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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Liberal Democrat Manifesto for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 2010 - 2014
This Manifesto has 6 parts: 1. Education/Young People; 2. Community Safety; 3. Value For Money; 4. Supporting Residents In The Economic Recession; 5. Environment and Sustainability; and 6. Promoting The Health and Wellbeing Of All. Please send your comments on and questions about it to: enquiries@twickenhamlibdems.co.uk
| 1. EDUCATION/YOUNG PEOPLE. |  |
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Our achievements:
- All local reception children found places despite unprecedented increased demand.
- £32 million being invested in five expanding primary schools, resulting in 1,050 additional school places.
- Half the local secondary schools are being refurbished or rebuilt in a £92 million programme.
- Significant improvement in Secondary A*-C GCSE school results - up 7 % on last year's results which were up 6 % on the previous year.
- Improved and new playgrounds. • Skate park and Youth Café. • Youth equipment in parks. • Library improvements and replacement.
- £1 million youth fund established for new facilities, a quarter of a million extra invested every year in youth services, and three times more engagement with young people.
Our Unique Selling point: We are investing in the future residents of the Borough.
What we will do:
- Building on our libraries refurbishment programme, retain all libraries, extend opening hours, and expand community use.
- Building on our libraries refurbishment programme, retain all libraries, extend opening hours, and expand community use.
- Deliver family and children's centres locally through Neighbourhood Children's Centres.
- Expand creative, cultural and sporting opportunities for all.
- Increase primary school places by 840 over and above the 1,050 additional places already provided.
- Increase the number of secondary places available by continuing to invest capital in our schools.
- Listen to young people and invest further in youth services and facilities, like the successful youth café in Hampton Wick.
- Provide new Youth Club in Richmond town centre.
- Raise all secondary schools to good or outstanding Ofsted standard.
- Safeguard vulnerable children by investing in our Social services.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
- Made very little provision for extra Primary School places.
- Creation of small Sixth Forms despite their own record of failure.
- Pursuit of small sixth forms at the expense of a Tertiary College in the nation's top ten for 'A' level achievement.
- They have no costed programme of how they will improve the Borough's secondary schools.
- They have opposed the Academy programme despite support for Kunskapsskolan by the national Conservative Party.
| 2. COMMUNITY SAFETY |  |
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Our achievements:
- 4,000 free personal alarms distributed.
- Additional staff to combat domestic violence.
- Controlled Drinking Zones in Richmond and Twickenham town centres to reduce anti-social behaviour.
- First borough to set up Police Liaison Groups [PLGs] in every ward.
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) borough forum set up by Council - now freestanding.
- More support for victims and witnesses.
- New Post created to combat Hate crimes of all kinds, plus the creation of a Hate Crime Forum.
- Provided more CCTV cameras to tackle crimes on our streets.
- Reduced the number of road accidents.
Our Unique Selling point: Safest Borough in London.
What we will do:
- Continue our partnership work with the police to make the Borough even safer.
- Develop the Community Safety Partnership to bring a multi-disciplined focus on crime reduction.
- Increase investment in the borough's areas of deprivation.
- Introduce 20 mph speed limits in residential streets in consultation with residents.
- Make town centres even safer through further investment in Town Centre Managers.
- Establish Youth Liaison Groups [YPLGs] in every ward to work alongside local police liaison groups.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
- Talked about reducing anti-social behaviour - no information on how.
- Want more CCTV, but we set up the control centre prior to their administration and we have put more CCTV in.
| 3. VALUE FOR MONEY |  |
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Our achievements:
- Achieved £11 million per annum in efficiency savings.
- Held down the Council Tax, with no real terms increase over four years.
- £140 million invested in first three years in capital improvements to schools, affordable housing, parks, sports facilities, libraries, and a further £77 million placed for fourth year.
- £37 million of revenue reserves invested in services over the last 3 years.
Our Unique Selling point: Excellent Services - Efficiently Provided.
What we will do:
- Continue to keep Council taxes as low as possible, whilst maintaining vital public services.
- Focus on genuine efficiencies rather than service cuts.
- Deliver savings of at least £15 million in order to maintain our excellent local services despite rising costs and government cuts.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
- Failed to deliver investment in schools when last in power, with only one primary expansion project.
- Increased Council Tax by 15 % in their first year of power in 2003, and by 30 % over 3 years.
- Recklessly promised Council Tax cuts worth £8 million without any regard to protecting vital services.
- Will hoard your Council Tax and not invest it in services to improve the lives of people in the Borough.
| 4. SUPPORTING RESIDENTS IN THE ECONOMIC RECESSION |  |
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Our achievements:
- Go Green Policy to reduce business energy costs and promoted energy saving costs for residents.
- Implemented our Economic Development Plan to assist businesses and residents.
- Reduced the number of empty shops in Twickenham.
- We have doubled the number of small businesses who are receiving business rate relief.
Our Unique Selling point: Working to support residents in the recession.
What we will do:
- Work with our partners to help boost the local economy into recovery with a range of initiatives to help residents and local employers.
- Offer hundreds of young people a help onto the first rung of the employment ladder with our work experience internship programme with an investment of £1 m.
- Continue to support the local retail economy with Town Centre Managers to help develop local high streets.
- Promote savings for local businesses through our business energy efficiency programme.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
- Cut front-line services to reduce costs.
- Cut Town Centre Managers when they were last in power.
| 5. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. |  |
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Our achievements:
- Converting Council vehicles to run on recycled vegetable oil, with environmental and financial benefits.
- Introducing Car Clubs.
- Keeping weekly waste collections, achieved recycling rate of 42 % and introduced doorstep cardboard and plastic recycling.
- Leading the opposition to Heathrow expansion.
- Legible London and Richmond Town Centre improvement scheme.
- Parks improvements.
- Reducing CO2 emissions through promoting low CO2 emitting vehicles and improving other forms of transport in the Borough to cut down on car use, increasing cycling provision and green travel schemes for businesses and schools in the Borough.
- Thames Landscape Strategy and Arcadia scheme (e.g. Twickenham Embankment).
Our Unique Selling point: We are the Greenest Borough in London.
What we will do:
- Aspire to extend our "Legible London" signage programme across the borough.
- Continue our work to ensure our level crossings are kept open for the maximum time to ease traffic delays.
- Continue to oppose the expansion of Heathrow.
- Develop the Borough's Green Transport Strategy and promote sustainable forms of transport, including cycling and walking.
- Double the number of Green Flag parks in the Borough from 7 to 14.
- Expand Car Clubs and introduce Van Clubs to support small and medium sized enterprises.
- Implement the Twickenham Riverside Project, subject to Planning Permission.
- Increase recycling rates to 45 % in 2010 and to 70 % by 2020.
- Introduce a Go Green Charter - to encourage residents to embrace action to mitigate climate change.
- Press for more funding for travel initiatives and work with TfL to maximise financial support for improved transport infrastructure.
- Press rail organisations to improve railway stations.
- Reduce all types of waste going to landfill with emphasis on packaging items by working with supermarkets and retailers on specific reduction measures.
- Reduce residual household waste by 2 % in 2010.
- Reduce the Council's CO2 emissions by 10 % annually and aim to achieve the same across the borough.
- Street Cleaning - Aim to be amongst the best in London.
- Work with TfL and Bus operators to improve and maintain bus services.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
NOTHING! Wanted to remove the word "sustainability" from all Council documents. Hostile to public and other sustainable transport.
| 6. PROMOTING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL |  |
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Our achievements:
- Alcohol Strategy for the Borough that focuses on education, enhanced services through GPs, and reducing the harm associated with alcohol abuse.
- Awarded "Excellent" status by the Care Quality Commission for delivering increased choice and control for those needing support.
- Expanded Community Toilet Scheme with almost 100 members.
- Free 6-week "Reablement Service". This promotes independence, reduces the need for more intensive ongoing care, and reduces hospital admissions.
- Free swimming for the over 60s.
- New emergency respite service for carers as part of a comprehensive range of support, information and advice for the unpaid carers in the Borough.
- Over £10 million a year invested in voluntary organisations to provide services, information and advice for all. Self-directed support introduced for vulnerable people.
- Support and advocacy services for all residents who need to use them.
- Thriving social day centres for older people (50+)and 4 specialist intensive day care centres for the frail elderly and those with dementia.
Our Unique Selling point: Best Services and Support For all.
What we will do:
- Balance independence and choice with safeguarding the vulnerable.
- Continue our programme of investing in affordable housing, building on the £40 m invested so far.
- Develop a wide market of support services to provide real choice.
- Extend Personal Budgets and promote Direct Payments.
- Focus on supporting people into work.
- Further invest in prevention, befriending, information and advocacy services which will enable people to remain as active as possible in their communities, with access to mainstream housing, education, employment and leisure activities; and plan ahead for future care and support needs.
- Improve mental health recovery services and the provision of support for people with dementia.
- In partnership with Richmond CVS, develop a new office hub for voluntary organisations to reduce costs and provide modern, flexible accommodation
- Integrate health and social care community services in both commissioning and delivery to ensure services are simple to access, waste and duplication reduced, and best use made of resources.
- Promote the health and well being of residents.
- Support the voluntary sector to be the voice of users and carers, partners in planning services and innovators in the delivery of advice and support.
What the Conservatives have done/will do:
- Consistently opposed the modernisation of services.
- Failed to recognise the need to save money and make the best use of resources, despite the financial challenges facing the Council and the NHS.
- They want separate, old-fashioned services for adults with disabilities despite users telling us they want to be part of the communities in which they live.
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