Stratford on Avon Liberal Democrats

Manifesto for the District Council Elections May 2008

We listen to what you say.

Distinct communities have their own distinct needs and ambitions. People are often genuinely concerned about what happens in their neighbourhood, and want to be informed and involved in decisions that affect them. But too often these ambitions are thwarted by over managed and centralised public services.

Our manifesto for Stratford on Avon District Council is based on our beliefs and is covered under the following headings.

• THE ENVIRONMENT

• SAFE COMMUNITIES

• CLEAN COMMUNITIES

• SUSTAINABLE & AFFORDABLE COMMUNITIES

• PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES

Our policies are based on the following four principles:

• That decision-making should be as close to the people as possible and as locally accountable as possible.

• That preventing problems will support community cohesion as well as being cost effective.

• That working with partners will contribute to the well being of our communities.

• That residents have the right to be involved and not just consulted.

We are accountable to the local community and to always act within the law in the best interests of the community. Specifically we;

1) Will listen to and value the views of you, the electors.

2) Will bring environmental protection to the top of the planning process.

3) Will act as good stewards of your taxes, to ensure that quality services are provided, giving value for money.

4) Will strengthen Council action against graffiti, vandalism, pollution and noise, which ruin people's lives and enforcement of planning breaches.

5) Will support Liberal Democrat principles locally and nationally.

6) Will work in partnership with the police to fight crime.

7) Will encourage local economies, new enterprise and re-generation across the District.

8) Will make all services as easily accessible as possible to all residents and local businesses

The Environment

We believe, as we have for over 30 years, that the environment is endangered. It is time that all the talk about Global warming and sustainability is translated into practice. Which is why a green thread runs through all of our proposals.

We will do this by:

 Working to simplify the refuse collection service in order to make it easier for residents to use.

 Carrying out a complete review of energy consumption across the District, particularly at the Council's own sites, to provide a good understanding of our consumption of carbon-based fuels. We will follow this by making plans for an achievable and affordable reduction in that consumption.

 Establishing a greater priority for environmental issues in planning by identifying and then managing all significant environmental aspects relevant to Planning Control. To develop stronger and more effective standards for sustainability in the Planning Process and in Building Regulations.

 We will set a sensible time scale to achieve higher environmental standards into both planning guidelines and building regulations for both residential and commercial constructions.

 Work with partners, suppliers and contractors to improve both their and our environmental performance.

There is a commitment by the Liberal Democrat Councillors to:

• Meet the desire of residents for the provision of COMPOST BINS.

• Publish the carbon footprint of the District and then target reductions year on year.

• Commit the District Council to move to using the best available environmental technologies for council operated vehicles (e.g. bio diesel, hybrid etc) within a proper and a costed time scale.

• Set stretching but achievable targets for renewable energy, insulation, water collection, grey water use, surface water collection and composting for all new builds with good easily obtainable advice for conversion of existing dwellings.

• Apply similar standards to commercial developments.

• Work towards providing commercial waste services, with an emphasis on recycling rather than landfill.

• Better arrangements for the collection of plastic and cardboard waste, with village recycling centres.

• Consider ways of introducing an affordable collection and disposal service for electrical and electronic equipment for recycling.

• Provide a household battery collection service on the collection vehicles.

• Introduce a Green Loan Scheme for those who do not qualify for existing grants, so that more homes can benefit from savings achievable through energy efficient installations.

• Promote easier access to advice on energy conservation by protecting and enhancing the work of the Warwickshire Energy Advice Centre.

• Restore cross county border co-operation on recycling.

Eco Town Proposal

Liberal Democrats believe that the Local Planning Process should be delivering the housing needs of the District and should involve local communities. This would allow place-making principles to be developed that encourage mixed sustainable communities and human scale development. It should also involve not just paying attention to the additional infrastructure required, but to the impact that this would have on the rest of the District.

The imposition of an Eco-Town by central government does not follow due process or recognize local sensitivity. It also imposes centralized power at a local level.

Liberal Democrats cannot, therefore, support the development of the Eco-Town proposal at Lower Quinton.

However, we believe that all future developments should be built to the sustainable standard, which is being proposed for Eco-Towns.

Safe Communities

Liberal Democrats believe that safe communities are communities in which people enjoy living and to ensure this we will:

 Continue to support local policing.

 Support and develop, in partnership, local policing based on Parishes and Wards, to increase the visibility of the police in our communities.

 Work with local communities and partners to reduce both crime and the fear of crime.

There is a commitment by Liberal Democratic Councillors to:

• Establish regular Ward based reviews with Councillors, police and residents.

• Identify and publish one contact number and one e-mail address for logging issues in each Ward. Publishing this number as inventively as possible so that it becomes well known in the Ward.

• Establish and publish, within the first 12 months of administration, a Ward profile of recorded crime as the base line for action.

• Encourage the use of the bicycle by Police Officers and CPO's where appropriate.

• Encourage the expansion of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes.

• Promote partnership working between the Police, Traffic Attendants, Dog Wardens and other services that work in the community, to be the eyes and ears of the community.

• Know where problem areas are and why they exist by engaging the knowledge and support of local people. Bring pressure to bear for extra resource allocation to address issues. (For instance mobile CCTV.)

• Work towards a local system of empowering victims of crime to make the offender more aware of the fear that they have instilled in their victim.

Clean Communities

We all want to live in a safe, clean and green community and to bring this about, Liberal Democrat will:

 Rigorously monitor service standards to ensure that contractors meet the requirements of the contract.

 Ensure that all agencies and partners involved in the maintenance of our environment work together.

 Provide sufficient and proper education about maintaining a clean and safe environment. Also, by providing strong enforcement for lawbreaking such as litter and dog fouling offences.

There is a commitment by Liberal Democrat Councillors to:

• Close the gaps or overlaps in cleansing and maintenance contracts. Promote closer integration of key services such as street cleaning and grounds maintenance.

• Publish a register of ownership and management responsibility of Public Open Spaces, so that local people can petition the right person or organisation when areas become neglected.

• Within six months organise a responsive graffiti removing facility, so that graffiti can be removed quickly and efficiently.

• Ensure that residents and Parish Councils should have a significant role in the monitoring process.

• Strengthen Council action against graffiti, vandalism, fly tipping, littering and dog fouling.

• Re-establish an efficient system for out of hour's noise nuisance control, noting that a large rural area cannot be sensibly supported from Stratford.

• Ensure open spaces and streets are clean and safe and footpaths properly maintained by integrating grounds maintenance with street cleaning.

• Respond when the public calls for action on specific issues. We will be prepared to take appropriate action against known offenders by working with partners and other organisations.

Sustainable and Affordable Communities

Housing

Liberal Democrats know that people want more than bricks and mortar from their home, but that they also want to live in clean, safe and sustainable communities. For some in Stratford-on-Avon District this can be an impossible dream. To help overcome this we have to have housing that is affordable and linked to employment patterns.

 We will play an active part in the Regional Spatial and Economic planning process.

 We will actively seek to enhance the Council's leadership role in housing, enabling more affordable homes to be built, existing homes to be improved and provide specialist housing.

 We will work to keep jobs within the District and would re-introduce within the Council the Economic Development role.

There is a commitment by Liberal Democrat Councillors to:

• Introduce a fair system into the Housing Waiting List by putting more emphasis on local ties and understanding patterns in social change. This must include recognising the importance of social and family ties and recognising the need for stability in families.

• Set higher standards for building and the design of affordable homes to be obtained through 106 agreements.

• Set achievable targets for returning empty properties back into use quickly.

• Ensure that the design and layout of new homes create pleasant, sustainable communities.

Travel

Liberal Democrats will promote and encourage appropriate and affordable public transport systems.

The commitment by Liberal Democratic Councillors to:

• Introduce a Taxi Token system for residents over 65, who through disability, are unable to get on a bus or have access to a car and who wish to maintain independence and autonomy.

• Listen to the views of local bus users and encourage feedback on customer satisfaction with their local services.

Taxation

• Continue to campaign for a fair system of local taxation based on the ability to pay rather than the capital value of your house.

Participating Communities

It is a core Liberal Democrat belief that decision making should be as close to local communities as possible

The commitment by Liberal Democrat Councillors is:

• To give more support to help construct Parish Plans so that they can carry greater weight in the planning process with recognition for their use to address local needs.

• To enable town and parish councils to be effective in implementing their parish plans and design statements.

• Better and more prominent notification of planning applications.

• Support Parish Councils to achieve quality status and thus allowing local people to make decisions that affect their communities.

• Ensure effective support for and from Community Link Officers to enable grass roots initiatives to be successful by;

a) giving sustained help to individuals and groups who work towards maintaining the sustainability of their community.

b) strengthening the understanding of the rights and obligations of local people on the need to take a shared responsibility with the Council.