Published 19th October, 2011, 8:03am I am Labour’s candidate at the Bridge ward by-election for a Nottingham City Councillor on October 20th.
The ward covers The Meadows, most of the city centre (including the Lace Market, and housing off Canal Street and Queens Road), Castle Marina and Turney’s Quay.
I attended a hustings with a difference on Wednesday 12th and it’s prompted me to publish statements sent to residents on this blog.
The hustings was designed as a strong test of candidates, comprising of tables of residents which each candidate visited in turn. It’s significant that in an election for a role that can give Bridge ward a strong voice, that the Liberal Democrat candidate did not attend.
Pride in The Meadows
I wanted to thank everyone for the meetings we have had over the last four weeks. Your messages have been clear. People are proud of The Meadows. As your Councillor, I will proudly stand up for The Meadows and make sure it is heard.
A strong voice
The candidate’s forum set up by residents groups was a stunning event. All the candidates - with the exception of the Lib Dems, who didn’t show up – heard the strength of feelings (and ideas) that Meadows people have about Meadows issues. Residents wanted a strong voice for The Meadows, within the City Council. If elected, I will be that voice.
Jobs – the top priority
The top priority, acknowledged at the hustings, is jobs. The Liberal Democrat / Conservative government is delivering the highest unemployment levels for 18 years. ‘Local jobs for local people’ is the top priority of the Labour council. We will seek local jobs from the huge capital projects planned in the city, such as the tram and the Broadmarsh extension.
Parking – residents first
As well as jobs, these businesses bring commuters. Often The Meadows got the cars but not the jobs. The priority for parking in The Meadows should be for residents rather than commuters.
Respect for The Meadows
The ‘crime and community safety’ meeting brought home another local truth. Crime figures in The Meadows are down from this time last year. A couple of bad recent episodes brought home the value of close cooperation between the police and the community. Working together is the key to making us all safer. I will be active in fighting crime and grime.
Decent Homes
Many council tenants in The Meadows expressed their frustration at the Liberal Democrat / Conservative government’s scrapping of £200m housing investment in the Meadows. Many had hoped to get new doors, windows, heating, kitchens and bathrooms out of the programme. Fortunately, the Labour council rearranged its Decent Homes programme and Meadows families are already receiving door and window replacements. I will circulate detailed information about the plans as they unfold.
Tried and tested
The community ‘hustings,’ meeting in Queens Walk community centre was the most rigorous job interview anyone could wish for. Candidates were well and truly tested. The most powerful message was not the absence of the Lib Dems, but in the strength of ideas in the community itself. That is what I will work with.
Capable, experienced and principled.
You said that these were the qualities you were looking for in a councillor… and that’s what I bring. You wanted someone who will make a difference… and I will.
This is why I am asking you to vote for me on Thursday.
Pledges made at the resident’s meeting -
Local Jobs for Local People
I will meet the businesses located around The Meadows to explore greater local recruitment; I will explore missed opportunities at technician level.
Car parking for residents and guests, rather than commuters and football supporters
I will bring extra initiative to travel planning, checking progress on all firms whose workers might frustrate The Meadows and Castle Marina.
Respect for The Meadows
I will seek the full use of available powers to tackle crime and grime.
Decent Homes
I will seek to inform residents street by street of planed improvement to their homes.
Queens Walk
I will seek extra assurances on independence of judgement of viability of Queens Walk trees, after the trenches have been dug for the tramway.
Finding new investment and tackling fuel poverty
I will look for opportunities to draw upon national pots of money to tackle fuel poverty.
Proud of The Meadows
I will support the newly launched local history web-site.
I will report on progress
Through newsletters and through my well established web-site.
You will see me around.
For the city centre.
All my adult working life has been in Bridge ward, including 2 spells in the city centre. I lived in the city centre for a couple of years and I loved the life. Proximity to great places, great food and great entertainment.
We all know how food, drink and entertainment bring life to the city centre, but there is a balance to be struck and I will explore with the City Council and with local businesses the potential for moderating some of the night time behaviour, especially in the early hours.
City centre living is also a highly sustainable way of living. Many residents who use communal waste facilities have wanted for some time to be able to join the huge recycling effort in the city. As you can imagine, when more than one household uses a bin, it’s harder to ensure the discipline that stops general waste getting into material for recycling. The City Council will soon start a new kind of scheme for, which will retain the weekly collection, but ask residents to put recyclable materials in special strong bags, in highly visible colour, in with the general waste. The bags will then be pulled out for special processing at the depots. Such a scheme also avoids increasing the number of collection rounds in the tight streets of the Lace Market. This is a new approach and will be trialled on estates that are easier to manage first. But I will look out for the success of this scheme and press for its introduction into the city centre.
Castle Marina.
If elected as your Councillor, I will look out for 3 issues in particular.
Parking on your estate needs to be available for residents ahead of commuters to nearby workplaces. The City Council has a long track record of seeking to persuade commuters to use mass transport, through the high quality public transport network and promotion of commuter plans. I’ve attended meetings in the past that seek a more considered approach from businesses and I will keep an eye on this issue.
The City Council will soon start a new kind of scheme for recycling from estates like Castle Marina (see above).
I know too how popular the tow path alongside the canal is for walking and cycling, especially on Summer evenings, and imagine that the potential for its use in evenings all year round might be stronger if the tow path is lit. Given the expense of installing new lighting, the best hope is that lighting might take place as part of any new developer’s proposals in the area. These are challenging times, but I will look out for opportunities to get the path lit in the future.