Labour Let Down (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Labour Let Down

July 21, 2003 12:00 AM

Many local residents voted for Tony Blair's Labour party because they believed a Prime Minister with Islington roots would help change our area for the better. But now it's clear it's quite the opposite. I am more and more angry about how Labour's policies nationally are hurting people here in Islington. Take our schools. Liberal Democrat-run Islington Council is the only inner London borough to pass on 100% of the money the Government allocated for schools. As a governor of two local schools, I welcome that - but it's not enough, and that's the Government's fault. Yet while Labour minister Charles Clarke now admits "a systemic failure" in funding, there is no extra money for our hard-pressed schools. Take housing. We know how desperately our estates need investment. Islington Council is doing its bit with a £44M capital programme. Many blocks are getting their first redecoration in decades. But for some estates much more is required. On Market Estate, tenants, the council and partners have identified a positive way forward after many years of let downs. Now Labour Deputy PM John Prescott has pulled the plug on vital funding, leaving a £9M gap in the Market Estate project. Take local post offices. They are a lifeline to pensioners, disabled people and young mums, and keep surrounding shops alive. But the Post Office is closing one third of branches in London, with Westbourne Road the latest under threat. Islington Council's planning policies seek to protect these vital services. Labour minister Stephen Timms boasts his government's investment in rural post offices, but supports urban closures, claiming this is "a period of great change for the Post Office, and of great opportunity." I doubt local people share his enthusiasm. None of these cuts are necessary. London pays at least £20 billion more in taxes to the government than we receive, all our business rates go direct to the Treasury, and the Government is sitting on £1.2 billion of underspend from last year. It's clear that the Labour government has turned its back on Islington. No wonder their local candidates lost so badly in recent elections. I am proud to be part of the winning team offering a positive alternative to Labour for Islington.