Building a New Kirklees
Local services are under attack. We are being forced to make painful decisions about what we should keep and what we must do without all to allow George Osbourne to cut taxes for the rich and for his millionaire friends and relatives.
Some argue that we should walk away and force the Conservatives to make the hard decisions; we cannot and will not do that.
As times get hard it is much more important that we are there to protect the people and communities that are being assaulted by this uncaring government. Choices have to be made, we will make them, but we will always choose to support those in greatest need rather than those who shout loudest.
Our Promises
We believe in building a stronger society, we believe in Homes and Jobs: The Conservatives believe in the Trickle Down theory, make the rich richer and they will create more crumbs to fall off their overflowing tables. It does not work. Depressing wages and welfare payments to the people who have to spend what little they have, depresses the economy.
We have to create an economy that all can be part of, not just the privileged few. We can do that by:
- Supporting business to thrive and grow by use of land and investment opportunities.
- Working with all our schools, colleges and the university to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our residents.
- Investing in our towns and villages to create jobs and encourage a vibrant local economy.
- Improving the quantity and quality of social housing
- Supporting local communities
Remember Thatcher’s boast? “There is no such thing as society.” We believe the cult of the individual, the worshiping of conspicuous consumption, is not only morally bankrupt, it does not make economic sense and is not conducive of a stable society.
We will invest in early intervention and prevention: Not only does this make economic sense; it is the right thing to do. To help people to live an active life for as long as possible, to help carers, to encourage society to thrive.
Our Children: One of the most important things any council does is care for children. We want every child in our care to be safe, happy and well-cared for, and as corporate parents we will stand up for our looked-after children and listen to them. We will support young people leaving our care, making sure that they have good homes, employment opportunities, a range of support services, and the emotional resilience to lead happy and fulfilling lives.
We want a better future for every child. In 2016, no child should grow up without the basics.
- We will provide support for families of children with disabilities to maximise their independence while growing up.
- We will provide good support for carers to ensure they can continue to support family members.
- We will work to strengthen communities.
- We will support those who are vulnerable, individuals and families.
- We will work with parents, families, schools, the NHS and other partners to get the best for every child and tackle child poverty."
We will strive to create healthier communities and improve personal wellbeing: Inequality and poverty are probably the most prevalent factors in causing poor health. Whilst we will do all we can to combat these joint evils, they will be with us for many years. We cannot ignore the fact that life expectancy in some parts of Kirklees is 5 years shorter than others. We must focus our limited resources where it has the most impact.
- We will invest in healthier more active lifestyles.
- We will promote health, independence and adequate care for older people.
- We will support older and vulnerable people to remain physically and mentally healthy for as long as possible.
We will have homes for everyone: Conservative housing policy is more than immoral it is plain daft. They have stated that they aim to eliminate poverty by eliminating Social Housing. Their view of a “Home Owning Democracy” is incompatible with an unequal society, their hand outs to those who can afford a £600,000 mortgage immoral, especially at the time when they are demonising social housing tenants and squeezing benefits.
- We will build houses to reflect the changing needs of our communities.
- We will build ourselves and encourage others to build houses to reflect the changing needs of our communities.
- We will promote the building of homes now for our children and future generations and strive to ensure every family has a safe and secure place to live.
We will tackle poverty and inequality: We welcome the Conservatives increases to the minimum wage as a step towards a fairer distribution of the nation’s wealth but realise that the number of people policing the payments has decreased. We also deplore the attacks on the Trade Union Movement, attempting to remove the most effective voice in protecting workers. We are disgusted at the fact that the less well-off have to pay more for energy than the rich. We will support alternatives to the loan sharks and see little difference between the legal and illegal parasites.
- We have implemented the living wage for council employees.
- We will provide a high quality advice service to support local residents.
- We will support the working poor and have a financial inclusion plan that supports ethical alternatives to Pay Day Lenders.
- We will look for ways to eliminate the inequality of energy prices.
We care about the Environment: Global warming is a fact, poor air quality is a fact and perpetual growth in consumption is unsustainable. Fortunately reducing energy consumption, not only contributes to saving the planet, it saves us money, a win-win situation. Planting more trees creates better air quality, reduces flood risk and improves our environment. Traffic congestion causes pollution, as well as frustration.
- We will promote tree planting
- We will create and protect more urban green space
- We will encourage consumption reduction
- We will work to reduce traffic congestion
- We will encourage supermarkets to recycle food waste
Our NHS Health and Social Care are part of the same package: Though we do not run our local NHS services we have a very strong interest. We will co-operate wherever possible, but we will fight the Conservative underfunding and their drive towards privatisation.
The future matters
We face a bleak future. The rich are more powerful than ever, privilege and inequality are stronger than ever, the media is controlled by the rich, and hell bent in preventing anyone even thinking there is an alternative.
None of that should stop us in Kirklees in trying to create a more equal society, a safer society and a more resilient society.
