Labour came into office full of promises and as predicted,
one by one they are breaking them. They immediately u-turned on their pledge to
keep Oaklands Pool open. They promised to invest more in SureStart and they are
cutting £1m a year from this service. They promised to spend more on libraries,
yet they are slashing opening hours, bringing local libraries to the verge of
closure. Shirley Library is having its hours cut by 15 hours a week. Pensioners
are having their council tax raised by 12%, despite a last minute pre election
promise by Cllr Richard Williams not to do this. Even the weekly bin collection
was due to be axed and it was only spared because of a grant from the
Government.
A 35% reduction in street cleaning in local roads will mean
lots of more litter. Local residents associations are fighting an ongoing
battle to keep the area clean, with regular litter picks and this will come as
a real slap in the face to many people. I am very worried about the cuts to the
upkeep of local parks. We already have problems with drinking in Lake Park and
cans and glass left behind as well as the ongoing problem of dog fouling. We
have more and more young families in Freemantle and keeping the local parks
clean, tidy and safe is essential.
Parking is one of the biggest problems faced by residents in
Freemantle Ward. I have fought for a long time to stop new charges coming in
for first permits in residents’ parking zones. Labour tried to bring in charges
last time they were in power and now they are back they are quick to charge
residents to park. Worse still this doesn’t even guarantee residents a space in
their road. Residents’ Parking enforcement stops at 6pm so many residents will
end up paying for permits and much of the time they will be worthless. Labour
plans to introduce on street parking charges in the evenings in the city centre
will mean more workers parking their cars in local roads after 6pm, making it
even harder for residents to park. Also charging people to park when they are
shopping in Shirley will hit local businesses hard, damaging trade and costing
jobs, at a time when everyone is struggling.
Labour have not thought through their proposals. They were
elected with no plan and no vision for the city and now residents are suffering
the consequences.
