LABOUR’S VISION FOR DEVON
For Devon County Council the ‘austerity’ programme of the Tory/LibDem coalition and the current Tory government has meant a reduction of £208m in funding over the last six years - a cut of 64% in real terms with a further cut of £23.3m (15.4%) for next year. The Labour Party is determined to defend the people of Devon and their public services against these cuts, and to argue for significant improvements.
Labour’s priorities are:
Labour aims to achieve its aims by:
For Devon County Council the ‘austerity’ programme of the Tory/LibDem coalition and the current Tory government has meant a reduction of £208m in funding over the last six years - a cut of 64% in real terms with a further cut of £23.3m (15.4%) for next year. The Labour Party is determined to defend the people of Devon and their public services against these cuts, and to argue for significant improvements.
Labour’s priorities are:
- Defending Devon’s health services from privatisation and making sure people in Devon receive good services at hospital and at home
- Working to make sure Devon gets the best possible deal when we leave the EU - we must protect the people of Devon
- Campaigning for the real living wage, opposing regional pay, ending zero hours contracts and resisting further privatisation of Council services Improving people’s skills, promoting enterprise and encouraging the creation of sustainable jobs, giving priority to opportunities for young people
- Ensuring services for elderly and vulnerable people are of high quality
- Protecting early years’ provision, opposing the extension or creation of grammar schools, ensuring all Devon children have access to a good school, and campaigning for increased investment in education and fair funding for Devon’s pupils
- Promoting environmentally sustainable policies at all levels
Labour aims to achieve its aims by:
- Tackling the Economic Challenges (opposing regional pay; adopting the real living wage; supporting training and work programmes; supporting innovation; encouraging start-up businesses, co-operative, community interest and mutual enterprises; supporting micro and small business companies)
- Fighting for Fairer Funding (lobbying local Tory MPs to vote in the interests of Devon against the government when necessary; working to ensure the best deal for Devon should we leave the EU; supporting regional devolution to increase local accountability)
- Defending Devon’s Health Services (oppose the closure of community hospitals; ensure that appropriate funding and staffing are in place for alternative provision before jettisoning the system we currently have; fight to improve and sustain mental health services)
- Promoting Well Being (campaign for prevention programmes to be properly funded; promote participation in sport and active lifestyles; provide programmes to reduce obesity and promote healthy diet; support the development of community hubs)
- Protecting Vulnerable People and Improving Social Care (ensure that the places in residential homes funded by the Council offer the highest quality of services; support the development of dementia cafés and dementia-friendly communities; work with Citizens Advice and other councils and agencies to reduce the damage done by benefit cuts and changes; campaign against loan sharks and high-interest loans; promote credit unions; improve support for victims of domestic violence and abuse, and of modern-day slavery)
- Nurturing Children and Young People (oppose cuts to the funding of children’s centres and advocate increasing our investment in them in the future; press for a revised National Funding Formula that brings funding for Devon pupils up to at least the national average and for adequate funding for children and young people with special needs; oppose the reintroduction of the 11 plus and seek to provide all children with the highest possible standard of education; work towards the extension of youth provision to areas where there is an unmet need; lobby for better funding for Further Education and more worthwhile apprenticeships)
- Supporting Rural Communities (always take account of the impact on rural communities of all policies being considered; support local communities to retain shops, banks, post offices, pubs and GP surgeries; oppose the closure of local hospitals and support the development of community health and well-being hubs; support community transport schemes; lobby government to recognise the impact of rural sparsity when allocating funding)
- Caring for our Environment (propose the introduction of carbon budgeting at the Council so the environmental impact of every decision will be recognized and recorded, and lobby government for a tax on packaging and encourage retail outlets to accept the return of non-recyclable materials; support renewable energy initiatives using wind, biomass and water, and encourage community ownership as well as community and co-operative energy procurement to reduce household costs; develop policies to reduce litter and fly-tipping, establish local resources recovery parks which re-use and repair waste material and create green jobs, and provide for more items to be recycled at recycling centres)
- Improving Transport in Devon (lobby government, Network Rail and train companies for increased capacity on trains serving Devon and increased reliability; campaign strongly for conversion of the Exeter-Waterloo rail route from single to double line throughout and for the building of an alternative route from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton; demand increased financial support for essential but ‘uneconomic’ bus and train routes and endeavour to provide everyone with access to public transport to reach places of education, training and employment as well as hospitals and health centres; make it a priority to secure effective park-and-ride and park-and-change schemes around Exeter; propose a regular audit of the delivery of the already agreed strategies prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, and the assessment of all new proposals against these strategies)