Labour may be the smallest party on the borough council, but it’s not short of big ideas. Andy Croy sets out his vision
OF the three parties in Wokingham borough, Labour feels like it has the most to gain from this year’s local elections.
Andy Croy says that the campaign has been going very well – and he says it’s because of what the party is hearing on the doorstep.
“The feedback we get all over the borough is that the Conservative council, isn’t listening, that it’s not paying attention and that it’s out of control.
“We picked this up through listening to people: you effectively have a one-party state in Wokingham and it leads to bad decisions. There is a feeling that a lack of public scrutiny and the lack of effective opposition to the Conservatives makes for bad decision making.
“People see evidence of this in the botched regeneration of the town centre, ignoring people about Elms Field, cutting buses in Woodley, Grazeley, the gravel pit in Arborfield, school cuts, everything. People say, ‘The Tories aren’t listening to us’.”
He says that the party would look at the possibility of introducing local referendums “so that residents who feel very, very strongly about things and can show a certain level of support can get the matter put to a public vote”, he added.
Cllr Croy continued: “It’s just an idea at the moment, we need to look at it, obviously we don’t want it to cost too much but in my head it would run alongside a normal local election.”
He also wanted to ensure that council consultations will listen to residents, something he says residents tell him is not happening.
“The Borough Council isn’t interested in changing its mind on anything significant. I don’t think anyone can think of a consultation where there’s been massive public opposition to something and the council have said, ‘Oh, we got that wrong, we’re going to change our point of view’. It just goes through anyway, with the box marked public consultation ticked.”
Cllr Croy said, “Every vote cast for Labour is a shot across the bows of the Tories. And every Labour councillor elected is a very, very loud shot across the bows. For the Tories to lose any seat, anywhere in the borough, is disastrous. That’s how people can best show their dismay at what the Tories are doing. They can send a powerful message by voting Labour.
“It’s not just a protest vote. We have the policies that the country needs to make it work for everybody and not just a few.”
But isn’t Labour just offering pie in the sky promises to get elected?
“No.” Cllr Croy countered. “Our manifesto makes it very clear what we can deliver as a Labour council and what we can’t. We’re not going to promise the earth, because we can’t deliver the earth. If people take a few minutes to read the manifesto they will see that the proposals we are making are very, very practical, very affordable, and will address some of the problems we’ve got in the borough.”
Cllr Croy feels that the Conservatives housing policy is “an absolute joke”.
“As a Labour council our policy will be to take up any opportunities that come our way to fix the housing crisis locally. Fundamentally we need change at national level and the way to send this message for change in national policies is to vote Labour.
“We have other ideas, such as establishing an Older People’s Forum.
That would be a fantastic way of engaging older people and of making sure that the Borough Council and the third sector do the most for our older people.
“I have a feeling that some of our policies are so good the Tories will be stealing them.”
Any elected Labour councillors will be tasked with putting their own residents first, Cllr Croy said.
“The most important point in our manifesto is the first one: every Labour councillor is elected to stand up for his or her community.
“That’s why they’re there.
“So what this means in practice is that if we have a Labour council, and if we have a policy that individual councillors think, ‘Actually, this doesn’t work for my community’, we expect those councillors to stand up for the community, and we won’t have the situation that we had in my ward where you have very unpopular decisions by the council not being opposed by local Tories.
“Your councillor must speak up for you. If they’re not, get a new one. Get somebody in who will.”
This is something that Cllr Croy feels strongly about, saying that councillors must respond to residents and act on their behalf.
“There’s a complacency in that the Conservatives don’t really have to work for their votes, and we know in the Labour party if you want to get elected, if you want to get a reasonable vote you have to work really, really, really hard. And the Tories often don’t.
“You get the councillor you vote for in the end. And if you want a hardworking councillor you know that any of the Labour candidates will be hard working, because they have to be to get elected. There’s no other way for them to get there.”
With Wokingham’s regeneration, Labour would look to pedestrianise parts of the town centre on Saturday: “We want to put the market back into the market town,” Cllr Croy said.
“The Denmark Street end in particular, we think once the new Southern Relief Road is put in there’s a possibility there of pedestrianising that, certainly on a Saturday and perhaps permanently, just to get people in and get people shopping.”
He also wants to help traders. “I’m not convinced the council looked at the best possible way of compensating traders either.”
“It’s time for change. Which, coincidentally, is the name of our manifesto,” he said.
“It’s important for everyone to vote. The vote is a very, very precious thing. Get out and use it. And get out and use it to elect a councillor who you think is going to make a difference to you.
“Elect a Labour councillor.”
