THE political parties and Independent candidates that are vying for your vote have revealed their plans for Slough if they are elected.
Labour and the Conservatives have revealed their manifestos respectively in a bid to take overall control of Slough Borough Council whereas the minor groups and Independent candidates reveal plans for greater scrutiny and oversight at the local authority.
Slough Labour
The group, who have controlled the council for the majority of its time as a unitary authority, has revealed a six-point plan it will prioritise if it remains a grip of the local authority.
It seeks to continue its financial repair work at the council by balancing the budgets, complete the sale of surplus assets, and improve governance process and procedures.
The group also wants to prioritise more social and affordable homes, improve the public realm, press to get the town centre redevelopment underway, improve public transport, expand the council’s digital offer and reduce call waiting times, and work with contractors to improve and speed up repairs to council homes.
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James Swindlehurst, Leader of Slough Labour Group said: “This manifesto is a programme to take our town forward – one that will deliver decent homes, safer communities, clean streets, a modern town centre, and better customer services.
“Despite the enormous challenges of recent years, we are now in the home strait to complete the council’s financial recovery.”
Slough Conservatives
The Tories have also revealed a six-point manifesto in a bid to gain overall control of the council.
It states they will ‘throw out’ Labour’s ‘second 10 per cent council tax hike next year’ and will reduce council tax below the cap as the council is ‘overstretched’ and residents are ‘not getting value for money’.
If voted, the Tories will reduce the council’s size by 20 per cent and cut temporary agency staff by 30 per cent over the next four years.
They have also called for an inquiry into the ‘missing’ millions of pounds and have called for a university campus to come back to Slough.
The Tories have also pledged to review the A4 bus lane, ‘make sure’ the Farnham Road Levelling Up project and the A4 super cycle highway to provide ‘regeneration benefits’ to the town, and have promised not to sell the town’s cemetery and crematorium as part of the asset sales.
Slough Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dems have only put forward eight candidates but hope to gain at least four councillors in order for a ‘change and cooperation on Slough Council’ and to implement their manifesto.
It pledges to ‘promote change’ and a ‘new cooperative approach to form a coalition’ to use the ‘best ideas’ to get through the council’s financial crisis and restore stability, which will ‘end’ service cuts and council tax rises.
They too have said the Lib Dems will ‘review’ the A4 bus lane and move the A4 Trading Estate bus lanes back to the parallel service roads to keep the service roads open to all traffic for access.
The Lib Dems also want to improve health, social care, and welling, build safer communities through promoting cooperations between the council, police, and communities, ensure developers meet the affordable and social housing criteria, and boost the town’s already low recycling rate.
Independents
There are eight Independent candidates and one from the Heritage Party standing this year in hopes of an independent voice in the council not chained to party lines.
The former leader of the Conservatives Wayne Strutton, who announced he was going solo earlier this year to stand as an Independent candidate for Cippenham Green, said he will prioritise adult health and child protection.
He believes current councillors are too focused on national issues rather than local and the council needs more scrutiny and oversight when it comes to decision-making, governance, and its finances.
He would also like to see improvements to accessibility in the town, housing repairs, and refuse collection.
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Former Conservative candidate Sharon O’Reilly, who stood as an Independent multiple times, wants to create a Slough Residents Select Committee, which is independent of the council and will not include staff or political leaders in order to hold the authority to account.
Nick Smith from the Heritage Party opposes low-traffic neighbourhoods, 15-minute cities, future lockdowns, and development on the Green Belt.
Meanwhile, Independent Network candidate Shin Dhother for Langley St Mary’s advocates for more affordable housing, better quality education, access to healthcare, and believes everyone ‘deserves a fair shot at success’.
Langley Foxborough candidate Sunil Sudhakaran (Independent Network) wants to ‘achieve’ an ‘accountable and approachable’ council.
Other Independent candidates include Ollie Isernia (Britwell), Joyce John (Colnbrook with Poyle), and Mubashir Ahmed (Wexham Court).
The Green Party
The Party has put forward three candidates contesting in Cippenham Village, Langley Foxborough, and Langley St Mary’s.
They pledge to plant and maintain more trees, ensure all new buildings have sustainable technologies – such as solar panels and air or ground source heat pumps – to obtain planning permission, and obtain a progress report on the council’s 2030 net zero target.
The Greens also want to restrict recycling sites to car drivers only to enable pedestrians to recycle more.
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