The party leaders have made their pitch for your vote ahead of today's local elections
From the future of the Guild Hall to the future of Preston itself, the politicians trying to woo the city’s voters have been quizzed by the public in a special debate ahead of the local elections .
Dozens of Prestonians gathered to see what the parties battling it out at the polls today had to say on the issues residents are most concerned about. Representatives of the five political groups that are contesting all 16 seats up for grabs in the Preston City Council vote were put on the spot over a raft of subjects during what was an occasionally fiery two-hour hustings event, which took place at the Cotton Court Business Centre.
Labour council leader Matthew Brown, Liberal Democrat main opposition group leader John Potter, Conservative group leader Harry Landless, Reform UK councillor Stephen Thompson and Preston Green Party chair Avery Greatorex faced questions directly from the audience and others submitted via social media. Dividing lines were most clearly on display over the council’s financial support for a new community bank and also the question of whether to replace or refurbish the city’s Guild Hall – not to mention when and how.
There was more unity amongst the panel over concern about a lack of infrastructure – most notably schools – to go with the plethora of new housing development in the city and the need to ensure that no parts of Preston are neglected Meanwhile, the politicians also largely appeared to believe that Preston had a prosperous future as part of a larger local authority area after the city council is abolished in two years’ time. Young people from the city’s Foxton Centre also put the politicians on the spot, including over the affordability of travel and access to the soon-to-open Vault Youth Zone.
However, probably the most startling contribution of the evening came from a wheelchair-user who left the panelists palpably shocked when she revealed that it was often impossible to get a taxi in the city which is accessible for disabled people – especially at night. Questions over potholes were left hanging, because – seemingly unbeknown to many, judging by the number of times it was raised online in advance of the debate – roads are the responsibility of Lancashire County Council, not Preston City Council.
The proceedings opened with each party figure being given exactly 60 seconds to make their pitch to the people of Preston – and, in order of the number of seats currently held on the city council, this is what each of them had to say: “These are crucial elections about Preston’s future. We want you to get behind Preston Labour to move our city forward and reject division.
“It’s a very clear choice – either we allow Reform UK to divide our communities, or the Lib Dems and Tories will gain influence as parties who imposed crippling austerity on our communities. “Reform at LCC have overseen some of the worst roads in the country, denied kids the schools they need and unpopular bus lanes fine residents every day.
“Preston Labour is also the only party prepared to tackle the injustices of our economic system and we’ve ended austerity at the city council. That’s why we prioritise living wage jobs, public regeneration, fairer business models – and we’ve delivered over 2,600 new affordable homes.
“We’ve introduced free swimming for young, old and other groups, payments of up to £400 for struggling families, and anyone with terminal illness no longer pays council tax. “We’ve now got big plans to stand up to bad landlords, invest tens of millions in our parks, deliver a major entertainment venue and introduce a £10 annual bus pass for children and young people.
” “Firstly…I’m really glad for the opportunity to actually have these elections, because not only a couple of months ago, these elections were due to be canceled, outrageously. So we’re actually delighted, as the official opposition, that these elections are going ahead.
“And it’s a unique opportunity for Preston, because we are the only people – the Lib Dems – who can mathematically get a majority, other than Labour. At the end of this election…even if Reform, Greens, the Tories win every single seat, they cannot mathematically get a majority with the amount of seats overall.
“So some people in this election will want to vote on national issues or international issues -or just on a brilliant local candidate. “If you vote Lib Dem, you can get a change in Preston City Council. You can get a brilliant local candidate – and you can also send a message to Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage at the same time.
“Only by voting Lib Dem can you do all those things – as well as getting better improvements in your parks, fighting for new schools and fighting for our residents here across the city. ” “Campaigning and caring for all people in Preston is the theme of our approach to the election this time – our emphasis on fighting on local issues and campaigning on local issues.
“To this end, we are the only party in the last budget who promoted a zero increase in council tax, because we want to give residents of Preston safety and decrease the burden on them. “But we weren’t all about not spending. In our budget, we promoted the ‘baby box’ scheme, youth travel for those wanting to use The Vault in the centre of town promoting moving the Preston MET out into the rural areas.
“We also stand firm on planning issues, particularly guarding against over-development in our rural areas. ” “Reform UK is a relatively newish party – and, really, it’s just full of ordinary people who want change for the better. We want to change politics and bring it back to basics.
“We want things to be working in the country, not going backwards – and, locally, we want to emphasise getting the sums right, getting the maths right, helping you with your cost of living. “The cost of living is a massive issue at the moment and I voted with the Conservatives for their budget – because I couldn’t put forward a budget, because there was only myself .
So I did back their budget, because it had a zero-percent increase in council tax.
“The other big issue in Preston… the amount of money Labour want to spend on a bank. ” “For the first time in Preston’s history, we have a Green Party candidate in every single ward. And it’s really exciting, because right now, the Green Party are challenging the two-party system in Westminster – and now we have a chance to break a different two-party system here in Preston.
“As residents of Preston, we are tired of seeing leaflets that say ‘it’s a two-horse race’ or ‘only this party can beat another party here’. We want to hear what we’re actually voting for.
“We have candidates all across this city who are ready to deliver. We are standing because we’re tired of hearing the same old game of politics.
“We are here simply to create more social housing, to protect our green spaces and to tackle the cost of living, because they are three things that are affecting pretty much all of us in this room – and I’m really excited for us to deliver this for the people of Preston. ” Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox
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