Labour leader Cllr Warren Morgan set out 10 key pledges on which Labour will fight the local elections between now and polling day in May 2015, at an event on Brighton seafront last night (September 25) attended by candidates and Party members.
Calling the pledges a “Contract With Brighton and Hove”, Cllr Morgan said a Labour administration would aim to build at least 500 new council homes by 2019, build and run a new secondary school to avoid demand outstripping places in the city, and aim to eliminate youth unemployment through new apprenticeship schemes.
He said: “This city is crying out for change, desperate for a competent council leadership which will improve the lives of residents across the city in every community. Labour will deliver that change, setting the city council the task of tackling poverty and promoting opportunity for all.”
He promised an incoming Labour leadership would establish a year-long Fairness Commission to tackle poverty, promote opportunity and work to deliver new facilities for the city on time, in budget and without committing the city’s taxpayers to further debt. Improving the city’s refuse and recycling service will be a “top priority”.
Acknowledging the huge challenges posed by over £120 million being cut from the city’s budget by Government, Cllr Morgan said: “These ten commitments will form the foundations of our detailed manifesto next year, and the direction of travel of our Labour administration for the four years of our term of office, if elected in May.
“If you want a positive change from the Greens running the city, if you think the Conservatives have little to offer beyond more cuts and a council that does less and cares less, if you want a council that works with you to build better communities in every part of Brighton and Hove and offers greater opportunities for every resident, then say you are with us.”
The 10 Pledges:
1. Labour will make collecting refuse, increasing recycling and cleaning the streets a top council priority. The Leader and senior councillors will directly oversee work to improve the service.
2. Labour will commit to tackle the city’s housing crisis, aiming to build at least 500 council houses by 2019 and securing 40% affordable homes in new housing developments.
3. Labour will consult on introducing a register of landlords to protect tenants in the private rented sector, promote secure tenancies and tackle “rip-off” fees through a Tenant’s Charter.
4. Labour will build a new secondary school to meet the growing need for places across the city, and it will be run by the council under powers restored by a Labour Government while working to ensure all schools are accountable and offer excellent education.
5. Labour will aim to keep any increases in council tax and parking charges within inflation-level rises, with additional income invested in public services, road safety and transport infrastructure that the city needs and residents want.
6. Labour will establish a Fairness Commission to tackle the growing poverty and inequality in the city, independently chaired, reporting within a year and funded within existing budgets, to set out an action plan for the Labour Administration and partner organisations to implement.
7. Labour will work to support a broad, sustainable and prosperous economy that benefits all parts of the city, with secure jobs paying the Living Wage and action to combat zero-hours contracts. There will be innovative proposals in the manifesto to help small and medium-sized businesses in the city.
8. Labour will ensure that major projects that are built in Brighton and Hove offer jobs, homes and new facilities for the city, are affordable, are rigorously scrutinised and are delivered on time with private investment not taxpayer debt.
9. Labour will seek to eliminate youth unemployment in the city within four years, with real apprenticeships and career opportunities for young people.
10. Labour will aim to keep public services local and democratically accountable, with power devolved to communities. Sustainability and Co-operative principles will run through the solutions they develop to meet the funding challenges they face.
To sign up to the pledges, CLICK HERE:
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