Liberal Democrats are already making Ealing fairer

In Ealing, voters will make their choice on who should represent them on May 7th.

Councillor Gary Malcolm

Liberal Democrats in government have successfully turned around the poor state of the economy - where we were shedding over 1,000 jobs a day when we took over from Labour - into the fastest growing economy in the G8.

We have a sound platform to continue the good work that the Liberal Democrats have done as part of the coalition government.

Ealing has seen investment to improve many core services. We have delivered:

• £45 million to Ealing schools, since 2010, to benefit the most disadvantaged children.
• Free school meals for 13,400 children in Ealing in school years Reception, 1, and 2.
• Almost 8,000 apprenticeships giving our youngest members of Ealing a greater future.
• 5,500 more residents in Ealing in work, compared to 2010.
• A £900 income tax cut for over 150,000 Ealing residents, taking 22,000 of them out of tax altogether – something the Conservatives said back in 2010 wouldn’t be possible!
• A £950 cash increase for 38,000 pensioners in Ealing, compared to 2010.
• Tax-free early years education or weekly childcare for 10,500 Ealing families.
• Waiting limits for mental health treatment for the first time.
• Equal marriage – allowing same-sex couples the right to marry here in Ealing Town Hall - something Labour said they had a principled objection to only a few years ago.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Jon Ball has been visiting residents in Ealing, and they say they are looking forward to voting Liberal Democrat because of the £8 billion a year we will invest in the NHS, something that not one of the other parties have pledged to match.

Housing in many areas including Southall and Acton needs improving. Our policy to introduce a ‘Rent to Own’ scheme will allow young people to buy their own home without needing a deposit, by ‘buying’ a share in their homes by paying their rent.

We will cut bus fares by two-thirds for 21,600 16 - 21 year-olds people in Ealing.

We will also give a £250 respite bonus every year to 3,570 full time carers in Ealing.

We will require that all children should be taught by a qualified teacher: currently 115 teachers in Ealing are unqualified.

Ealing Labour have failed: rather than invest in our shared future like the Liberal Democrats, they have closed day centre after day centre, making life worse for vulnerable groups like the elderly and those with disabilities.

The Liberal Democrats have made Ealing a fairer place already. A vote for the Liberal Democrats on May 7 and will help us all go further.

Liberal Democrats will treat vulnerable residents as a priority

In the run up to the local and European elections many residents in our seven town centres will be making the decision as to how they might vote.

The coalition government with Vince Cable’s assistance has turned around the economy with not only growth, lower levels of inflation and importantly more jobs.

Councillor Gary Malcolm

Locally while more people are gaining employment we see the current Labour administration continue to fail in a number of areas:

• Closing day centres which means that many profoundly disabled or other vulnerable residents will suffer
• Over the past few years it was reported that Ealing Council has fined residents £24 million in parking fines. Many residents contact me to say they were fined and when I investigate the cases I often find that they should not have received a parking ticket.
• Too many people are kept waiting to get through on the phone as well as being forced to use the internet for many services when some elderly residents do not have a computer
• Allowing our streets and parks to be un-swept and dirty. The recent re-negotiation means that the contractor gets the same money for doing less!

The Ealing Liberal Democrats have been active in making sure that we promise only what we can deliver. The Conservative party promise the earth and often do not follow through with positive actions.

One example was where the Conservative party in Ealing have twice refused to sign up to measures that would reduce the number of deaths for cyclists. Liberal Democrats want to see our streets safer for all users. Sadly this does not appear to be true for the Conservatives who will allow dangerous trucks to be on our roads.

Alongside the backdrop of the elections is the need to continue the campaign to protect our hospitals that residents across the borough use. Having saved the Accident & Emergency wards in Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals we need to carry on the fight.

So the Labour party have failed in Ealing. What would my party, the Liberal Democrats do? We have our published manifesto but a summary is listed here:

• Freeze Council Tax for the next four years
• Invest more in our roads and pavements
• Remove the garden tax and improve recycling facilities
• Sell the Southall car park to fund vital projects
• Protect our day centres
• Get our streets and parks clean, free from uncollected waste
• Make the Council easier to contact

Ealing Council has been selling off our day centres, left our streets and park s dirty and charged for collecting our garden waste. The Liberal Democrats will be tough as nails, with contractors who are providing a poor service and we will freeze Council Tax for the next four years to give some stability to residents' finances.

We are the only party who treat our vulnerable residents with a priority.

Only the Liberal Democrats would sort the waste contractor out and only a Liberal Democrat Council would be cleaner, safer and fairer.