Manchester Manifesto 2019
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1 Contents Day One 03 Foreword 05 A Global Manchester 09 Transport 15 Home 21 Safety 31 Health 37 Education 43 Our Future 49 Jobs 57 Equality 65 Getting Priorities Straight 73 Political Responsibility 79 Candidates 85 2 1 Scrap the Homeless Tax and repeal any law currently criminalising homeless people. * Reverse Labour’s 22% Council Tax increase for the least well off in Manchester. Fix our broken roads and begin building a transport network system that works for the UK’s greatest city. Officially back a People’s Vote giving you the final say on Brexit with an option to Remain. Invest in those who protect us by breathing new life into our NHS, fire and police services. Top Tip: Look out for this symbol for more information on what we will do on Day One. * The Homeless Tax (PSPO) was still under Public Consultation when this manifesto went to print. The Liberal Democrats will oppose it in council for as long as possible and then, if implemented by Labour, immediately seek to scrap it. 2 3 “This manifesto was created by people who woke up one day and thought, ‘You know what? I’m not putting up with this anymore.’” I hate to say it, but there will never be a time when there are no problems in Manchester. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t wake up every day ready to fight those problems. And the most important thing is to wake up every morning and decide what you’re going to do about today’s problems. And then tomorrow’s. If you have that kind of mentality each and every day, then you’re a Liberal Democrat. Elected or not, we’re all just trying to make our mark in life by helping others. Politics isn’t about where you’ve come from, how much you earn, which God – if any – you believe in or who you hold hands with. It’s about whether you, as a representative, will open the door to every single person. Will you raise the tough questions? Will you think about the people who are locked out? These are undoubtedly the characteristics of a Liberal Democrat. Yes, we will argue. We’ll fight, worry and get frustrated. We’ll laugh, talk, plan and dream together, but most importantly, we will spend every day thinking about how we can move our communities forward. 4 5 Talking of The people running for office work for you, and if you’re progress, we’re unhappy with the way things are going, you tell them – or you going to lay out vote for a better vision. the kind of city we think Every single vote for the Liberal Democrats this year is a vote for Manchester a city that works for everyone. should be. A tolerant, compassionate and transparent city. We have five key pledges And if you’re still not satisfied – and trust me, you shouldn’t be – that we will it’s time to join us. deliver on Day One if we win. Help us win bigger than ever before, so we can work hard for you and for this city. These are five key areas that we We will build an open, accountable and honest council that works believe will make for you. Manchester a better place. But what you do today, tomorrow and every day until the 2nd of May will be the difference between us implementing this But this is not just us telling manifesto and Labour throwing it aside. you what we think. No matter where you’ve come from, we’re ready to welcome you This manifesto is a vision created by people to our vision for Manchester from Day One. like you. People who woke up one day and thought, ‘You know what? I’m not putting up with this anymore.’ Your vote is your voice. And if you too get to the end of this manifesto – or perhaps Don’t sit it out. earlier – and also think ‘Yep, you know what? I’m not putting up with this anymore either,’ then it’s time to join us. Speak loud. Act loud. Vote loud. Don’t push that feeling aside. John Leech What you do with that feeling – right now – is important. John Leech Leader, Manchester Liberal Democrats To implement our plans, you have to take your vote seriously. Because this election is not about the lesser of two evils. 6 7 8 9 Manchester is proud to be an open, tolerant MORAL RESPONSIBILITY and diverse city. We will never shift in our belief that the UK is better off in the EU. Manchester This country and its leaders are responsible for kickstarting needs pro-European councillors standing up for the biggest refugee crisis in living memory; the Liberal Democrats will not let them now turn their back on the our city. results of that. AN EXIT FROM BREXIT We will end this council’s morally repugnant view of child refugees and offer immediate help for those in desperate The Liberal Democrats have been the only unashamedly need. pro-European party consistently against Brexit from the very beginning. And no matter what, we are dedicated to a When children are orphaned in conflict zones across Syria future in the European Union. and Libya, we have a moral obligation to do what we can. Manchester is at its best when we come together to show Despite Manchester voting overwhelmingly to remain in love, support and compassion – no matter where people the EU, this council has refused to back our People’s Vote come from. motion – three times. We will change that on Day One. The EU’s criminal intelligence agency, Europol, estimates We want to give you, and 16- and 17-year-olds, the final say that 15,000 Syrian child refugees have already gone missing with an option to Remain. since arriving in Europe and that a further 90,000 are currently at risk of being trafficked or abused. We will demand the replacement of the £320 million EU funding (which included £176 million of the EU We are determined to lead from the front, so we will Development Fund) that was set aside for Greater immediately house 50 at-risk families from refugee camps. Manchester for 2014–2020. In the long term, we will investigate how best to house as many unaccompanied child refugees as possible. We cannot let Brexit destroy our city and we will not let Labour and the Tories get away with doing so. 10 11 RIGHTS FOR EU CITIZENS The people of Manchester are Mancunians, whether they were born here or drawn here. The way that EU citizens and expats have been treated since Brexit has been a disgrace. Our award-winning medical research centres, hospitals, school classrooms, high streets, care homes, football teams and identity depend on the hard work and commitment of every international citizen who calls Manchester home. We are the only party on the Council to unequivocally guarantee the rights of EU citizens, and we will continue to do so by demanding the Brexit Secretary guarantees the rights of EU citizens too. Citizens of EU nations can vote in local elections. This means that our councillors represent EU citizens and are the only elected politicians in the country who can legitimately claim to represent the interests of those people. Liberal Democrat councillors are the only ones who will guarantee that EU citizens’ voices are no longer side-lined in the debate over their future. Manchester’s success was built on our relationship with our European neighbours and – to quote the Prime Minister – absolutely nothing has changed. 12 13 14 15 Despite years of promise under the Labour INTEGRATED, AFFORDABLE AND SMART council, Manchester’s transport system remains unintegrated and overpriced. Our plan will give To compete with cities across the globe, Manchester needs Manchester a transport system fit for the UK’s an integrated transport system, built with workers in mind. (but best) second city. We will deliver an integrated, affordable and targeted transport system to rival London’s. INVESTMENT NOW The Government and the Labour Combined Authority have It is time for smart and strategic investment in our delivered nothing to ease the pressure on commuters’ transport system. Using funds available to the Council we pockets; disruption to services are common and the will build a transport network that meets the city’s needs. Government and Manchester Council are left pointing fingers at each other. It’s just not good enough. Using some of the £50 million Manchester Airport dividends, we will establish a SmartTransport Development We will work to link the city’s bus services, Metrolink Fund dedicated to offsetting heavy carbon transport. and National Rail lines with a single point of payment, equivalent to the Oyster Card in London. This would allow We will invest in dedicated cycle highways giving riders us to introduce a pricing system in Manchester that would somewhere safe to use, making routes clearer and more include a cap on maximum spend. direct across the city – not just in and out of the centre. We will introduce a young commuters’ price cap, so workers We will accelerate and increase roll-out of electric charging under the age of 18 will never pay more than half the points. hourly living wage rate to commute to and from work. We will invest in major transport capital projects aimed at We will investigate Metrolink’s capacity at peak times and increasing coverage of the Metrolink to all 10 boroughs of conduct assessments in the event of disruption to avoid Greater Manchester.