Labour issues final call to voters ahead of local elections

Labour in Brighton and Hove has issued a call to voters to give them a majority in next week’s city council elections on Thursday, May 7.

Councillor Warren Morgan, Leader of the Labour and Co-operative Group, said: “In a week’s time, residents of Brighton and Hove choose who runs the city council for the next four years. They need to vote on local issues like housing, poverty, schools and jobs, on who can get the city’s streets clean again and turn around the abysmal refuse and recycling record of the Greens.

“Labour is in second place in almost all of the Green wards, as well as being the main competitor in Tory held seats. Another four years of confusion, division and deadlock on the council won’t help our city. I’m asking voters to elect a majority Labour council that will make the council work for you and your neighbourhood: a council that is guided by progressive, co-operative values, and one that will work for a brilliant, inclusive, visionary and modern city.”

The 10 Key Pledges Labour will fight the local elections on are:

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.