Kingston for the many Labour’s manifesto for Kingston’s local elections, 3 May 2018 Labour’s local election manifesto for Kingston 2018–2022 Contents Making Kingston a borough to be proud of ........................................................................ 4 Creating a fairer Kingston ............................................................................................... 5 Promoting Kingston’s economy ........................................................................................ 6 Brexit ........................................................................................................................ 6 Investment in Kingston ............................................................................................... 6 Retail centres in the borough........................................................................................ 7 Night-time economy .................................................................................................... 7 Getting people back to work ......................................................................................... 7 Training for work ........................................................................................................ 8 Fighting modern slavery .............................................................................................. 8 Affordable homes for the many ...................................................................................... 9 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 9 Working with residents to develop more homes in the right places ..................................10 Providing genuinely affordable housing .........................................................................10 Working with residents to deliver quality estate regeneration .........................................11 Working with tenants and leaseholders to manage council housing better .........................11 Working for private tenants ........................................................................................12 Tackling homelessness ...............................................................................................12 Bringing down the cost of living ......................................................................................13 Learning throughout life ................................................................................................14 Schools ....................................................................................................................14 Tackling the shortage in schools places ........................................................................14 Early years ...............................................................................................................15 Tackling inequality .....................................................................................................15 Preparing for employment ..........................................................................................15 And beyond school .....................................................................................................17 Lifelong learning ........................................................................................................17 Supporting older people, disabled people and their carers .................................................17 Social care ................................................................................................................17 Carers ......................................................................................................................18 Dealing with loneliness ..................................................................................................18 Improving health ..........................................................................................................19 Social care ................................................................................................................20 Preventing ill-health ...................................................................................................20 Safeguarding children and older people ........................................................................21 Early intervention ......................................................................................................21 Planning ......................................................................................................................21 Keeping communities alive ..........................................................................................21 Building standards .....................................................................................................22 Kingston for the many Page 2 of 49 Labour’s local election manifesto for Kingston 2018–2022 Tall buildings .............................................................................................................22 Tall buildings .............................................................................................................22 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) .........................................................................22 Houseboats ...............................................................................................................23 Houseboats ...............................................................................................................23 Improving our local environment ....................................................................................23 Improving our local environment .................................................................................23 Global warming (climate change) .................................................................................23 Air pollution ..............................................................................................................23 Promoting biodiversity ................................................................................................24 Improving our streets ................................................................................................25 Waste, recycling, and reuse ........................................................................................26 Plastic pollution .........................................................................................................26 Transport..................................................................................................................27 Green spaces ............................................................................................................29 Reducing light pollution ..............................................................................................31 Fracking ...................................................................................................................31 Promoting animal welfare ...........................................................................................31 Making Kingston a safer place to live ..............................................................................32 Tackling crime ...........................................................................................................32 Tackling domestic violence ..........................................................................................33 Tackling domestic violence ............................................................................................33 Culture .....................................................................................................................33 Sport and recreation ..................................................................................................33 Running a good council .................................................................................................34 An efficient council .....................................................................................................34 Managing suppliers and procuring services....................................................................35 Pension fund .............................................................................................................36 The council as employer .............................................................................................37 Further reading ............................................................................................................38 Glossary ......................................................................................................................40 Your Labour candidates .................................................................................................41 Contacting Labour locally ...............................................................................................42 Kingston for the many Page 3 of 49 Labour’s local election manifesto for Kingston 2018–2022 Kingston for the many Kingston can be a great place to live in. It should be great for everyone. We have easy access to three Royal Parks, the River Thames, and the countryside. The cultural treasures of London are a short journey away and Kingston continues to develop a cultural scene of its own. However, all is not well: shamefully, 18% of people in Kingston are living in poverty. Real earnings are lower now than when the Tory–Liberal Democrat government came to power in 2010. Private rents in the borough are