The Liberal Democrats Manifesto for Thurrock Local Elections 2007

Parish Councils - giving YOU a say in your local community

The introduction of parish councils in Thurrock is long overdue as we remain the only area in Essex without any. This will achieve meaningful democratic accountability, giving residents a stronger voice and a greater say in the way local services are run.

Improved public services and better value for money

We are seeing the privatisation of public services by stealth and increase in council taxes will not necessarily lead to improved services but could see increased profits for companies providing council services. We want to make sure that whoever provides the service, whether public or private, the council taxpayer gets the best possible deal.

Council Finances

The two main political parties are reluctant to consider alternatives to the unfair Council Tax. The Lib Dems proposals for fairer and more progressive Local Income Tax will mean many people in Thurrock will be exempt. Because more people will be paying Local Income Tax than are currently paying Council Tax, the burden will be spread over a larger number. This will help keep the tax levels low. It is easy to collect and is administered through the PAYE system, so with Local Income Tax there is also a big saving to be made on cutting out bureaucracy and waste. We want local control of business rates to be returned to council control as this will bring more revenue for spending on local services here in Thurrock.

Health

We will continue our efforts in the fight for a local General Hospital for our area and also intensify the campaign for Primary Care centres where there is acute need for medical facilities like Chafford Hundred.

Law and Order

Many people are concerned about crime. Not all areas have had their full compliment of PCSO's. This needs to be addressed urgently. Street wardens can also be used to help tackle anti social behaviour in Thurrock. But above all Lib Dems want to see more police out on the beat locally. The Liberal Democrat Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) have proved to be very effective in getting young people who get into trouble to take more responsibility for their actions. Far more ABC's are issued than ASBO's.

Housing

Affordable housing in Thurrock is a major concern for many people. With the pressures of the housing targets in the Thamesgateway area, local residents might be priced out of the market. It would be appropriate therefore for the council to impose a fixed quota (rather than a percentage) of affordable housing to be included in every new development. An appropriate threshold to be considered should be 3 in 10 new houses built must be classed as affordable. This will remove the possibility of local hostility to new developments in established areas and prevent developers from evading their obligations under the quota.

Social Amenities

We are concerned about the impact that the residents of the proposed 18,500 new houses to be built in Thurrock will have on local services. There seems to be no urgency to build new schools, hospitals or facilities for young people and their families. The effect would be like dispersing three housing developments each the size of Chafford Hundreds around Thurrock without the appropriate facilities. Given the lamentable experience on Chafford we should learn the salutary lesson and put the appropriate infrastructure before the developments are complete. Otherwise they will never happen.

Education

Targeted resources to help improve and maintain high quality of teaching and learning in schools across the borough. Building permanent structures to replace demountables in all Thurrock Schools should be a matter of priority to eradicate unsatisfactory and unacceptable practice of teaching pupils in accommodation not fit for purpose. We also need to have adequate provision for vocational training to give students the opportunity to acquire the relevant skills for their chosen careers.

Road Safety

Safer roads and effective and uniform speed humps across the borough. Mandatory 20 miles per hour speed limits on roads where schools are located in the borough. Something must be done about the flooding around the Treacle Mine.

Youth Provision

Sharper focus should be given to the organisation and provision of youth services, it is necessary to ensure that meaningful and productive activities are provided for all the young people across the borough.

Cleaning and Greening

The Saturday Skip Service should be reinstated throughout the borough with CCTV to identify fly tippers who can later be apprehended. More kerbside collection of recyclable materials. All schools should have paper, can and plastic recycling facilities. Efforts will be made to reduce litter with litter awareness being taught in schools and strict enforcement of litter laws throughout the borough.