Local Elections

On Thursday 4th May, the people of Wakefield have a chance to have their say at the ballot box.

Wakefield has extraordinary potential. We are a great city with great people. But the Conservative Government has broken the economy and its working people across Wakefield, Horbury and Ossett who are paying the price. Food bills and mortgage rates are rising, and wages are stagnating.

Too many of us are waiting months and even years for health treatment, held back from working and living our lives to the full. 24 hours in A&E isn’t just a TV programme, it is the grim reality for patients waiting in pain. The longer the Conservatives are in power, the longer patients will wait.

Criminals are getting away with their crimes, the police no longer come if we are burgled, and victims are being let down, while parents worry about their children’s safety. The Conservatives have turned their backs on communities, run down our vital public services and undermined respect for the rule of law. When things go wrong, too often nothing is done and there are no consequences for law-breakers.

After 13 years of a divided and weak Conservative government, Britain is falling behind – we are failing to take advantage of new opportunities, so all of us are becoming worse off.

Against the odds, Wakefield Council has done an extraordinary job. The Conservative government has cut funding to our local authority by over £300m since 2010. Yet, despite these tough circumstances, Wakefield’s Labour Council has continued to deliver for our communities.

Labour has a long-term plan to give Britain back its future. Not, short-term sticking plaster solutions, but a mission-driven government that will improve the lives of working people, step by step.

It starts with our fully funded plans to slash the cost of living, cut crime, and drive down NHS waiting lists. One where everyone can feel safe and secure in our homes and in our communities, one where we can all get the health care we need and one with a growing economy that works for working people in all parts of the country.

A Labour government will pull every available lever to get patients treated sooner. We will train a new generation of doctors, nurses, and midwives. Labour will prevent crime, punish criminals, and protect communities with tougher sentences and more police.

A Labour Government would freeze council tax for this year, will keep the energy price cap in from April, freeze fuel duty and bring in Breakfast Clubs across every primary school in England paid for with a windfall tax on energy companies and stopping non-doms avoiding tax.

Only Labour has a plan for a fairer, greener, more dynamic economy that delivers better jobs and living standards for working people.

At the heart of these local elections is a simple question – are you better off after 13 years of the Tories?

So, vote Labour on Thursday 4 May and let’s build a better Britain together.