Local Election Blog #2

Since submitting my nomination to stand for Liverpool City Council in the Clubmoor ward the only response I’ve heard from the Labour side is that they are “hoping to see Labour wiping the floor with the LibDem candidate” – obviously Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a “kinder politics” is lost on Labour in Liverpool.  I’m told that Clubmoor is a safe Labour ward and that nobody else stands a chance.  But is that true?

Well the raw figures point that way.  At the last election the Labour candidate won in Clubmoor with 83% of the vote.  However as with all statistics that doesn’t paint a true picture.  With turnout of 23% that means only 19% of the Clubmoor electorate voted Labour.  Just 4% voted for the other parties and 77% didn’t vote at all.

Labour may be complacent about winning the ward, but I think having over three quarters of the local community not voting is a sad reflection of the way the people of North Liverpool are simply taken for granted by the Labour Party.  Well this is your opportunity to look at your area and your city and ask yourself “is this good enough?”  I certainly don’t think the way the current Labour council is running this city is good enough. 

So what are the LibDems offering? Our manifesto, (read it here) the only party putting their plans forward by the way, outlines our plans for the city:

-Major changes in the way the council is run with an improvement in scrutiny and oversight of the Mayor and Cabinet

-A renewed pledge to abolish the position of the Elected Mayor of Liverpool.

- Establish a methodology to ensure that the council, in terms of both political and managerial leadership, is representative of the gender, faith and ethnic balances in the city as a whole.

- A pledge to protect both the World Heritage Status and the parks and green spaces of Liverpool.

- Proposals for improving health including encouraging all schools to develop ‘mile a day’ walking programmes and programmes for helping people buy and cook healthier food and drinks.

- Use the new Local Plan to reduce the number of student homes and will work with the Government and other agencies to deal with the problems of half-built developments all over the city and  available land for housing for families and not student pods or more one bedroomed flats.

I hope you read our manifesto and see that we have a strong plan for running the great city of Liverpool a better way. Building a sustainable future for the whole community.

Demand Better. Vote for Liverpool Liberal Democrats.

Sean Robertson
LibDems Candidate for Clubmoor