South Gloucestershire Labour is the latest politcal group to launch its manifesto 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, Labour Group Leader Cllr Roger Hutchinson (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.”
The five key themes identified in Labour’s document 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)
In the 2007 district and local elections, Labour failed to win a single seat in Bradley Stoke. They put up five candidates for the five South Gloucestershire seats and just two candidates (in a single ward) for the 15 Town Council seats.
Despite the party’s lack of presence in Bradley Stoke, many residents will be familiar with pro-Labour messages on display at a house in Orpheus Avenue, Little Stoke.
In the run up to the 2010 General Election, an enormous “feeling suicidal vote Tory” message appeared on the side of the house. The stunt didn’t stop voters in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency returning the Conservative’s Jack Lopresti as a clear winner in the contest but Labour supporters were no doubt pleased to see their candidate Ian Boulton edge Lib Dem Peter Tyzack into third place.
The current message on display at the property encourages students to register to vote by 14th April and urges them to “dump Lib Con traitors and vote Labour”.
More info and related links:
- South Gloucestershire Labour Manifesto 2011 [PDF]
- 2011 District and Town Elections (The Journal)
Only Labour will pretend that there isn’t a massive deficit that needs urgent attention.
But it’s all the fault of those nasty bankers, the worldwide recession, the global crisis, the American toxic mortgages and nothing to do with our profligate waste, unfettered spending or Gordon “Prudence” Brown.
Forgot to say, if a prospective councilor of any persuasion comes knocking on your door, just ask them to explain the difference between debt and deficit. It’s great sport watching them tie themselves in knots!
@jim
Where are Labour pretending? They set out a plan to halve the deficit in 4 years through public spending cuts and tax increases. They’re opposing many of the tory-lib governments plans because they go far beyond what is necessary and sensible. Since Mr Cameron started running around telling everybody that “Britain is bankrupt” we’ve seen a large drop in consumer and business confidence. A jump in unemployment and economic growth has slowed when it should have been powering ahead as it has in other countries.
@mouse
The deficit is the amount the government is overspending by each year, the debt is the accumulation of deficits over time. So, currently the government is borrowing 10% of gdp each year to fund the public sector, we are in this situation because of the banking crisis and subsequent recession. Which greatly reduced the governments tax revenue and greatly increased the governments outgoings in unemployment and other welfare benefits.
Oh Prospective councillor, Labour don’t have a plan, just a statement and you cannot honestly sit there and say it is all the bankers.
Public spending under the last government increased ahead of inflation. That was a Labour fault anything else is distraction techniques.
Public spending under the current goverment is being cut in what appears to be a scatter gun approach to keep both parties sort of happy and therefore in power.
I think it would be good to hear how you intend to deliver your 5 key themes without letting council tax increase ahead of inflation.
@Silverfox
“Labour don’t have a plan, just a statement and you cannot honestly sit there and say it is all the bankers.”
The plan is the halve the deficit over 4 years, Labour have endorsed some of the tory-lib governments cuts and tax increases. It isn’t all the bankers, Labour bares responsibility for failing to regulate them sufficiently.
“Public spending under the last government increased ahead of inflation. That was a Labour fault anything else is distraction techniques.”
Yeh…Labour increased public spending as they said they would in their election manifestos. That is what the people voted for. If spending had been kept at 97 levels in real terms we’d still have a large fiscal deficit but we’d also have terrible public services.
I have to say the ‘new’ Labour manifesto above does not give me any confidence in the council as a whole. We live in North Bristol and only had Ben Walker knock on our door and talk to us. But even then we really did not talk about issues, only the AV. But at least we talked.
How can anyone ask for our vote without talking to us, how can anyone expect us to believe what their party manifesto is telling us when history repeats itself and the party changes there mind when in power.
So, based on that I should vote conservative, but I do not want to, as they really do not speak for the people at all….