Lib Dems launch manifesto for Greenwich

12.53.57am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 6th Apr 2006

Greenwich Borough Liberal Democrats have launched their manifesto for the local election campaign, by pledging to improve key public services.

Cllr Brian Woodcraft (Middle Park & Sutcliffe), group leader of the Liberal Democrats on Greenwich council, said "Greenwich is a great borough but it could be much better.

For years, the Labour-run Council has ignored the needs of local people. They haven't listened - but the Conservatives have failed to hold them to account. We need more Liberal Democrat councillors to open up the council and make sure that it works for the people of Greenwich."

The key points of the manifesto are:

Work to improve literacy and numeracy in our schools

• We will put one extra classroom assistant into every primary school in Greenwich.

Keep Council Tax low

• We will keep rises in Borough Council tax below increases in the cost of living while working to improve services. We will cut waste, not services.

Make sure everyone pays their fair share

• We will make sure everyone pays their share of Council Tax. We will chase up rent arrears for council housing.

Tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour

• Working with the police and local residents, we will tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour using acceptable behaviour contracts and other measures that work. We will make sure that safe neighbourhood policing teams can cover all parts of the Borough and are able to meet community needs.

Take the Council to the people

• We will hold more Council meetings in local communities all over Greenwich. We will ensure that more Planning Boards meetings are held in the communities affected by their decisions.

Promote safe, clean and convenient public transport

• We will work for public transport that meets residents' needs and is safe, clean and convenient to use. We will do more to promote walking and cycling.

Clean up the streets of Greenwich

• We will transform Cleansweep into a more proactive environmental cleaning and repairs service. We will bring in a free phone line for Cleansweep.

Bring in weekly recycling collections

• We will expand the green waste collection and make sure that every street in the borough has a weekly recycling collection.

Make Council services work for people

• We will set tough new targets to make sure that all complaints about Council services are answered on time. We will bring in free phone lines for Housing Repairs.

Help local people to cut their fuel bills and save the environment

• Starting with pensioners, disabled people and others most at risk of fuel poverty, we will help people to insulate their homes and to save energy. We will work with local businesses and specialist organisations to promote energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty.