SHIRLEY HARRIS (From Warrington Guardian)

SHIRLEY HARRIS

Conservative Leader and Leader of the Opposition, Vale Royal Borough Council.

WE believe in real community policies - serving local people communities well; listening to what they have to say; delivering low taxes and quality services; opposing new layers of regional bureaucracy.

The Labour controlled county and borough councils have increased your council tax by 5.6%, twice the rate of inflation.

Conservatives believe in quality services, but also in more efficiency.

We do not accept that maintaining present council services means an increase in taxes above the rate of inflation.

We will fight for the retention of our green-belt boundaries, opposing creeping ribbon development along the trunk routes and the allocation of more sites than are needed.

All brownfield sites should be fully investigated for preferred future development. The Vale Royal Borough Plan should ensure that it meets the aspirations of the whole community by taking into account historical, geographical and environmental issues and implications. We believe that departures from the policies detailed therein should be the exception rather than the rule.

As Conservatives we believe in open and transparent local government, with decisions being seen to be made, and those making them being accountable. On Modern Local Government Structure, local people should be consulted on all the options to be considered. It is essential that as many people as possible are able to choose the type of home that is best for them. Bearing in mind that much of the housing requirement in the future will come from the higher age groups.

Home ownership should be encouraged by a variety of schemes and also through land and planning policies.

The council has a role in helping to provide affordable housing and we believe that it should primarily be for local needs. The private rented sector should be encouraged, to give tenants the choice of a variety of subsidised rented housing for the young, families and the elderly.

Pedestrian crossings and traffic calming measures are needed in some of the villages where the traffic and pedestrian numbers do not meet the present criteria laid down.

Money should be allocated so that these provisions can be met. Safe routes to school should be a priority across the borough and we should continue to fight for the provision of school buses in the rural areas.

The demise of village policemen must be halted and we will do everything in our power to encourage them.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.