Our manifesto for the 2021 local elections

Since 2010 the austerity policy first implemented by the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition and fully implemented by Tory-controlled Shropshire Council, has brought local services to their knees and led to the loss of more than 1000 jobs.

There is another way! Labour is fully committed to economic diligence but it must be carried out with quality, fairness and compassion.

Labour’s priorities for Shropshire

Social care and the NHS

Health inequalities have been starkly exposed during the pandemic. We say

• Improve the pay and conditions of NHS nurses and local care workers.
• No further closures or privatisation in the NHS.
• Carry out a review of unmet social care needs and fight for high quality provision for children and adults.
• There must be long-term investment in public health to reduce future pressure on the NHS.

Economic regeneration and green jobs

• Support local enterprises and invest in public transport and infrastructure.
• Increase local training opportunities.

Children are our future

• Fight to reverse the cuts to school budgets and maintain local, not private, control of education.
• Push for better funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
• Support our new University and reverse the cuts in our youth services.

Tackling the climate emergency

Our future is threatened by climate change, which is already increasing extreme weather and flood risk. Labour will

• Make maximum effort to tackle climate change, air pollution and other environmental threats.
• Protect our open spaces and develop brownfield sites instead.
• Apply strict environmental conditions to all planning applications.
• Build an integrated transport system for Shropshire which does not isolate rural communities.

Building the homes we need

There are at least 5,000 households on the housing waiting list and a growing number of Shropshire people are homeless or in temporary accommodation. We need

• An ambitious programme for truly affordable housing through housing associations, the Council’s local housing company and community benefits required of private developers.

Efficient services for people not profit

Fiercely opposed by Labour councillors, the Tory council spent a ludicrous £52 million on Shrewsbury shopping centres now valued at just £17 million. Our Tory controlled council now has a projected budget deficit of £43 million for 2022/23. We will

• Ensure our public services are locally controlled and not handed over to big corporations. For exam- ple, bring leisure and sports facilities back in-house.
• Insist that local suppliers and co-operatives are given priority where possible.