Geoff Keig's priorities for Braintree East
Geoff Keig lays out his priorities at the Lib Dem candidate for Braintree East, for the County Council Elections:
I have always believed that that the United Kingdom is at its strongest when it is Open, Tolerant and United. It is this society that others seek to emulate or indeed target; it is this society that is the greatest threat to totalitarianism everywhere and empowers and offers and offers the greatest hope to all its citizens. It is this empowerment and hope that I want for the people of Essex. It is these beliefs that I take to the County council, if elected, and the positive belief that we can make the positive change we need.
Specifically, delivery will start with openness about the business of council and my key priorities for Braintree East such as; -
- Housing Development - I will ensure that as well as exercising our duty to new residents and other buyers seeking property in Essex we exercise our duty to existing residents too. That means not blindly supporting vast sprawling developments that will change forever the nature of the locality where smaller developments will meet targets and preserve the character of our county too. It means holding developers to account and ensuring requirements for infrastructure are in place prior to development approval.
- Social Care - I support the proposal to create a to create an ear-marked fund of £2.5m for 'Social Care Pressures' and to partner with our NHS to speed the discharge of patients from hospital and increase the supply of urgently needed care outside hospital. This will help provide the Elderly with the appropriate care and free up precious NHS resource to concentrate on the emergency and acute medical requirements of our community.
- Promotion and Support of local Jobs and Business is something that starts at a local level. I will campaign for the softest Brexit possible to ensure all businesses have the best chance of not only surviving but prospering in the changed business landscape of the years to come. I am also aware of the need to support our businesses in terms of their technology requirements - starting with access to fast broadband - and with assistance in providing a work force with the right skills. I will work with employers and our further education centres to ensure access to the right training and reskilling for employees too to meet this need.
- Creating a greener Essex. The Rivenhall waste facility application has again put the focus on how we deal with the waste we create within Essex. The problem with large facilities such as the one proposed is that they do nothing to encourage residents to recycle waste and then add to a reduction in air quality by the increased traffic flow and by their own process incineration. I am against waste being imported into Essex for processing and believe in the need to find local solutions, where possible, for dealing with our waste.
Being Open is the way to a more transparent, democratic Essex County Council - one that really works for the people of Braintree East.
It's time to challenge the status quo at Essex County Hall, where Conservatives have taken for granted the people of Essex. Creating a cash hoard while cutting services and putting up your council tax is not working for Essex - and is all the Conservatives have managed to do. If you want to see real change and real progress then vote for me on May the 4th as your representative to put the needs of Braintree East first.