The local elections represent a real opportunity to vote for a different approach and to build communities that work for all those who live there. Labour has detailed plans to deliver sustainable and positive change.
Our manifesto proposes a series of policies and ideas for positive and achievable change that our Councillors, if elected, will pursue on behalf of the communities they represent.
These include:
- A relentless focus on vacant and derelict buildings to bring empty homes back into use.
- Increased delivery of new social and affordable homes and the hiring of more apprentices and craft workers.
- Audits of the state of our footpaths, and increased funding for the maintenance of roads, paths and cycleways
- Improvements in public lighting, street furniture and urban design, with safer public spaces.
- More parks, sports pitches, swimming pools and lidos, playgrounds and neighbourhood shed shares.
- New bylaws on dog fouling, and the hiring of Community Wardens.
- Increased planting of native trees and local plans to tackle flooding and climate change.
- New public toilets and compensation for businesses which make toilets available to the public in urban centres.
- Exciting new approaches such as supporting more housing co-operatives, community wealth building and sustainable energy communities.
We also have published alongside our local election manifesto, a sweeping plan to reform local government in Ireland. If elected to the next government, Labour would seek to implement the policies outlined in ‘Putting Power back in Communities’. This would ensure more of the decisions that impact you are made locally, democratically, and transparently.
We need to have communities that work for all – to build more homes, deliver safer neighbourhoods, and act on climate change. Labour wants to ensure more of our cities have directly elected Mayors, and that Councillors have more control over their budgets.
For sustainable communities we need reform of our planning system, with strong and robust laws to ensure the provision of public and civic amenities like schools, libraries and creches are included in new developments as they are built. We need Councils that work to get the basics right, from nature restoration projects to public lighting systems, while they also put in place plans to create vibrant urban centres and thriving sustainable rural communities. We need to grow our cultural spaces, harness the incredible diversity of our country and ensure strong workers’ rights.
Labour believes that our locally elected Councillors should have the power to build homes, tackle energy poverty, address shortages of childcare, and have more say over local policing and community healthcare plans – to deliver real change in your community.
Labour Councillors will also take the radical steps that are needed on climate action, and will deliver on sustainable public transport and active travel projects, while fighting for more parks, pitches, playgrounds, footpaths, benches and bins.
A different approach is possible. We can build communities that work for all. I’m asking you to vote No. 1 for your local Labour candidate on Friday 7th June.
Ivana Bacik
Leader of the Labour Party
