The month of May is a major one for our region. It’s election time and a chance to vote for ward councillors to represent you and the area where you live.

For many years, the Conservative Party have controlled East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Sadly, there have been scandals along the way, but there is also a story of stagnation. Our wonderful region could progress more and take meaningful action to improve lives, but the Conservatives cannot do what is necessary.

We have also seen a increase in the number of Liberal Democrat councillors, but they fail to provide effective opposition. During this election period, they have also resorted to petty insults – not the sort of thing you want from elected representatives.

Now is the time for real change. The Labour Party offers you something more. It offers you progress, hope and a better future for your community.

Please read on to see what’s in our manifesto for the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Equality & Diversity

The East Riding of Yorkshire has a wonderful and diverse population. The Council’s own Intelligence Hub has ward profiles and other information which shows a significant number of people provide care for others. There is also people with bad or very bad health in every part of the county. Each ward has people with specialisms in all manner of fields, alongside organisation that do fantastic community work.

Labour councillors will:

• ensure that an impact assessment is made for each policy to take account of barriers to access for our residents.
• recognise and respect the skills in individuals and organisations by actively supporting them to develop, sustain and invest in their local areas.

Communities

• Ensure an open and transparent annual budget-making process, with timely and accessible community consultation feeding into the process.
• Support community ownership of community assets such as local shops or village pubs and work to revise the Council’s assets disposal policy.

Environment

• Ensure the environmental impact is taken into account in every decision made by ERYC.
• Support renewable energy, including wind and solar, and encourage community ownership to reduce household bills.
• Support investment in energy efficient homes including retro fitting insulation to reduce energy use.
• Lead on fitting solar and ground pumps for public buildings, schools and carparks.
• Ensure all new build houses are carbon neutral.
• Add more Electric Vehicle charging points to carparks.
• Invest in returning residential streets to safe environments where families can live, walk, cycle and play safely

Local economy & employment

• Support models which improve access to finance for local businesses
• Improve information and access for local businesses to engage in local authority procurement
• Prioritise local infrastructure including more light industrial provision
• Encourage investment in the region, especially for green industries
• Promote Labour’s policy to abolish the current unfair system of business rates and restore out high streets for local business
• Build our tourism offer

Local transport

• Work to create a functioning region-wide integrated transport policy
• Improve transport provision to rural communities to increase education and employment opportunities, and combat loneliness and isolation
• Lobby central government to allow local authorities to provide their own bus franchises
• Support community-based models of transport
• Fight for a proper park and ride for Beverley

Local education

• Work with local colleges and businesses to improve training and skills and expand the availability of apprenticeships
• Fight to ensure proper funding to improve the infrastructure and energy efficiency of local schools
• Support breakfast clubs and initiative to combat holiday hunger for our children
• Lobby central government to restore the education maintenance grant for students in England

Housing

The Tories always say that they are the party of property ownership. However, the fact remains that this simply isn’t the best option for everyone. There needs to be more social housing and other properties that are truly affordable.

Labour councillors in the East Riding of Yorkshire will:

• have a commitment to increase the number of social housing properties
• have a commitment to build more affordable homes
• ensure all new build houses reflect community need to address infrastructure, doctors, transport and the wider environment.
• establish a property grant scheme to support better household energy use for low-income households.
• allocate additional resources to develop and enforce standards across the private rental sector

Food security

The East Yorkshire Food Bank has 7 location in the East Riding of Yorkshire and six of them run sessions. Half of those six locations are in Beverley – generally considered to be one of the more affluent parts of the county. This shows that there’s poverty wherever you go. Nationally, the network of food banks is under increasing strain. More and more people need them, but they require the help of volunteers and regular donations.

We live in one of the biggest economies in the world, but food bank usage has shot up since 2010 – when the Tories returned to government. In the long term we need to be in a situation where they are no longer needed, but for now food banks need to be supported.

• We will assist in the co-ordination of the multiple food banks and their separate providers to be more effective in their distribution. This should include a formal system to direct supermarkets, markets and producers to supply food banks as a priority.
• We will support food banks whilst needed by providing additional funding, promoting budget planning including menu cards and asking outlets to prioritise food banks over other options.
• We will provide support for homeless people with food budgeting and meal planning when housed.
• We will introduce a strategy to encourage and promote local food sources to reduce the carbon footprint of long-distance supplier

Health and wellbeing

There are four key areas that Labour will focus on:

• access to mental health services
• children’s health
• health promotion
• surveying and publishing the breadth & range of provision of recreational facilities which promote health

We will encourage large companies to promote well-being in the workplace to help improve staff attendance and retention. To reduce isolation, we will put in place programmes to include employability training, access to sport and social events.

The location and delivery of children’s physical and mental health provision to include schools would allow experts to support several children where the parents and schools have concerns and enable referrals to other outside specialists such as opticians or dentists.

Provision of care for the elderly will ensure appropriate options for families so they feel elderly relatives have suitable options for support within their existing homes or residential homes.

Anyone with a long-term condition such as diabetes will have the right to a specialist care plan and access to condition-management education. There will be adequate provision of temporary accommodation to all people to receive support when hospital care is no longer needed and before they return home.

Social care

The positive link between health and social care is clearly identified. Labour promotes the development of a new National Care Service. Locally we need to identify and roll out funding alternatives clearly and honestly to implement change by consensus. This focuses upon the provision of excellent residential and care options and the provision of convalescent facilities by the building of, or repurposing of existing facilities.

Priorities include providing effective and affordable care for our elderly and vulnerable residents. High standards of care in the person’s own home will encourage access to community resources.

Violence against women and girls

Labour would extend the range of the Council’s existing Domestic Abuse Services to ensure all women are aware how to seek help.

Women’s refuges are facing financial crises and possible closure. Labour will work with Women’s Aid to ensure there are sufficient refuge accommodations for women fleeing domestic violence.

Labour will work closely with the police and expand the work of the Anti-social Behaviour Team to ensure a visible presence and pass bylaws to make unwanted sexual comment an offence.