Public Services

The years of Tory austerity have been devastating for our public services. The police have been cut, school budgets have been cut and the NHS has not been giving the funding it needs. Locally we pay the highest council tax in Kent but we do not get the services we deserve.
One of the keys to better value for a better place to live and work is the need to review the privatisation of public services.
It must be clear that Council members are elected in order to oversee delivery of services for the community, not to waste our money or to serve those with a profit motivation. This means providing a better service, with any ‘profits’ or surplus going back to the council. There must be equality of access to good service across the whole district.
LABOUR WILL: 

• Seek to see a return of public services into public hands, providing a service for the community not for profit.

• Get the basic services right with regular bin collections and street cleaning. We will introduce more dog bins and take steps to prevent fly-tipping. We will improve public toilets and keep them well maintained.

• Campaign for an end to cuts in public services – we need a properly funded NHS and must reverse cuts to the Border Control teams and the Police force.

• Introduce a lifelong learning strategy, which will provide the chance for anyone to improve their skills, knowledge and expertise. We will support the provision of public service education which is directly accountable and accessible to the local community.

• Provide community-run youth services and free holiday activities for young people – often what is needed is simply to provide premises for youth clubs and for elderly citizens’ ‘dining clubs’. We will support funding applications and provide resources to increase provision for youth groups and community interest groups.