AS Labour leader I would always stand up for Burton. The effects of the savage Tory cuts are already being felt in the area. They are hitting the most vulnerable, the oldest, the youngest and the poorest. These cuts are ideologically driven and they are avoidable.
The coalition has recently frozen funds promised for new play areas across East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire. The Playbuilder scheme was introduced under Labour, helping to get kids active and reduce antisocial behaviour.
Many popular play areas have been built but now children will bear the brunt of brutal Tory cuts. Needwood Parish Council has already had to halt construction work on Collison Play Park.
Burton deserves better than this. It is a place of great character and determination. The dedication and hard work of the young people who are campaigning to save the ‘That Place’ youth centre (pictured) is inspiring, and I wish them every success.
The huge number of signatures collected by the campaigners demonstrates the strength of Burton’s community.
Bonds between members of communities once formed the basis of the Labour movement. We need to rebuild the party from its roots of solidarity, mutuality and reciprocity.
That’s why I’ve raised the money to train 1,000 community organisers by the end of the leadership contest.
In just a few months, I have seen people come together to tackle issues in their local area that really affect their everyday lives. Under my leadership, Labour would strive to give local leaders the tools to change their communities for the better.
In the last election Labour lost support across all of society because people thought we were no longer on their side and didn’t have clear enough ideas for the future.
The purpose of my candidacy for the leadership of the Labour Party is to put that right, and here’s how. On the economy, I would reduce the deficit by getting Britain growing and working, not by cutting the roots of Burton’s economy. The Tory cuts will hurt those least able to afford them and risk a long period of slow growth if not a second recession.
If elected Leader of the Labour Party I will focus on returning Britain to full employment and achieving a fair deal for those who work the hardest.
I believe in a Britain of opportunity.
That means world-class education and the guarantee of excellent health care for all. I will recruit the best teachers to the toughest schools, focusing pupils on learning rather than just on exams, and expanding higher education and apprenticeships. I will prioritise public health, and target all health inequalities – not the needless and destructive reorganisation of the NHS put forward by the Coalition Government.
I believe in a Britain of more power for communities. Labour’s devolution in Scotland, Wales and London was excellent, but our work is not finished.
I would give more power to communities over their public services and local government greater power to lead their communities.
Labour won’t win again, and won’t gain the trust of people in Burton, unless we offer the change Britain needs.
