Time to vote Parties share visions for future of community
VOTERS in Cheltenham head to the polls today to elect representatives for the borough council.
There will be elections in all 20 borough wards throughout Cheltenham and the major parties have set out their priorities for the town.
A list of all the candidates can be found below.
» CONSERVATIVE PARTY
Cheltenham is a great town but faces many challenges.
We would focus on removing “grout” with a dedicated graffiti hit squad, an attack on litter and improvements to refuse collections, more frequent collections to “bring” sites such as Bath Road Car Park, Sixways etc.
Our town centre needs a sharper focus including better paving, street furniture and cleaning. More needs to be done to fill empty shop units and creative ideas which other towns and cities are doing.
We need a much higher profile tourism and marketing function in order to compete with other towns.
And we would provide free parking in council-owned car parks after 6pm and work with businesses in the town to attract more shoppers.
Being serious about climate change, we would ensure that new housing developments are carbon neutral.
The council itself can reform itself both to save money by for example having whole council elections every four years rather than democracy by costly instalments.
The Municipal Offices should again be open for business with in-person appointments, once again full of life and public service.
The Liberal Democrats have run Cheltenham for too long and are out of fresh ideas, obsessed by failed projects such as the failed Boots corner closure, which wasted thousands and achieved nothing. We will focus on the delivery of public services for which people pay their council tax.
» GREEN PARTY
In the elections being held today, it is perhaps surprising that it is the Green Party and not the Labour Party which is challenging the historic dominance of the Lib Dems and Tories in Cheltenham.
The Green Party are fielding candidates in 19 of the 21 wards, with Labour only managing to put forward eight candidates.
The Greens believe they are on course to win their first seat on the council in St Pauls and believe they will have a close-run battle in a number of other wards across the town, including Pittville. Last year, the party managed its highest vote in the council elections with more than 4,000 votes, beating the Tories and Labour into third place in some areas.
Daniel Wilson, chairman of the Cheltenham Greens, says the growth is unsurprising. He said: “Given the widely accepted climate emergency the globe faces, the domestic cost of living crisis which has in large part been created by our reliance on imported fossil fuels and the lack of new thinking from the mainstream parties, notably the pathetic performance by the current Lib Dem Borough Council which was recently marked by Climate Emergency UK as being one of the worstperforming councils in the country when it comes to climate change. People want more from their elected officials.”
» LABOUR PARTY
Labour’s vision for Cheltenham is rooted in three principles: security, prosperity and respect. Security: A town where women and girls can feel safe on our streets and a town where there are enough police on the beat.
Prosperity: A town where no child lacks the necessities of a healthy life, and where food banks are a thing of the past, a town where all workers are paid at least the real Living Wage and a town where politicians can be trusted to listen to the electorate and make open and transparent decisions. Also, a town where the political make-up of the council reflects how people actually vote.
We recognise that our vision cannot be achieved within Cheltenham alone. It will require adequate funding – a Labour government would reverse the Tory government’s devastating cuts in local authority grant funding of the last 12 years.
A county council that gets a grip on the appalling record of county-funded services under Tory control, and finally provides children’s services, and a
police and fire service of the high quality that the people of Cheltenham deserve. A more proportional system of voting – the ruling party in Cheltenham has over 75 per cent of the council seats with just over 40 per cent of the votes.
» LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrats are dedicated to making our town a better, greener, more prosperous place to live in – not just for parts of the town, but for every neighbourhood and for everyone who lives and works here.
The Liberal Democrats have been the leading party on the council since 2008 and we have plenty of achievements to show for our period in office. They include:
» A huge expansion of waste recycling, to include plastics and cardboard, with a majority of Cheltenham’s waste now being recycled.
» The redevelopment of the Art Gallery and Museum, including more community facilities.
» A new and hugely improved Pittville Play Area, including fully accessible toilets, which has been massively popular with families and children.
» A new crematorium with more space and greatly improved, family-friendly facilities.
» An upgraded CCTV system with £250k spent on new cameras to combat crime.
» £1m investment in Cheltenham venues to help generate future income, which has already helped to set up the successful Town Hall garden bar and the Pittville Heritage cafe and bar.
» A programme of investment to upgrade roads and pavements in the High Street.
Our goals for the future include tackling climate change and protecting our environment, building a more prosperous town, investing in services and people, delivering affordable, quality housing and taking good care of your money.
» PEOPLE AGAINST BUREAUCRACY The primary focus of PAB councillors in Prestbury is the well-being of the residents and the protection of the environment.
PAB councillors are also members of Cheltenham Borough Council and in that role, they have a wider remit to support the recovery of the town from the effects of the pandemic.
PAB also support the council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the development of the Cyber Park, which will bring significant economic benefits to Cheltenham.
PAB councillors have always and will continue to respond to the concerns of Prestbury residents.
The list of concerns includes potholes, overgrown hedges, speeding in the High Street, congestion, anti-social behaviour, planning issues and the retention of the Idsall Drive car park.
Following the refusal of the parish council to purchase the car park at an 80 per cent reduction on the market value, PAB councillors approached Cheltenham Borough Council to explore ways to keep the car park open.
PAB councillors have a strong record when it comes to protecting the environment.
Historically, PAB councillors were the driving force behind the creation of the Mill Lane Flood Alleviation Scheme, a scheme that is now taking on increased significance.
PAB councillors also robustly challenged the planning inspector who had recommended housing development on green-belt land as part of the Joint Core Strategy.