Plymouth Conservative Party Manifesto 2008

Manifesto - "STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE''

My Conservative Colleagues and I have been privileged to be in control of our City for one year. We found that we had inherited a number of tough problems but we have made great progress in many ways. This is confirmed by the Audit Commission who have recently declared the City to be "improving strongly". We are determined to see Plymouth City Council reach "excellent status" by 2012.

I am privileged to be the Leader of a very talented group of individuals who, as Conservative Councillors, have an extensive range of backgrounds and experience which they bring to this Council - and hence out City. I trust them to get on with the job in hand, and I hope you will too.

Being a Plymouth City Councillor is a big responsibility and each Conservative Member is only too aware that it is YOU who has elected them to serve. By electing a Conservative Councillor you can be sure that he or she will not forget to ensure the Council does what you - the taxpayer - actually want.

I am a strong believer in working in partnership with everyone in the city, including the business sector, Police and Fire Authorities, Health Service, or other valuable contributors from the voluntary sector. I am particularly keen to have an increased input of public opinion into our decision-making process and we continue to listen to your views.

Conservative Members know what it means to do a hard days' work, run their own business, or to be a full time Parent or Carer. Nevertheless, they have pledged to make the time to represent you, and be a voice in an increasingly centralised country.

Vivien Pengelly

Leader, Plymouth City Council

CRIME AND DISORDER

Conservatives will continue supporting the police and community Groups in achieving their aims of making Plymouth a safer place in which to live, work, and play.

We pledge

•To continue to support the police in issuing dispersal orders and anti­social behaviour orders (ASBO's) and encourage a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour

•To make combating crime a priority

•To have a tighter control on licensing and planning design and to listen to the needs of local residents. Consideration to the use of plastic or toughened glass containers in premises will be given

•To make it easier to contact the police and support our local police stations

•To work in partnership with agencies to reduce the supply of illegal drugs and reduce substance misuse - we support the proposal to re­classify cannabis

•To continue to support the Neighbourhood Watch scheme

•To improve the links between the city council and the police through partnership working - we support the retention of a basic command police unit in the City and continue to press for more "police on the beat''

PLANNING, REGENERATION, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Conservatives are passionate about fostering a thriving local economy which encourages inward investment, entrepreneurial endeavour, and where partnership working is of high importance.

We pledge

•To support fully and work closely with the new Plymouth City Development Company, the Chamber of Commerce, and the City Centre Company

•To support the Royal Navy's presence in Plymouth

•To attract new retailers and businesses to the city

•To work closely with manufacturers

•To work to improve road, rail, and air links to the city

•To make an early start to provide a new gateway entrance (at Frankfort Gate) for the west end of the city centre

•To incorporate the public's wishes in development schemes

TRANSPORT

Conservatives have brought an end to the huge increase in anti-car policies promoted by the previous administration. We believe that residents and visitors have a right to move around our city easily via their own choice of transport. We also recognise the positive impact that better transport links and parking provision would have on our local economy.

We pledge

•To introduce an extended concessionary fares scheme during the coming year

•To improve flow and capacity on main traffic routes in and out of the city by reviewing traffic light sequences and identifying and improving congestion points

•To keep open Royal Parade to through traffic

•To not introduce congestion charges

•To deal with increased traffic flow from Sherford new town by increasing the capacity of Laira Bridge

•To keep under review parking charges to ensure Plymouth retains it's competitive position in encouraging and supporting local businesses

•To support the retention and expansion of 3 hour rail journeys to and from London

•To provide a new bus and coach station

•To work with bus companies to provide comprehensive services

•To safeguard the future viability of Plymouth City Airport

•To support the Drake Line (Plymouth to Tavistock) re-opening to alleviate congestion in the north of the city

•To only install bus lanes where no loss of carriageway would occur

•To ensure direct access to the George Park and Ride site for residents of Glenholt, Mainstone, and Southway - to be completed in 2008

OUR ENVIRONMENT

Conservatives in Plymouth realise how important the issue of climate change is in terms of the potential threat to our environment. That is why we will be in the lead implementing environmental policies that matter as are other Conservative Councils throughout the country

Plymouth City Council should be a shining example - where possible council offices should adopt the use of recycled stationary, carbon free fuels, and energy efficient lighting

We pledge

•To follow the success of other conservative councils and seek ways of converting council owned vehicles to environmentally friendly fuels

•To work with City Planners to ensure that new buildings are as environmentally friendly as possible

•To ensure our transport should be as economical as possible and keep traffic movements to a minimum

•To find more customers for our recycled material, preferably as local as possible

•To maintain our green spaces and plant more trees

•To encourage developers to recycle more materials from properties they demolish

•In partnership with holders to bring forward plans to create more allotments throughout the City

•To continue the good work with Britain in Bloom and be the only City to represent England in the Europe in Bloom 2008 event

•To continue working with the Central Park Action Forum to consult with stakeholders to promote improvements to the Park

WASTE

Conservatives are addressing the current and future waste issues facing the city. We are developing additional recycling facilities in order to tackle waste reduction and minimise the impact on our environment. We will work towards developing a more carbon neutral city

We have introduced a new policy committing the Council to higher standards of service and are now working with residents in order to achieve greater levels of customer satisfaction.

COLLECTION

We pledge

•To work towards meeting our waste targets

•To create an additional civic amenity centre in the north of the City

•To extend the newly introduced trade waste recycling service

RECYCLING

We pledge

•To keep Residents up to date on how and what they can recycle

•To increase the number of recycling banks and empty/clean around them more regularly

•To increase the garden waste "green bag" collection scheme

To research the suitability and location of a waste to energy plant

STREET SERVICES

Conservatives understand how important front line services such street cleaning and refuse collection are to residents. We will improve these services

as opposed to cutting them.

STREET SERVICES

We pledge

•     To increase the range of items for recycling and doorstep collection

•     To maintain the weekly collection of brown bins

CLEANER AND SAFER STREETS

We pledge

•     To look at having area-specific street cleaners

•     To cut grass at more regular intervals thus avoiding large piles of grass on roads etc

•     To do necessary repairs to paths and highway (in line with heritage of the area) to improve safety

•     To increase the number of dog and waste bins in parks etc

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Conservatives are committed to providing social care that promotes the rights and freedoms of vulnerable children, their families, and carers. We recognise and accept these rights and pledge to deliver quality services that ensure the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all vulnerable children.

We pledge

•To ensure that all the systems and checks are in place to so that children in care are safeguarded from abuse, neglect, and exploitation

•To ensure the full involvement and support of children, their families, and carers in making decisions and choices about the services they require

•    To support and ensure that young people leaving care and entering adulthood are not isolated, and participate socially and economically as citizens

•    To ensure robust procedures are in place to enable all staff working with vulnerable children have the appropriate skills and training to deliver high quality services

•    To ensure services to children and families take account of culture and diversity

•    To continue to build on family support services

•    To encourage the take up of direct payments for families with vulnerable children to allow them more choice on how they receive services

•    To develop good working practices and procedures with partner agencies to achieve a high quality integrated Children's Service delivered through the Children's Trust

•    To ensure that children with physical or learning disabilities have equal opportunities to participate in youth services and other activities in the community

EDUCATION

Providing choice is at the heart of the Conservative ethos, and that will be the keystone of education locally.

 We pledge

•    To establish an effective schools standards panel linking the work of councillors and governors

•    To review amenities in our schools to prioritise adaptations to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act

•    To retain specialist schools, including our grammar schools

•    To pre-test and make results available to parents before they choose their child's secondary school

•    To encourage school leavers to attend colleges of further education

 Conservatives will strive to encourage communities to evolve and grow by increasing the number of sports and other activities for all ages. We believe local people should be able to take responsibility for their own communities.

We pledge

•     To provide a youth service that motivates and broadens the interests of young people, and encourages all groups to participate

•     To develop innovative funding streams for community projects

•     To support having a Children's Centre in every community and to continue to develop existing Centres

•     To support Youth Workers at Community Centres more effectively to better enable them to engage with young people

•     To provide Community Centres with more resources

•     To create a physical focus for each community to consistently use a designated building for the full variety of events e.g. computer training, an information point, children's groups, area committees

•     To continue our strong links with the Youth Parliament

•     To encourage schools/colleges to make facilities available to the community for after school and evening activities

HEALTH

 Conservatives will encourage a healthy environment with healthy citizens, from babies to the elderly. Living in a beautiful city between moorland and the sea, we will develop facilities for physical fitness and mental wellbeing. We will further improve Plymouth's reputation for excellence in healthcare, especially through our University and teaching hospital.

We pledge

•     To get much more involvement and healthcare decision-making power for local residents and voluntary sector workers

•     To work to improve our swimming facilities and to promote health and well-being throughout the City

•     To increase the number of NHS Dentists in Plymouth by all available means - this includes training more dentists locally

•     To ensure a functional 24 hour "Crisis Buster" fast response team for carers needing assistance

•     To ensure proper respect for carers and those in their care

•     To ensure delivery of effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatments and constructive alternatives to drug and alcohol dependency

•     To enhance the local provision of day and respite care

•     To ensure Plymouth's emergency healthcare provisions are adequate and that we are as well prepared as possible to resist pandemic illnesses

•     To address health inequalities across the City by working with housing, leisure, education, and other service providers

•     To work with voluntary, community, and social sector groups in partnership

 Conservatives realise how important sport, leisure, and culture are in reducing anti-social behaviour and other crimes. We believe everyone can benefit from access to sport, leisure, and culture, thereby promoting good health in the community

Leisure facilities in Central Park are now agreed and works will begin later this
year-the largest investment in leisure facilities in Plymouth........ ever!

 We pledge

•     To provide swimming facilities in the north of Plymouth and at Plymstock

•     To improve leisure facilities for those with special needs

•     To increase leisure and cultural activities to help reduce crime and to encourage schools to open their facilities to the community

•     To promote all sport and recreation centres and to protect playing field sites

•     To appoint an experienced external funding officer to investigate ways of attracting funding for all leisure facilities

•     To improve the pathways, lighting, and toilets throughout all parks

•     To work with all professional sports clubs

•     To promote Plymouth's heritage

•      To work closely with the higher education establishments for the
promotion of sport and   cultural activities

•    To support all water sports users

•    To support new library facilities where needed in Plymouth

•    To introduce a Cultural Strategy for the city

 HOUSING

Conservatives recognise the positive impact that decent housing has on the health and well-being of residents

SOCIAL HOUSING

We pledge

•     To work to ensure that all residents of Plymouth, especially older people, do not have to live in poor conditions

•     To consult ALL tenants and support their views over proposals to transfer the city's housing stock

•     To ensure that house repairs are completed promptly

•     To ensure that houses are not left empty and are re-let as quickly as possible

•     To have closer consultation with tenants about their housing needs

•     To work in partnership with housing associations to provide independent extra care facilities for the elderly

 PRIVATE HOUSING

We pledge

•     To seek ways to improve the quality of the private housing and to seek suitable funding for improving the stock

•     To ensure that improvements to the stock are carried out in line with legislation, especially where houses are in multiple occupancy

•     To develop affordable housing with shared equity

•     To promote the building of specialised accommodation for older and disabled people