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District Council By-election, King’s Sutton, May 2017 – Labour Candidate Statement

Michael Bailey, Labour

I have been a King’s Sutton Parish Councillor and Tree Warden since 2015. I am also the coordinator of your Community Speedwatch Group.

I am standing as one of two candidates in the up and coming District Council election on May 4th. My campaign is focused on issues such as fixing our infrastructure, supporting the case for affordable housing, working towards securing funding for local services and making sure that our concerns relating to the Horton General are heard.

If elected as your District Councillor I would:

  • Lobby for infrastructure projects to be completed – For example; The flood alleviation projects have been routinely pushed back year after year despite developers building on the land and proposing further developments! We need to draw a line and make the completion of this project come before any more developments in the areas affected.
  • Campaigning for local authorities to have more concrete powers in ensuring that affordable housing remains affordable and that locals are not pushed out of the village. As it stands, local planning authorities have no genuine enforcement procedures in place to ensure that a proposed “affordable” dwelling remains an “affordable” dwelling once fully built. This causes great concern as it means we are operating with a framework primarily built upon trust with minimal safeguards in place concerning the affordability of future homes.
  • Support the challenge against the Horton General Consultation that was put forward by South Northants Council following the “...‘confusing and flawed’ consultation process regarding plans to downgrade key services at Banbury’s Horton General Hospital.”

My final campaign issue is to raise awareness of the issue of loneliness faced by our residents. There is a generational divide that is causing the fabric of our community to fall apart and I have met with locals whose only point of human contact per week consists of a 15-minute visit by their appointed care worker. This was something that both residents and myself have found heartbreaking as there are plenty of us living in the village and if co-ordinated properly we could build a stronger sense of community by engaging with the correct charities (Age UK) and engaging with local residents who are experiencing isolation.

King’s Sutton has a lot going for it and if we pull together we can overcome the challenges we face as a community. If you have any questions concerning my campaign or issues that you feel need to be addressed please contact me either by telephone on 01295 816911 or by email using the link below.

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