Tameside Tories 2008 Manifesto

Enough is enough. It is time for change. It's time for the Conservatives in Tameside in 2008.

Vote for a party that will concentrate its efforts on delivering services NOT gimmicks.

We will concentrate our efforts on SEVEN key pledges.

We will:
PUT MORE POLICE ON OUR STREETS
INTRODUCE 2-HOUR FREE PARKING ON ALL COUNCIL-OWNED CAR PARKS
OPPOSE LABOUR’S PLANS FOR CONGESTION CHARGING
ENSURE EVERY SIX YEAR OLD CAN READ AND WRITE
GUARANTEE A WEEKLY FOOD WASTE COLLECTION
PROTECT OUR GREEN SPACE
PROVIDE BETTER FACILITIES FOR YOUG PEOPLE, ELDERLY & VULNERABLE
By concentrating our efforts on these key pledges we will be able to keep Council Tax levels LOW.

It’s time for more police on our streets...

Crime levels in Tameside have not changed significantly since April 2003 - and the safety of our neighbourhoods increasingly relies on civilian officers.

This has to change.

Tameside Conservatives will fund extra police officers for Tameside and pay Special Constables – meaning real officers for our streets with real powers to truly eradicate crime.
We will also tackle youth annoyance and anti-social behaviour, with a package of measures including; enhanced street lighting, extra funding for alley-gating, and mobile CCTV units to be used in conjunction with the police.

It’s time for 2-hour free parking on all council car parks...

Our town centres are fighting a decline in their fortunes in the face of competition from out-of-town developments & supermarkets.
We believe a managed system of two-hour free parking on council-owned car parks will help our independent traders and bring shoppers back to our town centres.
We will also concertedly campaign to ensure the survival of the borough’s remaining markets – to retain the borough’s unique character and ensure the survival of our consumer heritage.

It’s time to ensure every six-year-old can read and write…

Tameside’s exam pass rates are no more than average. Our children and teachers are being let down by Labour.
We will raise standards by putting Maths and English at the heart of every child’s education, ensuring every child can read and write by the time they are six years old, and following that commitment through their school years.
We will ensure every child achieves their potential - whether they are academically or vocationally talented - through a system of streaming, the introduction of more vocational courses, and greater partnership work with local businesses - ensuring our children are better qualified to enter their working years.

It’s time to oppose Labour’s congestion charge…

Tameside Conservatives are absolutely opposed to Labour’s plans for congestion charging on our roads in Tameside.
Instead we will lobby to ensure the Labour government delivers on its broken promises, such as the Metrolink extension to Ashton and more yellow school buses – proven solutions to road congestion.
It has been estimated that the expansion of the Metrolink alone would take 5.9 million cars of our roads – providing major road relief without the need of the con-charge.
After three decades of inaction, Labour admit that Tameside’s roads are ‘degrading’. We are therefore committed to implementing a road and footpath repair programme to make them safe for road users and pedestrians.
We will also undertake a complete review of the borough’s road network. We will remove unnecessary obstacles to congestion - including the possible streamlining of our traffic light system - as well as reviewing the location of all Tameside’s Gatsco and Watchman speed cameras, to ensure that the borough’s cameras are placed in the areas of main priority and are being used for the specific reason they were created, to cut accident rates.

It’s time to guarantee your weekly food waste collection…

Tameside Conservatives support efforts to increase recycling rates in the borough, but not the removal of weekly food waste collections in the managed bin collections that are being extended across the borough by Labour.
We will therefore ensure a weekly food waste collection is reintroduced in those areas affected by the trial, and guarantee its continuation in the rest of Tameside.
The Green Belt boundaries are up for review in 2011, and Tameside Conservatives are committed to protecting the green space we have and improving the appearance of our borough, to ensure a greener future.
We will also abolish the £15 charge for the removal of bulky household waste, to remove the increasing problem of fly-tipping in the borough.

It’s time to provide more for our young people, vulnerable & elderly…

Youth annoyance is endemic in Tameside. It is one of the biggest problems to blight neighbourhoods. So why have Labour cut youth provision? We believe far much more can be done to engage our children, to ensure that they are considered a credit to our community, not a concern.
In order to achieve our aims we will provide youth workers for every single area of Tameside, with a greater use of our schools for youth activities in out-of-school hours, ensuring our young people have somewhere to go and something to do.
We will also develop and maintain play areas across the borough to provide better play provision for our children.
With an ageing population, more help is needed for the most vulnerable in our society.
We therefore pledge to improve council facilities for elderly and vulnerable residents – so that their long-term needs are met.
We will remove unnecessary waste in the Social Services budget – to ensure that help is directed where it’s needed most, faster.

All this will be possible, and Council Tax will be kept low, by spending it only on the things that matter…

Tameside Conservatives are committed to keeping Council Tax levels as low as possible, by eradicating waste, improving management of services and concentrating investment on neglected core services.

It's time for the Conservatives in Tameside

IT'S TIME TO VOTE CONSERVATIVE ON THURSDAY 1st MAY 2008