Bracknell Forest Manifesto
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Bracknell Forest Manifesto Bracknell Constituency and District Labour Party • For Ascot, Binfield, Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Warfield, Winkfield and Wokingham Without. A LABOUR-RUN BRACKNELL FOREST WILL ENSURE THAT 25% OF NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ARE AFFORDABLE REVERSE THE £46K CUT TO SPECIAL NEEDS FUNDING MAINTAIN ARTS AND Bracknell Forest is a great place to live. It can be even better. RECREATION FUNDING AT Our manifesto is based on the concerns raised by you. ITS CURRENT LEVEL We put residents at the heart of every decision we make. EMPLOY OUTREACH YOUTH WORKERS TO SUPPORT HOUSING YOUNG PEOPLE Labour recognises the urgent need to provide affordable housing. CONDUCT A TRANSPORT Many homes have young adults unable to afford to move out. They cannot be REVIEW TO IMPROVE PUBLIC nominated for affordable housing because they are deemed to be 'adequately TRANSPORT housed'. The lack of affordable housing means more residents are renting privately. They need a deposit of at least a month's rent in advance and often REVIEW THE LOCATION, require a guarantor earning at least three times the annual rent. HEIGHT AND NUMBER OF LED STREET LIGHTS There are 1,484 people on the Council's housing waiting list1 but Bracknell's Conservative-run Council has only built 162 affordable homes out of 1,202 USE LOCAL CONTRACTORS completions since the last local elections. This is only 13.5% of affordable WITH EQUAL PAY SCHEMES homes against a target of 25% in the existing housing policy. AND GREEN CREDENTIALS Affordable home completions WORK WITH YOU TO SOLVE (Source: Bracknell Forest Council) PARKING ISSUES 2015/16: 32 2016/17: 55 SET UP MORE AIR QUALITY 2017/18: 75 MONITORING POINTS ON SCHOOL ROUTES • A Labour-run Council will strictly enforce the requirement that 25% percent of new developments be Affordable Housing. We will only grant planning permission REVIEW COUNCILLORS' to new developments where the viability assessment includes full provision for ALLOWANCES AND affordable homes. • Labour will explore opportunities to encourage EXPENSES the building of social housing with lower rents. • For privately rented property, we will encourage PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH private tenants’ associations, to give tenants a voice enabling them to address common concerns. LABOUR WILL [email protected] Labour will define minimum standards for ENSURE THAT 25% • private rental properties. Landlords whose www.BracknellLabour.org.uk OF NEW HOUSING properties meet these criteria can apply to be on DEVELOPMENTS Facebook.com/BracknellLabour the Council’s recommended landlord list. ARE AFFORDABLE Twitter.com/BracknellLabour 1Figures at 13/03/19. CHILDREN AND ADULT SERVICES Many Young Carers have the responsibilities of adults - WILL REVERSE Labour will fully support the four remaining Children’s looking after their siblings THE £46K CUT Centres - the original Sure Start centres set up by the and parents. TO SPECIAL Labour Government. These centres work with whole Bracknell Forest Council EDUCATIONAL families, providing essential early intervention and support. spending on Support for NEEDS FUNDING The amount per pupil spending in England’s schools has Young Carers (Source: FOI) fallen by 8% since 2010 (Source: IFS). Rising pupil numbers, 2015/16: £45,463 cuts to local councils and sixth form funding have seen a 2016/17: £18,757 real-terms reduction in school spending - leading to staff 2017/18: £18,073 cuts, subject cuts and asking parents for financial • Labour will proactively identify and support contributions. Find your school on SchoolCuts.org.uk Young Carers. • Labour will fight to obtain more money from central Government for the education of all our children. SUPPORTING OUR YOUTH Bracknell Forest Conservatives recently cut £46K from The long awaited Youth Hub in the Bracknell Town centre is supporting children with Special Educational Needs. Early now being planned, providing a base for the youth assessment of children is essential for their future success. counsellors and advisers, supporting our vulnerable young • A Labour-run Council will reverse this cut. people. It must also be a hub for all youth - a place to do Labour supports helping people live in their own home for music, art, drama, and sports – a place to meet. For this to as long as possible. When firms are awarded a caring happen, there must be good bus services from all areas. contract by the Council: • Labour will employ Outreach Youth Workers to contact • Labour will ensure that care workers are paid at least the and work with young people, helping them feel valued. real living wage, sick pay, holiday pay and for travel time. • A Labour-run Council will ensure active youth services • We will improve the support given to the hundreds of are operating in all parts of the Borough, offering a place carers looking after loved ones, increasing access to respite. to meet and support from trained adults. COMMUNITY SAFETY PARKING THE ENVIRONMENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT & LED LIGHTING & INFRASTRUCTURE This is an issue throughout Our woodlands and green Bracknell Forest is a very Bracknell Forest, wherever spaces are one of the best Well organised public safe place but many have the home does not have its parts of Bracknell Forest. transport should be a first noted the reduced visibility own driveway. We will safeguard them. choice way of getting to of Police in recent years. • Labour will plan to • Exhaust fumes are social areas, work, health • We support an increase reinforce grass verges so known to be detrimental centres and hospitals. in visible local Police. parking is possible without and we will set up more air It benefits the environment, • Labour has consistently areas becoming rutted. quality monitoring points, parking, reduces traffic opposed cuts to public • We will ensure that every especially on school routes. congestion, and will be services locally, and we will new home has a parking • A Labour Town Council essential for getting to the be assertive in making the space allocated to it. will install solar panels on Town Centre Youth Hub. case for increased central Labour will continue to all its pavilions and go • Labour will set up a Government funding. create more parking spaces carbon neutral. • on streets and in estates. Transport Review to LED lights are good for our • Labour will work with We will ensure parking explore all options and to environment and for • RE3 to set up a Freecycle bays are clearly marked out improve co-ordination saving money but simply bay at the Recycling Centre for optimum use of the between bus and train replacing the existing and review DIY waste space available. timetables. lanterns has not worked in charges to avoid fly tipping. all places. Parking at junctions can • We will start a 'pop up' • We will work to ensure limit access for pedestrians repair shop for fixing bus routes, stops and fares Labour will ensure that • and emergency vehicles, instead of dumping items. are clearly advertised. the location, height and also blocking sight lines. • When commissioning, We will work with number of street lights is Labour will evaluate a • Labour will mark double partners to provide a bus reviewed so that the • company's environmental yellow lines at problem shelter at every stop. programme is efficient and policies as a major criteria. effective. junctions. HOLDING THE CONSERVATIVES With more people living in the TO ACCOUNT centre it is more ‘alive’, even WILL REVIEW late at night. COUNCILLORS' Councillor Mary Temperton The proposed Joint Venture ALLOWANCES Labour Leader Partnership will prevent any AND EXPENSE more of the Town Centre being CLAIMS For the past four years, I have been the only opposition on sold off to other investment Bracknell Forest Council – 41 to 1 – and along with Cllr Paul companies or private Bidwell, one of only two Town Councillors. We are pleased developers. We will still own this could be about to change. We have worked hard to and control a bit of our Town, meaning that future builds challenge and scrutinise. I have asked questions on your will reflect what residents want and need. behalf at every Borough Council meeting including - I have tried to get all Councillors to join me in reducing their • Lack of provision of affordable and social homes; allowances by 20% – a saving of about £100K – but they did • Lack of provision of accommodation for the homeless; not agree. Level of support for Young Carers; • Labour will review Councillors’ allowances and expense Provision of long promised Youth facilities; • • claims, while ensuring that no one is inhibited from Supporting introduction of weekly food waste collection; • standing because of their financial circumstances. • Supporting the continuation of Youth Services in Schools; • Why the Council members were not consulted on I have opposed many of their cuts, but especially cuts Heathrow Expansion; affecting our youth services and the local voluntary services • The long-promised shop at Jennett’s Park; - when we depend so much on volunteers. I have opposed • What has this Council done to prepare for Brexit? the ending of grant funding to South Hill Park - a cut of over £400k. The last such grant of £75K was to be withdrawn this Labour has always fully supported the rebirth of Bracknell year, but my voice was heard (it is election year) and the Town Centre. I am proud of the part I played, speaking up £75K was restored. for the open streets with their trees and shrubs and many seats. It is a real town centre, not an enclosed space, with a I opposed the cut of £46K from Special Educational Needs public performing area enabling community celebrations. and a Labour Council will restore this. LEISURE SERVICES BUSINESS AND ROUGH SLEEPING FEEDBACK APPRENTICESHIPS AND FOODBANKS Labour supports the full Labour will listen to you use of our amenities.