Redditch Labour Manifesto 2022 Last Draft before print

Redditch Labour
Manifesto 2022



A Brighter Future - A Better Redditch

Your Voice Matters

FOREWORD

It is my pleasure to present the Redditch Labour Party manifesto for the local
elections 2022.

The last four years of this Conservative council has seen Redditch moving backwards
with the mismanagement of the finances. In 2019 this lead to a serious Section 24
Notice from the Auditors, telling the Council to get it's house in order. Now the
Council is heading for bankruptcy again.

The failure of the Conservatives to secure the full £25 million for Town Fund
regeneration has lead to a reduced plan for our Town Centre that was forced through
without consultation with the community leading to the proposal for the demolition
of our Town Centre Library.

Redditch Labour is opposed to the demolition of our library. Our regeneration plans
include developing our Town Centre to welcome visitors and traders including a
thriving outdoor market.

We will consult with local people on the regeneration of our district centres including
the preservation of separate centres in Winyates and Matchborough.

Despite their promise to build Council Houses, the Conservatives have failed to
complete one property in four years. Labour will accelerate the Council properties
program built on brown field sites in order to reduce the growing waiting list and
providing new areas to help people stay in Redditch in a safe and clean environment.

We will upgrade our current stock and will oppose any attempt to sell-off the entire
housing stock as seen in every other Conservative controlled areas.

Redditch Labour will work to improve our environment, reversing spending cuts to
provide a clean and green authority. We will preserve our open spaces from any
further development. We will press for an environmentally clean local bus service
expanded to meet the needs of all of our areas.

Unfortunately, local funding has reduced by over 60% in the past ten years of this
Conservative Government which is why it is important not only to vote Labour for
your Council but at the next General Election.

My personal pledge to you is that Redditch Labour
would be open and transparent and will involve you
the community in the decisions that we make as part
of a positive and open community council.

Andy Fry
Leader of the Labour Group

Our Candidates and Wards

VOTE Redditch 5th May 2022
Labour

The Local Economy

Redditch has a proud history of manufacturing industry from being in the forefront of
needle making, world class motorcycles, war time production to today’s high-tech
aircraft components supply and other supply chains.

However, wages in Redditch are the lowest in the West Midlands. Uptake of Universal
Credit is the highest in Worcestershire and post school academic attainment is the
lowest in the region.

Our Town Centre is becoming a town of empty shops and closed businesses. What
was once a beacon of the new town vision has fallen into disrepair and neglect.

Redditch Council cannot change the economy overnight, but it can still make a
difference by using its money differently and more creatively.

By applying the already successful ‘Community Wealth Building’ model, we aim to:

Appoint a Co-Op development worker.

Promote Co-Operatives wherever possible including housing, markets, creches, or in
any area where there are people with ideas and vision who wish to work together.

Support and encourage new start-up businesses with local people.

Change the council’s procurement policy so it is ‘Redditch First’ whenever possible. If
the council is spending thousands of pounds on work, then it should be done by local
companies using local people.

Ensure that all those who work on behalf of the council meet the highest employment
standards and do everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint.

Redditch Labour will, along with our partners, promote and support business by
encouraging inward investment and supporting businesses that offer local
employment, the real living wage to their employees along with guaranteed working
hours and trade union
recognition.

A Brighter Future - A Better Redditch - Your Voice Matters



Regenerating the Town

Centre and District Centres.

While we welcome offers of Government investment in the regeneration of our
Town, the Towns Fund Deal was nearly £10m short of the £25m bid for. The total to
spend is now £15.6m.

Our concern is that little, if any public consultation has been carried out. The
opposition Labour Group were not invited onto the Towns Fund Board.

The Conservative Council has been making plans behind closed doors,
leaving the Community behind as an afterthought once the decisions have already
been made. This is grossly unfair, counterproductive as it makes people quite
rightly angry and upset.

Labour would have removed the demolition of the Library from the second
phase saving £4.2m to spend on projects of more benefit to the Borough as a
whole - not just the Town Centre.

Redditch Labour opposes the demolition of our Town Centre Library.

Labour would've kept the sustainability projects which included Electric Vehicle
points and hubs - costing £1.1m and upgrading for more in the places they are
needed.

Although the regeneration of the District Centres previously pledged by the
Conservatives wasn't in the bid - we would have added upgrading our District
Centres to the project. Local businesses and residents have waited far too long
in silence where the Council just keeps kicking the Matchborough & Winyates
Centres regeneration into the long grass.

Our Labour Contract with you - is that a
Labour Council and Councillors would
have more respect for the community it
serves - with proper public consultation
and transparency. You should have a say
in future developments before they are
decided.

Redditch Conservatives will
demolish OUR Library at a

cost of £4.2m

Positive & Inclusive Council

Redditch Labour believes the Council should be MORE inclusive and transparent.
We will create Community Forums utilising skills, ideas, experiences from everyone
including black, Asian and minority ethnic people [BAME], LGBT, Youth, Disabled,
Elderly and Community groups - by giving YOU a real say in shaping future
developments.
This would make for REAL positive changes in the way our Council is run.
During Covid our young people have suffered through Government failures within
education and employment with job losses where our young people are more than
twice as likely as older employees to have suffered job losses, with six in 10 seeing
their earnings fall.
They need to be able to play a part in the future ahead of them.
Redditch Labour will put young people at the heart of everything we do. We will
create a Youth Council drawn from Schools, Colleges, Youth Associations and our
young residents.
The Youth Council will be consulted on decisions that affect our young people to
promote ideas as part of our inclusiveness agenda. Listening to their idea's rather
than just ignoring them or telling them what they can have.

A Brighter Future - A Better Redditch - Your Voice Matters

A clean and safe Community

We often hear from residents complaining about litter, dog mess, pavements and
general street uncleanliness. Redditch Labour welcomes the work carried out by
community litter picking groups and we will continue to support the formation of
voluntary groups in tidying up their roads.

We applaud local residents for being the eyes and ears on our streets. To help you
with this we will make provision for lengthsmen style area operatives.

Their role will be to be out and about, engaging with residents to help address every
aspect of our roads, pavements and district centres, to carry out remedial work and
then ensure that major works are dealt with in a timely and satisfactory manner.

We will ensure that the resources to provide a Clean Community will be directed to
the right place including easily visible contact points.

We will tackle the serious and unsightly issue of fly tipping and dumping by
reviewing charges for Household bulky waste collections. We aim to provide a FREE
service for elderly, disabled and those on low incomes. We will also look into
providing other resources to make disposing of unwanted items much easier.

Redditch Labour will encourage the creation of NEW neighbourhood watch teams in
every area working with the Police to crack down on anti-social behaviour, car crime,
burglary and drug use. Putting your security first is most important to us.

Labour will put your
security first, with new
neighbourhood police hubs
and crime prevention teams

Health and Community
Wellbeing


Redditch Labour will continue to hold the MP, Trust and CCG to account and campaign

for the restoration of Services back to the Alex with the aim of providing a FULLY
functioning Hospital and campaign for the return of ALL temporary moved services
and bringing the waiting lists down.

Government funding for Mental Health Services and Social Care has been cut
drastically since 2010 and suffered even more heavily during Covid where there
is still no real plan for integration of services or sufficient funding. An extra £854
million is needed for adult social care funding despite the latest National Insurance
hike. We need many more Staff and to keep the one's we have got. Our NHS Staff also
need decent pay and better terms and conditions. The least we can do to repay them
for working so hard for us all.

VOLUNTARY GROUPS & CHARITIES

Redditch Labour will lead the fight for adequate funding by consulting with the
voluntary sector with a view to maximizing funding and reversing the damaging cuts
made by the Conservatives to the Redditch Voluntary sector funding streams since
2018.

We have seen how our Charities and Voluntary groups are absolutely vital in our
communities. They are the ones who have stepped up during the Covid crisis and it's
only right that they should be recognised.

Labour will provide the NHS
with the staff, equipment, and
modern technology needed to

treat patients on time.

Parks and Open Spaces,

Community Fitness

Labour will protect our open spaces. We don't want them to be used for building
on with things that are not in keeping or for the profit of others.

Redditch has some of the most open and green spaces south of Birmingham. Our
Arrow Valley Park, Morton Stanley Park and other spaces are ideal for the
promotion of outdoor activities that local residents and visitors can enjoy.

Redditch Labour will promote and fund the establishment of Community Fitness
Groups, enhance the provision of walking and cycling routes and ensure provision
of greenspaces in any major planning developments.

Redditch Labour will promote a healthy eating policy and encourage local
providers and community allotments to contribute to a fully functional market and
lively Craft and Farmers markets as part of a Market Town, helping our local
businesses to move forward after Covid and helping to regain some of their lost
incomes and rebuild a sense of community.

Redditch High Street - under
redditch conservatives

LAST weekend before christmas 2021

Labour will reinstate the High
Street Market to bring our

Town Centre back to life. We
would encourage traders to

offer a variety of stalls
promoting arts, crafts, foods,
plants by local people & small

businesses.

Housing & Homelessness

In a country as rich as ours it is a scandal that people can find themselves with nowhere to
sleep or a place they can call home. Sadly, this is even more true since Covid and the rise in
cost of living and Government Tax rises. The last twelve months have seen a 94% increase
in competition for private rental properties with rents going up by 10% in this year alone.
Local families who can’t afford to rent privately or buy are being left stuck on the Housing
List in temporary accommodation, living with their parents and families or are being forced
to move away to somewhere they can afford or devastatingly end up on the streets.
We want to encourage local people to live, work, stay and play in Redditch. Expanding
Social Housing by using brown field sites and look to provide the extra local infrastructure
and services needed. A real place that people can afford and be proud to call their home.
Too many houses in the public and private sector are in poor repair and with low standards
and we believe the Council has a responsibility to ensure people have a choice of quality,
high standard homes to live in.

In Redditch, Labour has a proud record of working with others to achieve what is required.
We were one of the first areas to have a substantial Co-Operative housing programme.

Now hundreds of renting tenants and their families live in modern, affordable, award
winning homes.
Showing innovation in design and landscaping they provide homes which are so much
more than other rented accommodation. The tenants manage the properties
themselves with help available.
Properties for the elderly, young and ALL. That means houses, flats and bungalows and we
will continue to support and promote more Co-Operative housing within the town
alongside our plan for Social Housing.
We will ensure environmental enforcement that developers comply with the highest
standards when erecting new homes.
But we will go further to suit the needs of all people and their families
We will use the new borrowing powers to build with local partners or on our own for
new council homes that offer genuinely affordable choices for everyone. What is
important to us is that people have choice and are not trapped in substandard housing
which fails to meet their needs.

CONSERVATIVES

Want to sell off Council land to cover
up for their bad financial management.
Consulting to make getting on the
Council's housing list more difficult.
In 4 years of being in control - not
one Council home has been built.

LABOUR

Want to encourage local people to live,
work, stay and play in Redditch.
Expand Social housing by using brown
field sites and look to provide local
infrastructure and services.
Providing real places our people can
afford and be proud to call Redditch
their home.

FUTURE UNDER A LABOUR
GOVERNMENT

For energy security, to get
bills down, and tackle the

climate crisis.

Green Deal

One of the biggest issues facing all of us over the next 10 years is climate change. It
is now beyond doubt that there are going to be challenges which we will have to face
and overcome.

We will ensure that Redditch Borough Council sets clear environmental targets for
dealing with the climate emergency; the council must be open and accountable in
their response to the climate emergency declaration and upgrade the Conservatives
low target date from 2050 to 2030. We must include everyone in the plans going
forward in having more engagement by opening up the Climate Change Forum to
everyone and not just the chosen few having discussions behind closed doors.

A sustainable and green public transport system is essential to provide access to and
from all of our communities. Labour will continue to press for a fair allocation of
funding for Redditch leading to improved greener and cleaner bus services along
with safer walking and cycling routes and providing more Electric Vehicle points in
places where they are needed.

We will increase the amount of renewable energy generated by and used by the
council; we will do this by installing more solar panels on council owned buildings.
Also using all available funding for home energy efficiency schemes and working
towards local green co-operative energy companies to help with rising prices.

Redditch Labour in
our community

Our Uniform Bank every year
Cooking & delivering meals to people every Christmas

Supporting local businesses
Standing up for the Alex, it's Staff and Patients

A Brighter Future - A Better Redditch - Your Voice Matters