To properly fund ALL local front-line services

We will reverse the austerity of the last 14 years and not just patch up what is broken by ensuring all have access to vital health, social and dentistry services. Not only reverse cuts to Ilkeston hospital but expand the number of beds and reinstate the drop-in centre. Our NHS is that, it is ours and must remain so, it can’t be allowed to slide further into managed decline or be further privatised.

A stronger local economy, with the right job in the right place for the right person.

Actual regeneration of both Ilkeston and Long Eaton High streets which has been promised but not delivered. I will work with and support small to medium local businesses to offer sustainable and meaningful employment with living wages and a work life balance which maximises the potential of the area and not a race to the bottom. We need “bottom up” development that helps up our community not “top down” which benefits the already wealthy companies who pay little returns.

Improve our education system and outcomes

We need to unlock the potential of our youth and not continue the “Brain Drain” in losing our brightest and best. Therefore, we must invest in local education and in skills to help create an innovative workforce. We need to improve the poor social mobility rates in Erewash, every child in the borough should have the same life chances, every child should start their school lessons with a full stomach and be taught by a specialist teacher who can meet their needs in a safe building environment.

The right housing in the right place for the right person.

We need more social housing, affordable housing and more housing rights. Homes if built must be built to a high standard and with services baked into the development. We will stop no fault evictions and give more housing security with a rent freeze.Erewash has hundreds of empty properties, retail and industrial units. These brownfield sites are more appropriate for redevelopment before using our Greenbelt.

Future proof Erewash for the climate change crisis

We need rewilding, meadow seeding and reforestation not only to improve our environment but to protect us from climate change. We will take radical steps to protect our residents. We will look to prevent environmental threats such as flooding and hydraulic fracking while also holding large scale building projects such as the Inland Freeport and any further HS2 developments to account. We will work to conserving and regenerate our precious and beautiful Erewash.

Clean up and enhance our local environment

We have the 5th worst sewage polluted river in the country in the River Derwent and 11th in the River Erewash. In the event of flooding, we will be having this effluence not only in the likes of West Park but also potentially in homes. We need to clean up our local waterways. We have air quality issues with our proximity to the M1, we need a green lung along this corridor as over 10% of Erewash has breathing problems, we will encourage a decarbonisation of transport by advocating active travel and encourage great use of bus transport to reduce emissions.

More community involvement in safer communities

local environment

There is a disconnect between the political establishment and the community, voting rates in elections reflect this. The lack of engagement, representation and engagement by our MP is low. We need to build confidence in our community together and work collaboratively which Brent will do. We would therefore look to involve more advocates in our management of our Erewash. Together we can solve community problems of anti-social behaviour, crime, litter, fouling and empower more to invest civically in Erewash.