Lib Dems’ campaign calls out Tories and Labour

HOT has asked the four local parties for a brief rundown of their policies and reasons why you should vote for them. Here is the response on behalf of the Liberal Democrats from Hastings and Rye chair Bob Lloyd.

This May we will be focusing our campaign on two fronts:

Calling out Conservatives and their shocking behaviour at Westminster during lockdown.

Calling out Labour locally for their arrogance, and refusal to listen to local people – particularly on Planning matters.

We have been delighted and relieved that the housing development at Bulverhythe has finally been dropped, and that local residents have prevailed.  It was always a non-starter, but Labour refused to listen, insisting that building on a flood plain was a great idea! How much public money has been wasted on this project? So far the Council have refused to say.

In our view more social housing is definitely needed. However we should be building on brownfield sites such as that of the old Grove School, not on flood plains, or where infrastructure needs have not been thought about or organised sufficiently in advance (ie Harrow Lane Playing Fields).

Stupid Labour decisions

We are proud of our record of speaking out on stupid Labour decisions.  We were the first party to oppose (and arrange a petition to) the Labour-led Council over the demolition of the town centre toilets.  We are pleased that the most recent idiot plan there has been shelved.  What about enabling a nice, curated vista onto the seafront instead?

Equally, we are proud of our support of Hastings United and its plans to move to a new site and new stadium.  Ever since 2015 we have been calling for the Council to have a proper understanding of the way that sport can tackle poverty in a town like ours.  It beggars belief that Cllr Barnett’s lot took three years finally to decline the application for Hastings United to move from the Pilot Field to the Tilekiln site, with the process costing the club tens of thousands of pounds.

Pot holes on our roads are a major local problem. The Conservatives at Westminster have seriously aggravated this problem with a lack of adequate finance given to local goverment, and the Conservative-run East Sussex County Council continues to fall behind on road repairs and maintenance.

Nationally the Johnson government struggles from one crisis to another, breaking the lockdown rules, and accepting party donations from any old Russian oligarch who comes along (for who knows what favours in return).

Don’t give Conservatives your vote, we say. Like in the recent by-elections, sensible folk should vote Lib Dem on 5 May!

Joined-up policy-making

The climate crisis continues to need serious, joined-up policy-making at District, County and national level.  Sadly there is too much tribalism between the parties to make this the priority it needs to be.

We hear the big two parties call for banning the sale of petrol and diesel by 2030, but with little focus on developing the infrastructure and power generation capacity to charge new electric vehicles.

As for our own policies, we have always been a party that believes in individual responsibility and local engagement. Our local manifesto is much the same this year as it was last, excepting for a stronger focus on the benefits of organised sport for stronger communities (post-pandemic).

Obviously we still believe passionately that we would be better off in the EU, and that our towns would have continued to benefit from ongoing regeneration funding from Europe, never mind language school and tourism receipts. There is much more evidence around these days to show that our position was broadly right.

Open society

We favour an open society that welcomes people seeking refuge, but are left to witness the tragic failure of this government dealing with people fleeing Ukraine, and showing their usual incompetent and hostile approach.  A Liberal Democrat-influenced Council would always be a welcoming Council.

As a seaside town with a large tourist industry we must hold Southern Water to account, impose a sewage tax, and much heavier fines for sewage discharges.

Locally Liberal Democrat policies include:

• The promotion of Greenway thinking; more cycle friendly places/lanes.
• Affordable and reliable public transport.
• Housing: make Council-owned land the priority for social housing.
• Governing: the Council needs to be more transparent and hold more community forums. We need to hold bodies like the Foreshore Trust to account (don’t even get us started on Sea Change).
• Protect and improve our local heritage.
• After Covid 19, to support local businesses however we can.
• Promote sporting activities and improve the wellbeing of the population.

We think these are good reasons to give the Lib Dems your vote. We hope you do too.

Lib Dem manifesto.

Also in: Elections

« Hastings: the key battlegrounds
We can win! say Greens »