Hounslow Conservatives Launch Local Election Manifesto

Aims include continuing with Council Tax freeze for next two years

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A record of action with the promise of much more is the commitment to borough residents from Hounslow Conservatives on the launch of their manifesto promises for the May local elections.

“We are proud of what Conservatives have been able to deliver for the people of Hounslow over the past four years” says Cllr Peter Thompson. “We have  frozen Council Tax for four years in a row, delivered big improvements in refuse collection and recycling, cut graffiti by half, launched a massive programme of environmental improvements with the planting of 1000 new trees across the borough, and won for Hounslow new investment in roads and pavements.

"Our £35m investment in modern library and leisure services is now bringing new choices and better quality services for local people and the latest 13% jump in GCSE results is great news for pupils and their families.

“Now we are asking residents through the ballot box to give us their support and help us to do even more. Our pledges to all borough communities include ensuring a good education for all our children; making Hounslow one of the top recycling boroughs in London and more investment in improving the environment through better street cleaning, litter removal and continuing our fight against the scourge of graffiti. We will aim to continue with the Council Tax freeze for the next two years and make people feel even safer on our streets and in communities as we crack down further on those who break the rules.”

“Our manifesto and pledges for the next 4 years can be read in full online at
http://hounslowcouncilconservativegroup.yourcllr.com"

Key Polices

Housing

  • promote homeownership
  • improve the quality of all housing services in the borough including housing management both in the public and private sectors.
  • set tough targets for Hounslow Homes to improve and increase satisfaction levels. 
  • work with tenants and leaseholders to explore all options when the deal with Hounslow Homes ends in  2012. 

Children’s Services

  • set up a new Academy school – that is free, non-selective, high-quality state school that is open to all. The new Academy will be run by either a charity, parent and teacher groups, a trust, voluntary groups or a co-operative. 
  • supporting heads and teachers when they exclude a pupil.
  • create a technical schools in the Borough.
  • do all we can to support school choice
  • fully committed to supporting faith schools
  • focus on early intervention work for children, young people and families in need.
  • tackle the problem of teenage pregnancy rates and sexual health problems across the borough and safeguarding is a priority for all sectors. 

Leisure and Culture

  • we will increase the quality, quantity and diversity of volunteering opportunities.
  • invest £500k every year in new library books for the whole of the Borough.
  • continue with the refurbishment of all of the libraries in the Borough.
  • build on the investment programme for allotments ensuring they are fit for purpose and uptake levels remain high.
  • develop a parks and open space strategy to allow continue upkeep and development of our parks and open spaces.
  • continue our investment in our play facilities with a view that each ward will have a new play facility.
  • invest in our historic properties such as Boston Manor, Hogarth House to ensure their future survival.
  • work closely with our community and with Ealing, English Heritage and others to find a viable solution for Gunnersbury Park.
  • Continue to work closely with Brentford FC and support their ambitious plans for a new community stadium

Heath and Adult Social Care

  • continue to work with Hounslow NHS towards merging part or all of their organisations.
  • continue with modernisation of our care facilities in the Borough.
  • give people choice and control over their care so that people are able to live their own lives as they wish; confident that services are of high quality, are safe and promote their own individual needs for independence, well-being, and dignity.

Environment

  • we will continue to resist any expansion of Heathrow and will campaign to keep runway alternation and to ban night flights and for decent insulation for our homes and schools.
  • we will strive to maximise the opportunity our new waste and recycling service and will increase our current rate of 34% to 50%.
  • we will continue to make our streets cleaner and smarter. We will continue to invest more money into making our streets safer for all. We will continue to regularly visits to all streets in the borough and create a “Cleaning Up Hounslow” blog where residents can report problems and monitor the Council’s response to their report.
  • regenerate our town centres.
  • tougher enforcement against those you break planning and environmental laws.

Finance

  • we will strive to freeze our share of the Council Tax for a further two years. 
  • we will publish the full remuneration package of all senior staff, earning above £58,500, including names and post; all items of expenditure above £500; all contracts and tender documents in full.

Crime and Disorder

  • support the Police in issuing dispersal orders and anti social behaviour orders and encourage a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour.
  • keep tighter control on licensing and planning design and listen to the needs of local residents.
  • continue to support the Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
  • work with schools to tackle bullying and classroom violence. 
  • Work with the Police and schools to educate young people about the dangers of knives.
  • work to improve the basic skills of young offenders supervised by the Council.
  • introduce a “Making A Difference Week” into every ward in the borough.
  • introduce a Junior Citizens’ Scheme to provide an opportunity for youngsters to pick up important safety tips. 
  • work with the police and local supermarkets and off-licences to tackle the problem of street drinking. We will urge high street drinks retailers to agree to stop stocking super-strength lager and cider drinks in certain parts of the borough where there have been problems with street drinkers plus associated problems with drug-dealing, begging and street urination.

April 12, 2010