Liberal Democrat Manfesto 2008

1.18.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Apr 2008

Thurrock is a lovely place to live and work. Liberal Democrats want to make it more attractive to indviduals, families, professionals and thriving businesses. However there are serious inadequacies with respect to the strategic planning for appropriate infrastructural development and essential services for existing residents and the impending housing expansion and accompanying population growth in the area.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS TEN POINT PLAN FOR IMPROVING THURROCK

1. Fairness - We will champion fairness, this means achieving value for money, fighting for a fair share of quality public services and rooting out waste.

2.Council Finances - We believe that the burden of government initiatives without adequate financial support is putting unnecessary pressure on the council's finances. Liberal Democrats will challenge the government to underwrite the cost of centrally imposed initiatives in whole or part.

We will seek to return business rates to local control in order to boost council finances.

Council tax is unfair and needs to be scrapped. Many Thurrock residents will benefit from a switch to a fairer system of local income tax which is easy to administer and difficult to evade.

3. Democratic Accountability- It is a matter of grave concern that unelected bodies without any democratic mandate are increasingly controlling vast sums of public money in Thurrock. This undermines democratic accountability and deprives local communities of their right to have a proper say in the decisions that affect them.

Thurrock Council has abdicated its responsibilities on strategic matters affecting the borough. This is exemplified by the disarray over the Local Development Framework which Thurrock Thames Gateway and the Council have produced separately and without been synchronised. This is a recipe for disaster leaving residents confused and worried about whose plans will be implemented.

Liberal Democrats will inject a new strategic dimension with a sense of purpose as this has been lacking on the council for a while.

4. Health - We will continue to campaign for improved health provision in Thurrock. We believe that a strong case for a general hospital in the borough remains despite lack of interest and support by the other political parties. Chafford Hundred is crying out for another medical centre and it is the Liberal Democrats that have responded to that need by leading this campaign.

5. Education - The growth in population in recent years is putting severe pressures on school places. More primary schools should be built in areas where they are most needed.

Equitable allocation of educational resources should ensure that schools requiring additional support do not drain resources away from better performing schools.

6. Housing - Thurrock is facing an urban sprawl. Affordable homes are difficult to come by. This means that local residents are priced out of the market. In exchange for granting planning permission for housing development, we will ensure that the council stipulates that a certain percentage of the development must include affordable housing.

7. Youth Provision - The Council's current arrangements for youth provision are inadequate especially in the west of the borough where the inequality is stark.

We will put forward proposals for a well funded, beneficial programme which is adequately staffed for youth endeavour throughout the borough.

8 Community Integration - There has been no credible alternatie to our proposals for introducing parish councils in Thurrock. Parish councils will provide a focal point for community development and integration. This is long overdue and the council should be undertaking parish reviews to give impetus to the establishment of this essential first tier of local government.

9. Safeguarding our local environment - In order to meet the government's future recycling targets we need to take action now.

We pay too much for disposing of waste in Thurrock. We will introduce more recycling sites and reward residents for recycling more. Saturday skip will also be revived. Withdrawal of free pest control services will be re-considered.

Residents prefer to have two bins each to be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable waste.

The Liberal Democrats will seek to uphold higher standards of cleaning and maintenance of public areas in Thurrock.

10.Safer roads and safer communities - Road traffic deaths in Thurrock remain high and unacceptable. We will ensure that resources are available and appropriate measures implemented to considerably reduce accidents with a view to eliminating road fatalities. Ineffective weight restrictions would be regularised to remove inappropriate vehicles off designated roads.

Crime continues to be a major concern of many residents. We will work with the Police to develop more robust strategies to prevent as well as tackle crime and its root causes in Thurrock. Liberal Democrats Acceptable Behaviour Contracts have proved to be an effective tool in combating crime.

Liberal Democrats will work with all local strategic partners to provide improved quality public services to enable residents and their communities achieve their full potential.