2007 Borough Election Manifesto

Speech by Councillor Brian O'Flynn, Leader of the Lib Dem Council Group on Mon 9th Apr 2007

• LOW COST HOUSING

Hundreds of families are on the waiting list for affordable rented accommodation and house prices are spiraling out of the reach of local people. The Liberal Democrats will make affordable housing a priority.

• SUBSIDISED LEISURE FACILITIES

Your Lib Dem team believes that Leisure facilities such as the borough's swimming pools, sports centres and family attractions should be subsidised for local people. Many of our young people get into trouble because they are bored and childhood obesity is on the rise but it is often too expensive.

• MORE BOBBIES ON THE BEAT

We know the answer to safe communities is having more police and community support officers. Areas troubled with crime need a visible police presence, officers to be a part of the communities they serve. So we say scrap the ID card and use the billions of pounds saved on common sense measures.

• PUBLIC TRANSPORT & CYCLE LANES

Our roads are clogged up with traffic but it can cost almost as much as a train ticket to London to get from one end of the borough to the other by bus! Lib Dems see affordable public transport and good joined-up cycle lanes as the only way forward.

• RECYCLING

"Where are our blue bins?" Much of the borough are still waiting for the doorstep recycling of paper and plastic and the council have no immediate plans to extend their service to the collection of glass. What are they playing at?

• LOCAL INCOME TAX

With council tax rising above the rate of inflation yet again in the borough, pensioners struggling to cope with their new bills and the horrendous prospect of revaluation on the horizon, the Lib Dems believe that a local income tax is the fairest and most sensible option.

• PUBLIC TOILETS

We think that closing public toilets in the borough to save money is ridiculous. Public toilets are a necessity, not a luxury!

• POST OFFICES

Many of the rural Post Offices in the borough face closure, thanks to the government's plans to cut 2500 Post Offices. These are at the heart of rural communities and we are fighting to protect them.

• EMPARISHMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY

Scarborough Borough Council make one bad decision after another. The Liberal Democrats believe that local government should be more accountable and we want to see more and stronger Parish Councils across the borough so that we can all have an opportunity to have our say in these decisions.