Havering In Danger… But From Who?

Before last year's local elections the
local Conservative party published a newsletters that received a huge amount of
national press after a senior member of their own party, MP Nick Boles, blasted
it for being a 'racist' leaflet. You can see the leaflet and some of the
comments it drew in the below link

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/top-tory-blasts-members-party-12266995

At the time the now Havering Leader Cllr Damian White was quoted as saying that "the leaflet was originally cleared by Conservative HQ with no comments, and he stood by its content." The leaflet was then finally withdrawn.

In the newsletter, amongst other things, it
claimed Labour must be stopped and that if they were voted into the council
Havering would face among other things:

• Building on cherished open
  spaces
• Huge Council Tax hikes
• A London Crime wave with even
  less police

Well within the last week the following has
happened under the Conservative run Havering Council.

• Planning permission sought to build 48 homes on a cherished council run pitch and putt golf course.
• The council voted through their new budget on Wednesday, this included a council tax rise and end to free parking in Hornchurch and Upminster.
• Then on Friday there was the devastating news of the stabbing and murder of 17 year old Jodie Chesney in Harold Hill.

Throughout this time the bickering continues between the Conservative run council and Government and the Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan - both blaming each other for cuts to services - while the lies on who said what and when just continue to roll along.

Who are the victims in this all? It is the residents of Havering, who are left to pick up the pieces from these political clashes - trying to sift through the lies to discover the truth, trying to get on with their day-to-day lives with less money in their back pocket and, most devastatingly, now living in a society where, for some, they don't feel safe to walk around their local streets.

The Havering Liberal Democrats want to stop the fighting between parties and to plan and implement measures to make Havering a better place:

These include:

• Protecting and investing in our green spaces so they can be enjoyed by all generations
• When passing the budget - no more brushing aside the views and voice of the Council Tax-paying public. Determine the real level of funding required for the services that we need and deserve. Be honest about the cost of what people want!
• More community police officers, and a proper public health approach that brings together the police, youth services, schools and the NHS. Only a united effort like this can turn young people away from gangs and violence.
  

I urge you to take the time to question your own councillors and MPs over the above and start putting pressure on them to start acting in the appropriate manner so that Havering can be allowed to once again flourish.

This post was written by Tom Clarke, Membership Development Officer and Press Officer for the Havering Liberal Democrats

Contact him by emailing thomas.clarke@haveringlibdems.org.uk or Tweet him @tpc1981

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