Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council, writes about why on 8th June, it’s a choice between Labour and the Tories in Islington.
Once again, the Tories have decided that their own political opportunism should come before the needs of working people in Islington. Just as with the EU Referendum, the future of our country is being used as a bargaining chip by the Tories with Theresa May’s decision to call a snap General Election.
Unlike the Tories, Islington Labour is on the side of working people in Islington and we are making a difference on the issues that matter most to them. From delivering the biggest council house building programme in the borough for 30 years, to helping more than 3,000 local unemployed people into work since 2014 -; Islington Labour, working as a united team, is making a difference.
But our efforts to make Islington a fairer place have been despite massive cuts imposed by this Tory Government, and by the last Tory-led government which was propped up by their favourite stooges -; the Lib Dems.
Since 2010, the Tories have cut core government funding to Islington by more than half, and will have cut it by more than 70 per cent by 2020. At the same time, some Tory-run councils in leafier parts of the country have seen their funding increase, despite Islington being the 24th most deprived area in England. This is in addition to cuts to the police, NHS and fire services, as well as hugely damaging changes to vital social security for the least well-off.
But that’s the Tories for you -; putting the best-off first and doing nothing to help places like Islington tackle the challenges we face.
We are lucky to have two local MPs in Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Corbyn who are champions for our community. They have been with us every the step of the way as we have fought to make our borough a fairer place, supporting our pioneering policy of free school meals for all primary and nursery pupils and our £100 council tax discount for older residents.
I am proud to stand alongside Emily and Jeremy as they fight the General Election on 8th June. With Labour’s commitment to build 500,000 council homes across the country, to introduce a real Living Wage of £10, to give the NHS the funding it needs and to tackle the crisis in social care -; it is clear there is only one party that understands what matters most to working people in Islington.
I have written before about how damaging the Tories’ extreme hard Brexit would be for Islington. I fully support Labour’s demands for the rights of EU citizens living here to be protected, as well as ensuring access to the single market and protecting employment and environmental rights.
We need two Labour MPs for Islington to stand-up for local people. We need them to help us to challenge the Tories’ plans to force councils to sell-off council homes and to ban lifetime council tenancies. We need Emily and Jeremy to help us fight for fair funding for our local schools that will be hit by the Tories’ cuts to school budgets. We need a strong Labour team to fight the Tory cuts to the council.
Let’s not forget that the Tories finished second in both constituencies at the last General Election, so a vote for anyone other than Labour only helps the hard Brexit Tories.
On 8th June it’s a straight choice between Labour, on your side and making a difference, or the Tories and five more years of cuts and playing politics with our community.