Reading Labour Party has released its manifesto for the 2010 Borough Council elections, and a copy is attached. In her introduction to the manifesto, which is titled Building Reading's Future, Cllr. Jo Lovelock, Leader of the Council, says:
"Labour's detailed manifesto sets out not only our achievements to date, but also a programme for ongoing action to make Reading an even better place in which to grow up, live, work, play and grow older. We are never complacent about the issues we need to tackle and the Labour team is full of enthusiasm to get on with the job. Our candidates and councillors offer an exciting combination of really experienced campaigners, well able to deal with difficult issues and find creative solutions, together with those new to local politics bringing fresh ideas.
"Our manifesto aims to span the whole range of Council services, and our detailed plans include:
- Developing training and apprenticeships for 18 to 24 year-olds so they have the skills local employers want.
- Putting an extra £900,000 into children's services to maintain the improvements in child protection.
- Providing care at home when it is needed for the frail and people with disabilities to help them remain independent for as long as possible. We have just put £5million extra into the care budget.
- Finding a way to bring Kennet Meadows into public ownership to protect it forever from development and Reading from flooding.
- Ensuring that regeneration schemes, like Reading Station and Dee Park go ahead and provide jobs for Reading people.
- Improving insulation of people's homes and looking for opportunities to generate sustainable power to feed into the National Grid, which will benefit homes and businesses and be good for the environment.
Supporting the proposal for the Post Office to become a People's Bank.
- Banning heavy lorries, who have no business in Reading, but use the town as a short-cut between the M40 and the M4.
"Other parties, who have no real alternatives of their own, will try to say that the Labour Party has no ideas! We believe the people of Reading know it is Labour that has led the way and continues to do so, and we invite them to compare our manifesto with those of other parties. There is more to do and we believe Reading needs a Labour Council that knows where it is going and will continue to work in partnership with local people and businesses to protect and improve frontline services and take the town forward.
"The Conservatives, nationally and locally, are trying to be all things to all people: they say they would cut National Insurance and freeze Council Tax , but they will not and cannot say how they would do that and protect essential front line services. There are vague Tory promises of "efficiency" savings and threats of "cuts across the board", but it is Labour in Reading who has found £14million of savings over the past 4 years by changing the way the council works, not by cutting services. At the recent Council tax setting meeting the Tories were asked repeatedly to come up with alternative proposals to show how they would run things, but they would or could not do that, and then failed to turn up for the vote!
"Neighbouring Tory Councils have put up Council Tax by about the same amount as Reading, but they have also cut services - especially for the elderly, the voluntary sector and investment in schools. The choice for Reading is between Labour, who have a track record of delivering change and improvements, or the Tories, who make some vague promises, but will say anything to get power and whose sums certainly never add up!"
Note: The full manifesto can be found
HERE
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