STIRLING COUNCIL MANIFESTO LAUNCHED

Local Tories have published their Stirling Council manifesto, setting out the priorities for change that a Conservative-run Administration will implement.

The policy programme is the most comprehensive and ambitious the local party has produced. It contains 30 objectives and commitments across five key themes, namely:

• Real value for your money
• A cleaner, greener Stirling
• Ensuring educational success
• Reducing anti-social conduct
• More public say in council affairs

The document, entitled Don’t hope for a better Council – Vote for it, has been published by the 11-strong team of Tory council candidates after extensive consultation with residents and community groups throughout the district.

25,000 copies of a summary of the manifesto will be delivered through letterboxes locally in the run up to May 3rd.

Cllr Alistair Berrill, candidate for Forth & Endrick Ward, said:

“Local residents now pay the second highest council tax in Scotland, up from 18th highest eleven years ago. Yet satisfaction levels are falling and several council services have been cut back.

“Local Conservatives believe the council can and should deliver in a far more effective and positive manner, for those who use, pay for, and provide services. We are concentrating on what the priorities should be, not just for a Conservative-led Administration, but for any Administration.

“The top priority that residents have identified for us is to install a new financial discipline in Stirling Council, ensuring value for money. Conservatives will bring the council’s finances under control and end the massive deficits of recent years, which have led to hefty rises in Council Tax. This will particularly benefit those on fixed and modest incomes, such as local pensioners and young families.

“We have also set out the action we will take to make our city and district cleaner and greener, to combat anti-social behaviour, strengthen parental involvement with schools, and do more to nurture our local civic society.”

Neil Benny, candidate for Stirling West, added:
“It is not always a lack of money that is the problem, but the priorities pursued by the current Labour Administration that are wrong. Residents are paying a lot more in tax, but feel they are getting less in return.
“The Labour Party has run Stirling Council for 11 years. It is clearly time for a change of Administration, and Conservatives are best placed to deliver that.
“Local residents needn’t hope for change. On May 3rd they can vote for it.”

The Conservative manifesto commitments include:

Real value for your money: A Conservative-run Stirling Council will
 Install a new fiscal discipline in Stirling Council, so that it lives within its means. The council’s finances will be brought under control, bringing to an end the large financial deficits witnessed in recent years and which have led to hefty rises in council tax;
 Maintain council assets such as schools, roads, and community halls, in good condition. Letting them fall into disrepair only costs more in the long run and is a false economy;
 Listen to new ideas and strengthen the role of local communities in determining the quality of services to be delivered, such as grass cutting, street sweeping and toilet maintenance. Local communities will be able to propose new ideas for improving services directly to council committees, such as the introduction of voluntary roads inspectors or speed monitors.

A cleaner, greener Stirling: A Conservative-run Stirling Council will
 Build a recycling service that allows you to recycle more and different materials;
 Lead by example on energy conservation, beginning by reducing its own energy consumption;
 Make our streets, parks and open spaces cleaner and safer, with an expanded street sweeping, litter picking and grass cutting service;
 Examine the feasibility of providing discounted Residents Parking Permits for those with less polluting cars;
 Review the effectiveness of the area’s flood prevention and drainage systems, and implement necessary improvements.

Ensuring educational success: A Conservative-run Stirling Council will
 Support a diversity of education provision and popular smaller primary schools;
 Encourage parental involvement and school boards;
 Give headteachers more say in managing their schools, especially over discretionary spending (they can’t even hire a local plumber to fix a leaking tap at the moment!);
 Aid schools which want to establish their own trust funds, in order to tap their alumni network of former pupils;
 Strengthen links between schools and local firms as part of the Determined to Succeed enterprise initiative;

Reducing anti-social conduct: A Conservative-run Stirling Council will
 Establish a more visible presence of community wardens on our streets, to help combat vandalism, graffiti, dog fouling, and littering;
 Use its presence on the Police Board to argue for more police officers on the beat, and to support the recruitment of special constables;
 Oppose police force merger, as it would make the police less accountable and undermine local community policing;
 Expand the number of officials who have enforcement powers over litter and dog fouling;
 Establish an enhanced grants scheme for community councils, to help them fund local activities and youth projects;
 Create a junior community wardens scheme, to strengthen young peoples’ civic engagement and awareness of the effects of anti-social conduct.

More public say in council affairs: A Conservative-run Stirling Council will
 Cherish and nurture voluntary endeavour and public service;
 Support democratically-elected local institutions like Community Councils, rather than usurp them through costly Area Forums;
 Support local commerce where it wishes to create Business Improvement Districts;
 Reform the council’s committee system to make the Administration more accountable and allow residents and local communities to propose new ideas.