Laura Davison’s Interview with the Folkestone Herald:

What are the three most important issues facing the district?

The top issue is we just don’t have enough genuinely affordable, good quality social and council housing. The housing crisis means some local people have been forced to move away, with others sleeping rough, facing eviction or sofa surfing. Two other critical issues are the huge cuts to council funding and the lack of investment in our public services. Our NHS, our police, our schools, our buses, our roads, our play spaces, our waste collection all need urgent action. We need local Labour councillors who will speak up and fight for fair funding.

If your party gains power what is the first thing you will seek to change?

The approach to housing. We will listen to the local community and we will build good quality affordable local homes for local people, not unwanted developments like Princes Parade and Otterpool.

What is the biggest misconception about your party?

That Labour can’t win in Folkestone and Hythe. This isn’t true. In the 2017 general election the number of people voting Labour more than doubled from 2015. Labour took two thirds of all the votes cast against the Tories making Labour the real opposition. We are asking Green, Lib Dem and independent voters to lend us their votes in these crucial local elections and make change happen. With your vote change is coming.