A strong, independent voice for you Greenwich Conservatives Manifesto Royal Borough of Greenwich Council elections May 2018 Greenwich Conservatives Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 Contents Foreword - Cllr Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition 3 Why Greenwich needs an Opposition 4 Our track record of getting things done 5 Our priorities for the next four years 6 Holding the Labour Council to account 7 Opposing waste at the Town Hall 8 Improving local health and education 9 Campaigning for better transport 10 Supporting our small businesses 11 Working to improve local policing 12 Improving our local environment 13 Pressing for more affordable homes 14 Supporting vulnerable residents 15 Your local Conservative candidates 16 Get involved with our local work 16 Visit our website at www.greenwichconservatives.com A strong, independent voice for you 2 Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 Foreword from the Leader of the Opposition Conservative councillors provide the only opposition to Labour at the Town Hall Councillor Matt Hartley Leader of Greenwich Conservatives 3 A strong, independent voice for you Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 Why Greenwich needs an Opposition Labour wants to turn Greenwich into a one party state at these elections - they are aiming to win all 51 seats on the council this year. This means there would be no Opposition councillors left to scrutinise and oppose their decisions on behalf of residents. The council could just do whatever it likes. We can’t let that happen. Here’s why Greenwich Council needs an We provide the only Opposition to Opposition to fight residents’ corner over Labour on Greenwich Council the next four years. ✓ Time and time again, Labour councillors have failed to stand up for our borough. From failing to oppose the Labour Mayor of London’s police station closures to ignoring small businesses, Labour keeps letting us all down. It is Opposition Conservative councillors who stand up for residents. ✓ Even in Opposition, we get things done. In the last 4 years, Conservative councillors have secured more support for our High Streets, funding for local environmental projects and a Living Wage Scheme to tackle low pay. We’ve made real improvements in the wards we represent. ✓ However you vote, it is Opposition Conservative councillors that make sure your voice is heard when decisions are made at the Town Hall. On issues like parking, road traffic problems, housing maintenance or street cleaning, without an Opposition, no one would represent people who disagree - and the Council could just do whatever it likes. Find out more at www.greenwichconservatives.com A strong, independent voice for you 4 Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 Our track record of getting things done Despite being in Opposition, since the last election Conservative councillors have continued to get things done for residents - both inside and outside of the Council Chamber. As well as holding Labour to account and opposing their bad decisions, we have worked hard to pro-actively bring about positive change for our area. We are asking for your support on May Opposition Conservative councillors 3rd so we can continue this local work. work hard to get things done locally • We secured help with business rates • We have made the most of the Ward for small businesses affected by the Budget Scheme that we first proposed, Eltham High Street works. driving significant local investment. • We worked with traders and officers to • We have secured external funding for keep rent rises down on Old Dover Rd. local projects in our wards. • We helped secure funding for the • We have pressed for funds from ‘Renew New Eltham’ project, and developers to be spent effectively and improvements at The Mound. more fairly across the whole borough. • We worked with Trees for Cities to • We secured a new Living Wage plant trees on the Avery Hill Estate. Incentive Scheme to tackle low pay. • We secured external funding for • We successfully pressed for expansion several local environmental projects. of Discretionary Housing Payments. • We have regularly organised We secured an exemption from Council community litter picks to help make Tax for local young people leaving the our borough cleaner and greener. care system up to the age of 25. • We stopped the Council’s plans to • As a constructive Opposition, we have leave local parks unlocked overnight. often worked across party lines. • We worked with residents to help stop • Whether on community cohesion, hate the closure of Coldharbour Police Base crime, rogue landlords or protecting • We have supported the work of our local heritage like the Avery Hill Winter Safer Neighbourhood Ward Panels. Garden, we always put our area first. 5 A strong, independent voice for you Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 Our priorities for the next four years If elected for the next four years, as Opposition Conservative councillors we will continue to stand up for our borough, get things done for residents and make your voice heard when decisions are made at the Town Hall. On the following pages you can find more information about some of our priorities, as campaigning Opposition Conservative councillors, for the next four years. If elected, Opposition councilors will work hard for you at the Town Hall ✓ PAGE 7 ✓ PAGE 8 ✓ PAGE 9 ✓ PAGE 10 ✓ PAGE 11 ✓ PAGE 12 ✓ PAGE 13 ✓ PAGE 14 ✓ PAGE 15 A strong, independent voice for you 6 Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 OUR PRIORITIES Holding the Labour Council to account We work as a team of Opposition in the planning system, affordable councillors to hold the Labour-run housing and wasteful advertising. council to account and support our local public services. We bring a We also take up individual residents’ range of skills and perspectives - the concerns with officers and Cabinet local Conservative team includes Members on issues ranging from teachers, small business owners, an parking to the housing maintenance. NHS doctor and people with Without a strong Opposition holding expertise in social care, transport Labour councillors to account, our and tackling poverty. local democracy would be at risk. We use this expertise to hold the Leader of the Council and Labour If elected, we will: Cabinet Members to account at Full • Continue to scrutinise Labour’s Council meetings. We successfully decisions and oppose actions and campaigned for these to be streamed policies that will harm our area. online, to increase transparency. • Ensure that residents’ views are We work hard on ‘scrutiny panels’ heard on parking, street cleaning, which give us the opportunity to housing and other local issues. question Labour councillors - and • Seek action to ensure a healthy, other public services including the independent local press - including NHS - on their actions. We closely opposing Labour’s taxpayer-funded examine decisions as they are made, ‘Greenwich Info’ magazine • Press for Planning Board & other and ‘call in’ decisions for further key meetings to be web-streamed, scrutiny where needed - for example to improve transparency and public we have ‘called in’ decisions on delays confidence in decision-making. 7 A strong, independent voice for you Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 OUR PRIORITIES Opposing waste at the Town Hall We are opposing Labour councillors’ fortnightly magazine (down from wasteful spending at the Town Hall. nearly £600,000 of waste a year Conservative councillors have following our campaigning) identified millions of pounds of • £248,000 a year subsidising Trade waste including Labour’s pointless Union activity in the borough ‘Greenwich Info’ magazine, huge • £35,000 a year on PR, ‘reputation subsidies for Trade Unions and PR management’ and photography and photography services. As local taxpayers we are all being taken for This comes on top of Labour wasting a ride by this Labour-run council. £120,000 on a failed legal bid to save ‘Greenwich Time’, £140,000 on In February Labour councillors pushed redundancy payments for staff who through another increase in general were then re-employed and countless Council Tax for a third consecutive other examples. With no Opposition on year, adding £32 to ‘Band D’ bills. the Council, this would only increase. As Opposition councillors, we put If elected, we will: forward an alternative Budget proposal at the Town Hall that would • Expose and campaign against have delivered the same services, a Labour’s waste and inefficiency. lower council tax rise and more • Support measures to ensure that support for vulnerable residents. Children’s Services, Adult Social Labour voted our proposal down. Care and other frontline services get the investment they need. Our proposal identified at least £1.6 • Campaign for a ‘Library Lock’ policy million of wasteful spending including: to protect all our smaller libraries. • £305,000 a year on the Council’s • Campaign to keep residents’ pointless new ‘Greenwich Info’ Council Tax bills as low as possible. A strong, independent voice for you 8 Greenwich Conservatives manifesto 2018 OUR PRIORITIES Improving local health and education We are committed to protecting and government. We have also used our improving our key public services, seats on the Council’s Health Scrutiny working to secure the improvements Panel to scrutinise our local NHS we all want to see in health and commissioners and press for the education. Our local team of provision of local services to respond councillors and candidates includes to local priorities. teachers and NHS professionals who can use their experience to press for Over the last two years we have fully change, and make sure the right supported the new Adult Social Care decisions are made for local people. precept that has delivered extra funds for social care. Our proposals have On education, we have always always protected frontline services. championed higher standards and greater choice. We have supported If elected, we will: local parents and teachers who have worked to set up new free schools and • Scrutinise the Council’s decisions academies, in the face of ideological on schools, including ensuring that opposition from the Labour Council.