In April, the Ealing Labour Party launched it’s 2018 local government election manifesto. It was a real privilege to coordinate bringing together great ideas from across the Borough as the manifesto coordinator. The final document can be read here. Below is my introduction to the manifesto.
Genuinely affordable homes. A decent living income. Healthy people and thriving neighbourhoods. These are the priorities of the Ealing Labour Party, and our vision for the Borough.
They reflect the priorities that were the major themes of discussion throughout the process of bringing together this manifesto.
Over the space of two years we have entered into a dialogue with residents and organisations to understand the challenges people face, as well as the ideas that can solve them.
Thousands of conversations and contributions have been made at two major policy conferences, through two rounds of online consultations, from direct submissions and as a result of public meetings.
They have shaped the pledges that we are making ahead of the local elections on May 3rd, and they will act as our guiding mission for the next Ealing Labour administration.
Building on our successes and achievements, our vision for the Borough is firmly anchored in overcoming the challenges that we know we will face in the next few years.
Austerity has led to the worst financial position for local authorities and public services in decades. Brexit risks destabilising our local economy. New duties and growing problems are putting even greater pressure on our ability to deliver. Failing and broken markets like in housing and social care hold people back.
How we tackle these challenges in achieving our priorities will be guided by our values and principles.
As the democratically elected representatives of Ealing, we know that we are elected not just to run the council, but to lead the Borough.
In doing so, we will always ensure that we protect the most vulnerable in our society first, and work to make our Borough more equal. This can only be achieved in the spirit of cooperation, where we work together with residents, businesses, voluntary groups, charities and across the public sector.
Because we believe in the ability of local government to change people’s lives and communities for the better, we will always work to use public money and resources to have the maximum impact, and we will be open to new and creative ideas that can help us achieve this.
This manifesto reflects the collective effort of Ealing Labour’s members and elected representatives, who continue to spend countless hours on doorsteps engaging residents in conversations about the future of our Borough.
We are confident that the vision and ideas that we have set out to achieve are the ones that the residents of Ealing will show their support for on May 3rd.
Leave a Reply