Below is our Manifesto for the 2010 local elections. This document provides a review of the positive difference the Liberal Democrats have made to the lives of people in Brent and it also explains our vision for the future.
We recognise the coming years will be economically tough for us all. The effects of Labour’s recession are only just beginning to hit the public sector, and things will get much worse. We are committed to cutting Council waste and driving Value for Money so Council Taxpayers get the best possible deal in a tough climate.
The Liberal Democrat Policy Pledges at the 2010 Local Elections
1. Services to Residents – we recognise that funding for local government is likely to reduce after the next elections; we will not allow this to distract us from our ambitious four year programme of service improvement at the Council. We are committed to driving improvement in the services residents receive, we will also continue to reduce waste and deliver value for money, to protect Brent from the worst of the Government funding cuts. We are doing this so we can pledge to keep Council Tax low – no more Labour 22% increases.
2. Leader’s Question Time – events over the last year have shown the importance of accountability from politicians and large organisations. To give residents direct access to decision making at the Council we pledge to introduce a Leader’s Question Time, where residents can put their questions to the Leader of the Council directly.
3. Wifi Zones – so that everyone, regardless of wealth, can have access to the internet, we pledge to create “wireless internet zones” across the borough, with an aim to make Brent a wifi borough by 2020.
4. Rapid Reaction Taskforce – we know how important crime and its effects are to our residents, we pledge to take the 16 PCSO’s paid for by Brent’s Council Taxpayers under greater Council control – creating a “rapid reaction force” which can be targeted at problem areas.
5. Cleaner Streets – four years ago we were elected on a promise to clean Brent’s streets. We have delivered on that promise, with Brent’s streets now the cleanest they have ever been. We will not be complacent though, we pledge to continue to improve the cleanliness of our streets to make sure our borough is a place people want to live and work.
6. Recycling - with your help, we have already achieved much, we have increased the amount of waste we recycle from 20% to 32%. But we want to go further. We pledge that by 2014 we will recycle 50% of our waste.
7. Sustainability Fund – we are committed to the environment, and are determined that economic conditions will not deter us from making the borough Greener. We pledge to set up a sustainability fund to support environmental projects in the borough; this will include a “local Carbon Offset Fund” where residents can make a donation to the fund for local environmental projects to offset their carbon emissions.
8. A Festival of Sport – the Olympics will be an exciting time for London, we pledge to develop ambitious plans to develop sport in the borough to capitalise on this. These will include building and redeveloping four sports centres across the borough (located at Willesden, Vale Farm, Bridge Park and Kingsbury).
Download a copy of Making Brent Better – the Brent Liberal Democrat Manifesto.
