Sam Hearn, Conservative Group Leader on Hounslow Council
The Conservative Manifesto for the Hounslow Borough Council Elections on May 3rd 2018
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A proven record of success …
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A future to look forward to …
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A better deal for all
It really matters who runs Hounslow Council
We all know that it is national issues and national government that get all the press and media coverage. However, it is the Councillors you elect on May 3rd who will determine how often your bins are emptied, how well your roads and pavements are repaired, the Council Tax that you will pay, the quality of local social care, the service at local libraries and sports facilities and so much more.
We are proud of our Borough and its diverse communities and are excited by the huge potential that exists to make it a better place in which to live, study, work, build a business and eventually retire. Our vision is to work with all residents to deliver real improvements in the delivery of essential services, enhance the life chances of the young, protect the vulnerable and make your Council directly accountable to you.
Before preparing this manifesto we have listened to people all across the Borough. We know that most people are troubled by the same issues that concern us and that many of you agree with the policies that we will implement if elected on May 3rd. In this document, we have brought together our ideas and pledges for you to read at your leisure.
We give an absolute commitment to focus our efforts on tackling the disparities that exist in terms of economic achievement, education, child poverty, health and well-being. We will set up an independent commission to investigate inequality in the Borough.
Managing the wide range of services that a local authority provides will always be a challenging task. You can however be reassured that we have a proven track record in local government of doing more with less and doing it better. Austerity means that there is an added incentive for us to find new and better ways of working. Increasingly the actions of the current Labour administration demonstrate that whatever its intentions it is not up to the challenge and instead seek to blame everyone but itself.
We will critically examine every service that the Council provides. Those areas that work well we will build on, but those activities that are clearly failing to deliver an acceptable service to residents will receive our full attention. We will be seeking and implementing innovative solutions, some of which are set out on the pages that follow.
At the heart of our approach is a simple concept – let’s get the basics right. We will;
1. deliver the high-quality services that you deserve and should be receiving.
2. act always to preserve and enhance our shared environment.
3. re-establish the sound financial management that will support our pledges
4. transform the way that officers relate to residents and deliver services.
Summary of our pledges
1. We will deliver the high-quality services that you expect and deserve
- Always put residents and their needs first.
- Reverse the cuts in spending on roads and pavements
- Drive recycling rates up by at least a third
- Simplify recycling and phase in the weekly collection of non-recyclable waste
- Make performance reporting visible and clear
- Protect funding for libraries and parks
- Build social housing – not just talk about it
- Fully support our schools and young people
- Rebuild the Borough’s youth services
- Reduce the waiting time for diagnosing children with ASD (currently 18-23 months).
2. We will preserve and enhance our shared environment
- Re-join the London Air Quality Network
- Oppose any scheme that will increase air pollution
- Lobby the London Mayor to rethink the planned Ultra-Low Emissions Zone and remove diesel buses
- Increase the pressure on Thames Water to improve Mogden Sewage Works
- Work with third party partners to reduce the risks of over-development e.g. flooding
- Enable residents to better contribute effectively in planning decisions
- Insist that new developments meet the highest environmental standards
- Rigorously enforce the laws against unlicensed and illegal Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs)
- Champion improvements to transport infrastructure
- Part-fund replacement of old domestic boilers
- Make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists
- Roll out additional electric charging points
- Commission an holistic strategy for the Borough’s heritage assets
3. We will re-establish the sound financial management that will deliver our pledges
- Hold Council Tax increases as low as possible
- Appoint a finance director Re-establish the Finance Scrutiny Committee
- Restore the funding of the Scrutiny Committees – reinforce their independence
- Set clear and costed strategic goals and cut the inflated budgets for corporate services
- Stop the over-spends on department budgets and deliver planned savings
- Open up Council expenditure to “citizens’ audits”
- Apply strict value for money procurement rules
- Challenge the basis for every financial reserve Speed up the release of S106 and CIL funds
- Conduct a rolling review of all services including the Hounslow Highways PFI and Parking Services
- Seek expert advice on the future of the Lampton 360 ‘empire’, including the Recycling Depot.
- Explore the potential for more service sharing with other Boroughs and organisations
- Work with our GLA member to control the budget of the London Mayor
4. We will transform the way that the Council interacts with residents
- Commission an independent review of inequality in the Borough
- Roll out a Hounslow Residents’ Entitlement Card – making access to services easier
- Ensure residents’ enquiries and complaints are answered promptly and properly
- Rebuild relationships with charities and volunteer groups e.g. The Hounslow Community Network
- Track response times to emails and phone calls and simplify the routing of residents’ queries
- Make staff accountable for delivery of services Track and publish Councillors’ performance
- Publish results of real-time surveys of customers’ service experience
- Respect residents’ responses to consultations
- Make proper provision for residents without Internet access or mobile phones
To read the full Conservative Party Manifesto for the elections for Hounslow Council on May 3 rd 2018 please click on the link to the document below.