Local elections are too important to leave to chance

For many of us, local government has a bigger impact on our everyday lives than central government. Here’s why.

How many services do you reckon are delivered by local authorities? 50? 100? 200? In fact, councils provide over 700 services to their residents.

These range from ones we all know about such as bin collections, street lighting, pothole repairs, planning, housing and, of course, council tax collection and administration, right through to responsibility for supporting the most vulnerable people in our society –children in care, homeless people, and looking after people with complex care needs.

The policies and strategic direction set by elected Councillors can make life more pleasant for residents or, if not handled carefully, can be frankly quite disastrous for the local area. Communities need clear strategies and policies from their elected Councillors to make the best use of resources and deliver services that meet the needs of local communities.

In Croydon we are living with the consequences of failure.

Croydon is in a mess. Not just environmentally through dirty streets, missed bin collections, uncut grass and graffiti polluting the community, but also financially. It’s worth spelling out the dire situation the Labour-run Council has landed us in. Over the past 8 years we have seen the council bankrupted, not just once, but twice. A massive waste of over £200 million on its wholly-owned development company Brick by Brick. £30 million spent on a hotel, and £53 million on buying the Colonnades complex. £46million a year is being spent on servicing the £1.6 billion debt that Croydon Council has accrued under Labour control.

What are the consequences of this failure? It’s not just the dirty streets, but most seriously the impact on our neighbours who need support the most. The cuts now being implemented by Croydon Council are hurting the most vulnerable with £38 million worth of drastic cuts to plug the multi-million black hole in the budget.  These include:

• Cuts to the council tax safety net for those on the lowest incomes
• Cuts to the care packages of 2,500 residents in receipt of complex care
• Cuts to the Disability Employment team and Croydon Accessible Transport Services
• Cuts to the welfare help advice team
• Cuts to Early Help and Adolescent Teams which support early intervention for young people and adults at risk of exploitation and violence
• Cuts to the Meals on Wheels service to hundreds of vulnerable and elderly residents, to save just £24,000.

We’ve also seen the TV reports of on the horrendous conditions many council tenants are forced to live in, including black mould and damp in far too many Croydon council houses. An independent report concluded that Croydon Council has “a poor operating culture with a lack of care and respect for tenants” resulting in accommodation being left in terrible condition, putting the health and welfare of residents at risk through a lack of competence and care.

But there’s more. Council tax in Croydon continues to rise. Residents aren’t being listened to. Croydon town centre is empty. There is too much crime. Leisure centres such as Purley Pool remain closed. Low Traffic Networks are implemented against residents’ wishes. And then there is planning, with its uncaring approval of inappropriate developments, and imposition of intensification zones.

I am proud to be selected to stand as a candidate for the Conservatives in Kenley, where I live. I often speak to residents at their wits end and in real distress about the number of windfall developments being approved in inappropriate locations. In the last year alone, Cllr Ola Kolade, Ward Councillor for Kenley has worked with residents to object to over 25 new inappropriate planning applications.

On the 5th May 2022, voters in Croydon will select who they want to run the services that affect life in our local areas.  This gives all of us residents in Croydon the opportunity to vote for a positive change. A Conservative Mayor and Conservative Council will:

1. Stop the inappropriate developments by getting rid of Labour’s intensification policies and introducing a design focused approach which respects the character of local areas – at the same time as protecting our treasured green spaces
2. Stabilise the Council’s finances with a common sense/value for money approach ensuring residents get the council services they need most – whilst also considering how to tackle and start to bring down the £1.6 billion debt the council has accumulated over the last few years
3. Revive Croydon Town Centre – sitting down with Westfield, national Government and the Mayor of London to develop a timely and deliverable plan for the Whitgift Centre – and unlock the huge potential for the wider town centre
4. Help council tenants by getting an efficient and effective repairs service in place and respect the Tenants’ Charter which puts tenants at the heart of decision making around their housing services
5. Brick by Brick, the Labour Council’s development company, which has caused so much angst to our town by wasting over £200m of public money and built over any green space they could - will be wound up
6. Manage the Veolia contract properly so that bins are emptied when they should be and restore the graffiti team which Labour axed
7. Tackle the crime problem by ensuring that the extra police coming to Croydon are used effectively and are visible on our streets; working with police and local communities – and taking a zero-tolerance approach to knife crime
8. Supporting our local NHS and schools to deliver for Croydon patients and children, building on recent increases in school funding from the Conservative Government and making better use of the new A & E at Croydon University Hospital
9. Re- Purley Pool which is used by 11 local schools, immediately. This will be funded with unspent money from the Community Infrastructure Levy.

I want to be part of this change that Croydon needs. I know that the Conservatives can deliver for the borough and stand up for the people most affected by a bankrupt council.

I want Croydon residents to believe that they are being listened to, and that for example their objections to issues such as planning are taken seriously.

I believe that Councillors should set the agenda and priorities for the council and should absolutely focus on service delivery, and good customer service, after all this is what people are paying for through their council tax.

A personal pledge from me - - - If I am elected as a Conservative Councillor:

• I will work hard for the people in Kenley
• I will represent their interests
• I will respond to their queries and investigate their concerns
• I will help the council run more effectively
• And I will help make Croydon a better place to live and work

These local elections are too important to leave to chance. Please don’t just hope for change, VOTE FOR IT!