sensible savings, not by cutting too far and too fast.”
Labour’s five key themes are:
- Support our communities (e.g. Safeguard homecare services)
- Regenerate our town centres (e.g. Target resources to achieve cleaner streets)
- Develop our priority neighbourhoods (e.g. Help local community groups to survive and thrive)
- Improve our transport and highways (e.g. Use existing powers to achieve joined-up integrated transport)
- Secure a sustainable environment (e.g. Increase the amount and range recycled from the doorstep)
Source: South Gloucestershire Labour
