@joeforliverpool Liverpool Labour 2016

JOEANDERSONA TRACK RECORD OF DELIVERY. A PROMISE OF MORE.

VOTE5MAY

This is our Labour Manifesto for the 2016 elections. Afterfour years as Mayor of our City, the single thing I am mostproud of is the way my Labour administration has runLiverpool City Council, against the backdrop of the mostdifficult financial situation the council has ever faced in itshistory. We have tirelessly worked with council staff,partners and voluntary organisations to do everything wepossibly can to minimise the damage to those who need ourservices the most.

To remind you - we have lost 58% of our Governmentfunding. National Government has pushed ahead withchanges which benefit wealthy parts of the country, butfundamentally damage cities like Liverpool. We live in aworld where a £3m house in Westminster pays less CouncilTax than any house in Liverpool.

Previous Governments have helped redress this balance witha focus on helping the poorest - a very fair and Britisharrangement. But the Liberal Democrat and Conservativecoalition government changed the rules and it is cities like usthat are suffering the most. It makes me so angry that theycontinue to do this to our city, and I will continue to fight forfair treatment for Liverpool.

And yet, in my first mayoral term, by working with partners,and unlike most other core cities, Liverpool has managed tokeep:

• All libraries open.

• All children’s centres open.

• All leisure centres open.

• All youth centres open.

Four years ago I also made 5 simple pledges. Those 5pledges are making a real difference to people across thewhole of Liverpool.

• I promised to build 12 new schools.We have built 15.

• I promised to build 5,000 new homes.We have built 5,045 new homes and refurbished 3,256 more.

• I promised to create 20,000 new jobs.We’ve created 31,013 and the city’s economy grew fasterthan Manchester’s in 2013-14.

• I promised a cleaner, greener Liverpool.We have more green space than any other time since webecame a city.

• I promised a business friendly city.We’ve helped 1,481 companies to grow and 269 start-ups.

That is why I’m proud of what we have achieved. Theyprove that I have a track record of delivery and I promise todeliver more.

Any candidate in this election who does not acknowledge thereality of Government led austerity in our city is engaged inthe worst kind of gesture politics. They sit on the sidelines,sniping and trying to talk the city down. The Labour Partyhas set out an ambitious and brave vision for the future ofLiverpool. This Manifesto is just the start.

I can’t finish this foreword without giving thanks to so manyin the City who keep Liverpool a vibrant and caring place.Liverpool City Council staff continue to work extremely hardto deliver a good service that people can rely on. Partners,particularly our Housing Associations and the NHS CCG,continue to help us find innovative new ways of deliveringservices, and there are many charities and voluntary groupswho surprise us with new projects.

Lastly, thank you to the people of Liverpool. I think mostpeople understand the difficulties we face with Governmentfunding and recognise that our approach is the right one.We face major challenges in our city, but they areoutweighed by the opportunities and strengths we have.

That’s why I am proudly standing for Mayor, why LabourParty candidates stand in every ward, and why JaneKennedy is standing for the Police and Crime Commissionerin this election. That’s why I am asking for yoursupport.election. That’s why I am asking for your support.

Joe Anderson

Mayor of Liverpool

FOREWORD

PLEDGE 1I will continue to ensure stability and growth forLiverpool in the face of continued financialchallenges.

Liverpool has faced extremely unfair spending cuts byNational Government. If we had received the average cut, wewould have £80m more a year. However, Liverpool continuesto grow and inspire.

I will

• Continue to focus on council performance, so that weprovide the best services we can to those who need it most.

• Continue to set multi-year budgets which give everyone inthe city a chance to see in advance the changes in our

spending, and allow them contribute to the decisions wemust make and the solutions we must find.

• Continue to focus on those priorities which are helping thosemost in need in our city. With further cuts planned byGovernment we will have less money, but we will continueto prioritise the needy and the vulnerable.

• Our next priority will be the actions which will help the city’seconomy to grow and improve our ability to raise moremoney for ourselves, such as business rates and CouncilTax.

• Continue the extremely successful Invest to Earn strategywhich has raised millions of additional revenue for thecouncil and supported growth in the economy.

Liverpool is a great city. Living here can be a joy. Ourcultural institutions mean that there is always something to do,our sporting institutions create pride the world over and thepeople of our city make this place unique.

Our city, like any city, also has many challenges. We havebuilt over 5,000 new houses in the last four years, which hasalso meant the Council Tax we collect has risen by £3m a year.With over 10,000 people on the waiting list for housing it isclear that housebuilding is a priority for our city - both to givepeople a home, but also to contribute to our finances.

A CITY YOU WANT TO LIVE IN

Liverpool will set up an innovative HousingCompany to build 10,000 rent-to-buy homes totackle inequality and affordability.

The Housing Company will compete with the private sector topurchase land and build housing which will then be madeavailable to people who have had difficulty getting on thehousing ladder. The innovative rent-to-buy model will make iteasier for people to build up a deposit, while living in the

property as a tenant. When the deposit has been built up, over5, 10 or 15 years, the tenant can buy the property with aconventional mortgage.

This will make it much easier for people who want a home oftheir own, whether that’s because they are a new family orstarting out for the first time, yet struggle to save for a deposit.

PLEDGE 2

I pledge to make Liverpool a learning city.

We have worked hard to get the state-of-the-art school buildingand facilities our young people deserve - now we need to focus onstandards in schools. More than 80% of our schools are ratedgood or outstanding, but we cannot be complacent. More youngpeople from Liverpool are going to university than ever before.This is a good thing. But we’ve got to make sure that there arebetter opportunities for those that don’t.

That’s why I’m launching the ‘Liverpool Challenge’ to create thebest school system of any city in Europe. If we don’t get it right inour schools, the Northern Powerhouse won’t mean anything. Weneed schools that give young people to skills for the jobs of thefuture. I will work with schools, our Liverpool Learning Partnershipand our education delivery company School ImprovementLiverpool to achieve this, and also bring in some externalchallenge and support for our schools.

My vision is a school system where children and young peopleare:

• Ready to Learn.

• Ready for School.

• Ready for Work.

• Ready for Life.

Every young person aged 16, 17 and 18 year oldwill have a full-time place in education, a job withtraining or apprenticeship.

As Mayor I will work with employers to increase the number andquality of apprenticeships across the city.

I will improve collaboration between schools, colleges and trainingproviders to enable young people to make better informed choicesin Year 11.

I will work with employers and schools to promote higher,advanced and the new degree apprenticeships in school sixthforms.

I will invest £13m European Funding into Ways to Work tosupport young people and unemployed adults back to work,creating new jobs with training for young people.

PLEDGE 3

Liverpool will set up an innovative EnergyCompany to provide affordable energy forLiverpool Households.

One in seven people in Liverpool live in fuel poverty, and70,000 people in the city use pre-pay meters which are thecostliest way of paying for energy. It’s clear that our cityneeds to do something to help.

‘Liverpool Leccy’ will focus on bringing cheaper energy toLiverpool households with a special focus on helping thosewith pre-pay meters, providing new smart meters that willsave money. We will do this by partnering with anotherLocal Authority’s pre-existing scheme, meaning we save timeand costs.

PLEDGE 4

PLEDGE 5Liverpool will be the cleanest and greenest cityin the UK.

Green Spaces

Our Green Spaces are extremely important to our city.But not enough focus has been placed on the need forgreen and open space in all parts of our city. It’s a proudstatement that there is currently more green space inLiverpool than at any other point in our history sincebecoming a city. Part of the reason for that success is thecreation of over 67 acres of new and improved green andopen space, including a new park in Croxteth, AltMeadows. Many of these are also community gardens inthe North of Liverpool. But our funding challenges meanthat we must also be innovative about how we raise therevenue to spend on maintaining our parks and greenspaces. Only the Labour Party is confident it can get thisbalance right to continue keeping our green spaces theenvy of other cities.

We will:

• Build on Simon O’Brien’s final report for the GreenSpaces Review and proposals for green corridors acrossthe city.

• Promote shared responsibility for our community spaces,gardens and allotments with residents, councillors,community groups and partners.

• Increase the income generated from events, franchisersand assets to fund our parks and green spaces.

Clean, sustainable communities

Labour is proud of our communities. Over the last fiveyears of Lib Dem and Tory cuts, we have only been able tokeep key facilities such as libraries and youth centres openbecause of partnerships with our communities and theirpassion for building amazing new facilities, such asFazakerley Library.

We want everyone in Liverpool to be proud of theircommunities, and that’s why we are focusing on gettingthe basics right.

We will

• Keep our streets clean. With our new Local AuthorityTrading Company we have brought street cleaning andbin collection under our control. This means we canfocus on improving services which our communitiesdeserve, while saving £2m a year.

• Promote a new Good Neighbour Policy, to discouragethe full range of anti-social behaviour, from rubbishdumping to dog dirt and noise nuisance; we will tackleit with positive promotion of Good Neighbour schemesand active enforcement.

• Help Young People, with a sustained and joined upapproach to services. We will work with young peopleand spread this to community organisations with aparticular emphasis on support for the most vulnerablesection of the community.

• 20 new or improved play areas across the city,responding to a key recommendation in the GreenSpaces Report.

• Deliver a recycling rate of 55% by 2020, rolling outrecycling to the terraced streets and the city centre.

• Tackle waste on our high streets by enrolling businesses,particularly street-facing ones dealing in food, into abusiness accreditation scheme promoting cleanlinessand responsible waste treatment and disposal.

• Work towards making Liverpool the most accessible cityin the country for disabled people.

A CITY YOU WANT TO WORK IN

Make Liverpool the best place in the UK torun a business.

Liverpool dynamism comes from the people who arehere who want to create, build, and grow successfulbusinesses. We want to support them in any way wecan by investing in the city in a way which givesentrepreneurs the best possible advantages.

We will:

• Continue to support those who work with start-ups,especially on schemes which increase access topeople who would not otherwise consider runningtheir own business.

• Complete the transformation and modernisation ofour markets ensuring a city wide provision of vibrantmarkets that give new opportunities to those settingup in business.

International Festival for Business

IFB 2014 was a huge success, creating over £250mworth of investment, half of which benefited businessesin our region. Liverpool’s ambition to host this festivalon behalf of the UK, was as a direct result of theMayor’s work with Michael Heseltine. As a result, IFB2014 was six weeks of dynamic business conferenceswith delegates from around the world. This year’s IFB isset to be another huge success with other 50delegations from around the world already committedto coming together in Liverpool and doing business.

We will:

• Ensure local participation with 6,000 appointmentsfor registered businesses with buyers attending IFB.

• Develop and grow IFB through future Festivals in2018 and 2020.

Transportation

The ability to move around and ship goods to otherparts of the country or the world is a key part in allbusiness success. That’s why Liverpool has beensupportive of HS2. However, although journey times toLondon are important, even more so is the ability tomove freight from the Port of Liverpool’s new £300mfacilities.

In terms of business connectivity, Manchester andLiverpool need to be able to work more closelytogether, alongside Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle andHull. That’s why the Mayor has frequently said that ifgiven the option, he would prioritise links from West toEast, not North to South.

Our international reputation, growing daily with thesuccess of the IFB, also means we need to be sure weare connected to the wider world. The city’s investmentin our airport and cruise liner facilities are part of astrategy of making sure we have the best possibletransport links for visitors - both business and leisure.

We will:

• Continue to lobby government for an earlycommitment to Liverpool’s place on the high-speednetwork and associated freight capacity for the Portof Liverpool.

• Work with Government on plans for a new station inLiverpool City Centre, maximising the economicdevelopment potential of construction of any newfacility.

• Continue our investment in Liverpool Airport as a keyasset for the City and the city-region.

• Double the number of cruise liner visits to the city byworking with operators to increase the city’sattractiveness as a location.

• Develop plans for a new Cruise Liner Terminal inLiverpool which will allow the city to accommodatemore cruise ships with improved passenger-handlingfacilities.

PLEDGE 6

A CITY WE CAN BE PROUD OF

Liverpool has undergone a transformation in the last 6years. Anyone who visits the city after a period awaywill tell you the same. A vibrant city centre is nowaccompanied by new and growing areas, such as theBaltic Triangle, which have created new cultural andeconomic spaces. Our track record on heritage hasmeant commendations from Heritage England forbringing so many of our city’s proudest buildings backinto use - such as the Royal Insurance Building which isnow the Aloft Hotel. Liverpool is a place where you canwatch Giants walk through the street, or explore in themagical twilight hours of Light Night.

But much more important is the ‘buzz’ that peoplecomment on. Liverpool enjoys being at the top and beingthe best at what it can be and that spirit is infectious withpeople who visit.

Much of our success is based upon our cultural offer.Liverpool is a great place to see and hear people create

things you couldn’t otherwise imagine. We willcontinue to support our successful artists andinstitutions, including plans to:

• Stage a world class programme of culture and sportevents in 2018 showing how far we have come in thedecade since Liverpool was European Capital ofCulture in 2008.

• Develop a launchpad for the next 10 years of creativeand cultural development.

• Develop a world class cultural building on thewaterfront.

Liverpool Labour want to be ambitious for the city. Some targets are difficult and challenging, but ourpromise to you is that we will build a stronger, betterLiverpool - a city we can be proud of.

We will explore a bid for the 2026Commonwealth Games.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are due to be held inBritain. A decision has not been made by Governmentabout which city will host the games yet. We willexplore with Government, our City Region partners andpotential funders the viability of the Liverpool CityRegion entering a bid.

We feel it perfectly represents the growing confidencein Liverpool and the wider City Region. Through yearsof extraordinary cultural moments in our city and the‘Three Queens’ last year we have proved our ability tomake magical moments happen in the city. Combinedwith the growing commercial success of theInternational Festival for Business, our city has neverbeen better positioned and internationally respected.

The Games will bring regeneration to important areasof the City Region, and make possible significantinvestment in the leisure and sporting facilities.

We don’t know the exact costs yet, and there will haveto be dialogue with Government over their contributionbefore any decision is made to spend Council Tax-payers money on hosting the games. However,previous hosts Glasgow and Manchester haveestimated there was a £800m economic benefit eachfor their cities as a result of hosting the games.

For Liverpool’s future we will explore every opportunitywe can to invest and grow, while using the many assetswe have, including the world-wide appeal of theLiverpool brand. The Commonwealth Games is anexcellent start for that ambition.

PLEDGE 7

4 build 12 new schools.create 20,000 new jobs.build 5,000 new homes. create a cleaner, greener Liverpool.make us a business friendly city.

IN 201 2 I PROMISED TO...

I DELIVERED...

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15 schools, with 2 more on-site and underconstruction and another ready to go with planningpermission.

We’ve created 31,013 new jobs and the city’seconomy grew faster than Manchester’s in 2014.

5,045 new homes and refurbished 3,256 emptyproperties, meaning over £3m of additionalrevenue from Council Tax.

We have created 60 acres of new and improvedgreen open space and planted 3,138 new trees.

We’ve helped 1,481 existing companies to grow and another 269 start-ups. We invested £1m to ensure city-wide access incredit unions.

A TRACK RECORD OF DELIVERY. A PROMISE OF MORE

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@joeforliverpool Liverpool Labour 2016Promoted by Cllr Dan Barrington on behalf of the Liverpool Labour Party, all at 108 Prescot Road, L7 0AJ. Published by Clarity Creation, Fairfield House, Binns Road, Liverpool L7 9NE.