2021 Mayoral Manifesto - Salford - Salford Labour

Mayoral
Manifesto

2021
     Salford

Your Salford,
     our ambition
    It’s now been over 4 years since the people of Salford elected me as the City
    Mayor, 4 years which have been the most rewarding and challenging of my life.
    Salford is an amazing city, built on a firm foundation of fantastic and
    hardworking residents with a deep sense of community and solidarity. This was
    an industrial city, built around then docks, factories, mines and mills. It was a
    working city, like many in the North, where people have long learnt the hard way
    that the best way to get things done is to work together and help one another.
    Unfortunately, for much of the past 40 years we have been in an era of
    economic decline - triggered by the destruction of our industries by national
    government. In a country where so much of our economic growth is focused on
    London, Salford (and towns and cities like it) have all suffered from fewer
    opportunities and less prosperity.
    But Salford is a city which has been fighting back - with Labour Councils taking
    brave decisions over the course of many decades to deliver growth. Those
    decisions have seen billions invested directly into our city over the course of the
    last decade - and what we are seeing now is no less than the second industrial
    revolution our city has seen in the past two Centuries.
    But this time, we are building back with the industries of the future. Salford
    Quays is now home to the largest cluster of digital and tech industries in the
    country, outside of London.
    Port Salford, when opened, will put Salford back on the map as an international
    shipping and logistics hub. Our green investments are putting Salford and
    Salford University research on the map as a haven for green industries - and our
    cultural strategy is building up a dynamic creative and cultural economy with a
    range of home-grown craft skills and services.
    Salford Labour has a vision for a revived Salford, with local businesses once
    again populating our high streets, and well-paid and secure jobs for our
    residents.
    But it’s not just a vision - with or without support from government, we are
    actually building it and the fruits of our efforts can be seen all around us.
    So join us, in Salford Labour, to usher in the next 4 years for a local Labour
    Council, working for the people of our city.

    Paul Dennett

1

If elected,
I have some clear
     Strategic and
   Policy Priorities
      For our City

My promises to You
    10 year plan to tackle
    the waiting list -
    building thousands of
    Social Houses in Salford
    Across Britain, we are in a housing crisis with rising prices and
    rents relative to declining real incomes.
    When first elected in 2016, I promised to tackle the housing
    crisis in Salford, building social housing that Salford residents
    could afford. Many people told us it was impossible - the grants
    which were once available to build social housing no longer
    exist, and government legislation is designed to make it
    impossible for Councils to afford.
    But we did it anyway!
    In my first term, the first 650 new Council houses have been
    agreed and there are thousands more in the pipeline. This is
    the first step!
    But Salford’s housing waiting list
    is over 6,000, and homelessness
    is still a huge problem for our
    city. Many young Salfordians can’t
    afford to stay on in the city where
    they grew up. Many more
    struggle with the weight of
    increasing rents.
    To tackle a problem this big, we
    need a proper strategy. That’s
    why I commit to developing a 10
    year strategy to tackle the waiting
    list We need to keep building until
    no-one in Salford is short of an
    affordable place to live.

3

Paul Dennett                            My promises to You

 Restore Buile Hill Mansion
      and set out to Protect
                our heritage
                    buildings

               Buile Hill mansion has been in a state of
               disrepair for far too long.
               I promise that if elected in my second term,
               I will find the money for the Mansion and it
               will be restored to its former glory.
               Heritage buildings like Buile Hill form a key
               part of our local identity. They are an echo
               of our past that links us to the lives of those
               who used to live here. That’s why I won’t
               stop with Buile Hill Mansion. If elected, I
               promise to establish a Heritage
               Commission, working with local
               communities and other organisations to
               lever in the money and resources needed to
               renovate and restore heritage buildings
               across the city.
               Restoring our heritage buildings will be a
               long process - the Council doesn’t have the
               funds to simply pay for everything up front.
               But working together with communities, we
               can begin the process.
                                                             4

Paul Dennett                      My promises to You

                  Improve the
           performance of our
           Secondary Schools -
                 appoint a new
                    Secondary
              Education Officer
 Salford’s primary schools
 are amongst the best in
 the country, gaining
 fantastic results and setting
 up our young ones for the
 future. However our
 secondary schools still
 struggle.
 The Council has less
 influence over schools than
 we once did - as academies
 have been introduced. But
 there is still soft power that
 can be deployed to put
 pressure on schools where
 we can.
 That’s why I pledge to
 create a new Secondary
 Education Officer for our
 schools, to help monitor
 standards and ensure the
 best possible outcomes for
 Salford children.
                                                  6

Paul Dennett                                      My promises to You

    Establish Salford
    as a ‘Learning City’ -
    where lifelong learning
    opportunities are
    available for all residents
    regardless of age,
    educational level
    or background
    Learning shouldn’t end at school. It shouldn’t
    be too late to learn at any stage of life, and I
    pledge that if elected, I will establish Salford as a
    Learning City where lifelong educational
    opportunities are available at any age.
    A ‘Learning City’ will be one where educational
    institutions work hand in hand with
    communities, the Council and the third sector to
    provide opportunities for qualifications, social
    opportunities and ‘no-strings-attached’ learning.
    It’s a city where ‘Learning’ is seen as more than
    just passing exams - it is a personal process and
    valuable for its own sake.
    And it's a city where it’s easy to create your own
    opportunities to teach others, organise your
    own learning opportunities and involve the
    wider community.

7

Paul Dennett                                My promises to You

                                    Introduce an
                                      ‘Insourcing
                                   Commission,’
                                end rip-off private
                                    contracts and
                                        put people
                                     before profit

     Public services shouldn’t be provided for private profits,
     they should be provided for public good.
     That’s why as Mayor, I brought back our Highways and
     Infrastructure contract in-house last year - bringing better
     value for taxpayers and delivering better service.
     Where possible, I believe Council services should be
     provided by the Council rather than private providers. In-
     house services provide more accountability, transparency
     and deliver better results than rip-off contracts.
     That’s why I pledge to implement a commission to assess
     where there are opportunities for further insourcing in
     the Council - and make sure we are not outsourcing to
     private providers where it is not necessary.
                                                                  8

Paul Dennett                                   My promises to You

                                  Clean up
                                  our streets -
                                  declaring war
                                  on fly-tipping
                                  and pot-holes

 Britain is in the middle of a national pot-hole
 crisis, as central government cuts have hit road
 budgets in Councils up and down the country.
 And Salford’s streets are far too dirty - as illegal
 fly-tippers use our alleyways, cul-de-sacs and even
 public parks as dumping grounds for their waste.
 Your council has already reduced the number of
 pot-holes in Salford from 15,000 to 8,000 - but we
 need to keep up the fight.
 I promise that if re-elected, more resources will go
 to our neighbourhood management teams to help
 tackle fly-tipping, fix pot-holes and keep our streets
 ship-shape for residents.
 I will bring in more staff to look for waste and
 fly-tipping, education and enforcement.
 And we will continue to support our amazing
 volunteer groups - which now send out hundreds of
 volunteers every month to scour our city for waste.
                                                               10

Paul Dennett                                     My promises to You

     Enact the ‘Salford Way’ -
     an economic vision
     for a better and
     fairer economy.
     The Salford Way is my vision for Salford’s economic future -
     a future which respects the past whilst building for tomorrow.
     Ours has always been an industrial city, a ‘working town’ which
     was decimated by decades of deindustrialisation.
     The well-paid jobs on our docks, in our mines, mills and
     engineering works have all gone. The ‘Service Sector’ economy
     has never been able to replace these jobs in terms of decent
     pay, conditions and security.
     The Salford Way looks towards the 2nd Industrial Revolution in
     our city - an industrial revolution of green jobs in high tech
     industries, and the arts and cultural economy.
     Whether in the high tech jobs in programming, design, film and
     media on the Quays - or the logistics and shipping jobs created
     by the Port Salford development - I am building towards an
     economy with well paid productive jobs for thousands of
     Salfordians.

11

Paul Dennett                        My promises to You

  Democratising
  the public
  realm -
  opening up our
  parks and
  streets for
  Salford people
  As part of Salford’s cultural
  strategy, opening up our
  city is a key priority for the
  future.
  I want Salford to be a place
  where it is easy for anyone to
  organise events, gather and
  meet one another, set up
  businesses or organise
  community events.
  Whether it's a street party, a
  festival, an arts or music
  event or public meeting - I am
  committed to opening up
  Salford’s public realm and
  public spaces to let our
  community flourish.
  Parks, Streets, Squares, Public
  Buildings and venues across
  our city should be opened up
  to allow the residents of our
  city to improvise and
  entertain one another.
                                                    12

Paul Dennett                                     My promises to You

     Pushing the
     Green Agenda
     Climate change is the gravest threat facing humanity
     today - and I pledge to do everything in my power to
     tackle it through the Town Hall.
     Salford Council has developed a reputation for its green
     credentials over the past few years. In that time we have
     invested £126m into our parks and green spaces, creating
     havens for wildlife and plants. We’ve created over 6km of
     looplines for walkers and cyclists connecting up the West of
     the city - letting commuters and walkers enjoy the fresh air.
     Wildlife is returning to our city once again - with many birds
     and new species which haven’t been seen for hundreds of
     years. Last year, an otter was seen swimming in the Irwell!
     We have hugely increased our local procurement, localising
     our supply chains and reducing our carbon footprint - and
     we’re investing in providing our own carbon neutral
     technology with a Solar Farm in Little Hulton, and a hydro-
     electric dam at Charlestown Weir! Our efforts have been
     recognised… Friends of the Earth has declared Salford the
     most ‘Climate Friendly’ Council in the North West, and the
     Centre for Thriving Places has named us the most
     ‘Sustainable’ Council in all of England!
     But we must do more. I pledge that if elected, we will
     continue to expand walking and cycling routes in Salford.
     We will work alongside Andy Burnham with the newly
     franchised bus networks too, making sure every corner of
     the city has effective bus transportation - and work to
     expand the metrolink to cover more of the city too!

13

Paul Dennett                                    My promises to You

     Lobby government
     for fairer funding
      As with so many things in Local Government,
     national government sets the terms of our ambition
     to transform neighbourhoods and communities for
     the better.
     10 years of national austerity have left councils and our
     public services up and down the country in disarray. We
     have a national pot-hole crisis, youth centres and nurseries
     have been closed, swimming baths and leisure centres too -
     and our parks and public spaces are in disrepair.
     The Tory government has targeted its cuts at the poorest
     areas of the country. That means areas which have the least
     money to begin with have lost out the most. Salford is the
     18th most deprived area of the country - so we have been
     hit particularly hard!
     Locally we have fought valiantly to fight the impact of these
     cuts - but inevitably, losing 50% of our annual spending
     power over the course of 10 years has an impact. We will
     continue to do the best with what we have - but some
     problems won’t change until there is a change of policy.
     I vow to continue to raise awareness of the unfairness of
     government funding, and campaign and lobby for change
     for you - ordinary Salford residents.
     It’s not fair that billions can be spent on wasteful private
     contracts in London, whilst the North of England and Salford
     gets left out.
     We need change.

15

I hope you
  can share in
 my vision for
 a better and
fairer Salford

Jack Youd on behalf of Paul Dennett, and Andy Smith on behalf of Andy Burnham, all at 222 Barton Lane, Salford M30 0HJ