33 Years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton
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33 years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton September 2019 33 years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton Preface But winning has always been only the means to the end, not the end in itself. Yes, of course, to keep winning we must run a ‘good council’ – nobody wants to vote for a ‘bad council’! But any political party can, and sometimes does, run a ‘good council’! We want to win, not just because we’re better than the other lot, but because we’re Liberal Democrats and we want to show people what a good Liberal Democrat government looks like in action, not just in words. Lord Graham Tope CBE Our ‘end’ is a truly Liberal society; our Sutton Liberal/Liberal Democrat Group means is a good Liberal Democrat Leader 1974-99 council. Sutton has made a good start It’s fair to say that the Liberal over the last 33 years. We look forward Democrats in the London Borough of now to the next 33 years! Sutton know something about winning elections! In the last three decades we’ve won all nine ‘all out’ council elections – five of them with over 80 per cent of the council seats. 2 Contents A record of action. A promise of more .................................... 4 A council that represents Sutton ............................................. 6 Local committees: giving power back to the communities we serve ........................................... 8 Delivering on the green agenda, not just talking about it .......................................................... 10 “It is said that, it’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old” ................................................................ 12 We are Sutton Central Ward, London Borough of Sutton .....................................................................15 Transport campaigning ...........................................................17 Sutton – the new home for Cancer Centre of Excellence ................................................................. 19 Admiral Nurses helping to tackle dementia ....................... 22 Acknowledgements .................................................................. 23 3 33 years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton A record of action. A promise of more Where to begin? We have been running the party to increase the number of the Council in Sutton since 1986. councillors and become the main That’s 33 years putting Liberal and opposition to the Conservatives by Liberal Democrat values into practice 1964, who was elected in 1973 as and showing our residents what one of the two Liberals on the Greater government based on our values can London Council until 1977 and then look like. That’s quite special. elected to Sutton Council in 1986 where she remained until her retirement in Some of our councillors (like Jake Short 2002. She was made an honorary who helped put this booklet together – alderman of the borough and, now thanks Jake!) were born in the borough in her nineties, continues to take an after 1986. They’ve only ever lived in interest in local politics. Liberal Democrat Sutton. They were born here, went to school here and It’s great to win elections – it’s now want to give back to their own exhilarating. We fight every election communities and make a difference. campaign as if it’s our first and we fight hard. We don’t go out to defend, we go There are so many people to thank out to win. and so much I could talk about – far too much for this short booklet. The But it’s the hard work that comes acknowledgements at the end try and afterwards that counts. As Liberal do justice to the scale of the number of Democrats, we don’t have a core people involved. People who worked so group of voters who have grown up in hard and with such determination to put households where everyone has always us in a position where we could start voted in a certain way and it’s taken for winning elections and then kept going granted. We have to show people what so we could carry on winning. Liberal Democrat values look like in practice and we have to keep showing People like another Ruth – Ruth Shaw them, year in and year out. We don’t do – who helped to form the Sutton things to people or in spite of people and Cheam Young Liberals in 1950, – we take people with us, encourage who was the first Liberal elected to them to get involved, listen to their the Sutton and Cheam Metropolitan concerns and work with them to shape Borough Council in 1961, who led our policies and our decisions. 4 Because this is our borough, the place It is our responsibility to face up to where we have chosen to live and those challenges, to help provide work and bring up a family. We are all answers and to work with our residents invested in this place and we want to create a fairer, more inclusive and everyone to have the opportunity to more Liberal world. A world where thrive and lead happy, healthy lives. the power to effect change lies, not in our institutions and our established Our history is important – but we look hierarchies, but in the hands of the to the future and continually challenge people who live in our communities. each other. We are never complacent and we never take our residents for granted. We learn from our mistakes, we have the courage to change our minds and we continue to come up with new ideas and new solutions to the many challenges we face. The articles in this booklet give you a taste of who we are and what we want to achieve. What drives us and Councillor Ruth Dombey OBE the values we hold most dear. We are Leader of Sutton Council proud of what we have done – and determined to do so much more. We are proud to have the lowest level of crime in London, proud to have some of the best schools in the country, proud of our green credentials. But we also recognise the scale of present and future challenges – climate change, the mental health of our young people, the new skills needed for the jobs of the future. 5 33 years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton A council that represents Sutton In 2019 we have 33 Liberal Democrat When I became a councillor, some councillors, of whom 13 are women, years ago, having just turned 40, I was two have disabilities, nine are under one of the ‘youngsters’ in a group with the age of 35 and our ethnicity ranges an average age of 65. That was a great from Persian to Polish, Asian to Latin antidote to the gravitas of reaching American, British and Irish. that milestone at the time. I was also a complete novice in respect of politics I am particularly proud that of those 13 and local government. But still my input women, nine hold positions of special was taken seriously; my professional responsibility and include the Leader, background and life experience seen as Deputy Leader and Lead Member an asset, and I was quickly encouraged for Resources. Six of our youngest to take on key roles and responsibilities. councillors are either chairs or vice- chairs of council committees. I see that same approach with all our members and ensure I adopt it myself. Both our members with disabilities In fact so keen are we to harness the have been either Mayor or Deputy fresh ideas of our younger members Mayor. that we can sometimes overburden We did not achieve this diversity by them, when they are trying to balance design, but neither was it entirely by full time employment or starting a chance. It has been achieved through family. ensuring an open and welcoming Our committee system (as opposed culture within our group. Opinions and to a traditional cabinet/scrutiny model) input are truly valued whether coming allows greater participation from all from new members or long-standing members into policy-making and key ones; from the Leader or our youngest decisions. It is also a less politically member. There is a delight in the range confrontational model, which I think of experience of our council group, assists our appeal to women. and it contributes towards making our decisions more robust and relevant to our residents. 6 When I became a councillor the council group had a good representation of women, with plenty in senior positions, but the high point came in 2010 when we achieved a 50:50 male/female balance in our council group. We are lucky to have had a regular refresh of councillors after elections, with new minds bringing ideas Councillor Jayne McCoy and energy and helping us avoid Deputy Leader of Sutton Council complacency. The culture at the Council and in our group ensures an environment that celebrates diversity and seeks to develop talent. But the key is still about being proactive and asking people to get involved. Identifying and asking activists and key members of the community to think about becoming a councillor; suggesting to colleagues roles that they might shine in and encouraging them to step up. I took on roles I might not have considered had I not been asked and fell in love with them. Now I am keen to share my enthusiasm with colleagues so they can take up the baton. 7 33 years of Liberal Democracy in Sutton Local committees: giving power back to the communities we serve Sutton Council’s system of Local Area A major priority for two of our local Committees plays a very important committees following the 2018 role, transferring local decision-making election was to secure funding for back to the areas that we as councillors the restoration of a Victorian drinking represent. The borough’s wards are fountain in The Wrythe ward. The divided into six Local Area Committees fountain is a fine example of the civic based around the villages and districts philanthropy of the time and is one of that make up our borough.