Manifesto 2022

Dear Resident,

It is a great honour for me to present the Conservative Plan for Sutton. This is not our plan, this is your plan, a plan that many of you have helped to develop and one that ensures every resident and business in Sutton can move forward.

We are only too aware how badly Sutton needs a fresh exciting approach. The current Lib Dem administration has been running this council for far too long. has run out of workable ideas and become out of touch. There has been too much emphasis on vanity projects at the expense of the basic core services. We’ll put an end to this and this plan outlines how we intend to kick start Sutton and take it forward.

Our plan delivers for Sutton, it cuts waste, supports local business and keeps people and the environment at the heart of every decision we will make. This ensures a bright and exciting future for the borough.

Make no mistake, it’s time for a change in the Council, it’s time for a council with a fresh approach and an exciting vision - Vote Conservative on the 5 May.

Cllr Tom Drummond Conservative Group Leader

Taking Sutton Forwards together – the Conservative Party Manifesto for the London Borough of Sutton, 2022

It’s time for a change in the Council, it’s time for a council with a fresh approach and an exciting vision - Vote Conservative on the 6 May.

We will be a council that listens and acts

Sutton Conservatives will ensure the council website is fit for purpose and easy to navigate. We will also make sure that if you need to speak to someone at the council you can, rather than having to wait for an eternity on the phone only to be cut off.

The Lib Dem run council has undertaken a number of consultations in the last 4 years, but do they take any notice of the result. Their approach always appears to be “Consult, Consider, Ignore” and this is not how a council should behave. If we win control of the council and consult, we will listen to what you tell us and act on it.

We need to make sure the streets are cleaner and for you

You only have to walk down your street in Sutton to realise that the Lib Dems have let you down. They have neglected essential services such as street cleaning, refuse collection, the maintenance of your roads and keeping this borough tidy. It’s not good enough to keep hiding behind contractors, Sutton Conservatives will take responsibility for these basic services and ensure they are delivered by properly holding our contractors to account. Unlike the current administration we will no longer be the mouthpiece of our contractors and are not there to defend them when they breach their contracts.

As a resident of Sutton, you should be able to ride your bike or drive your car without hitting a pothole. We will not be closing any roads unless you the residents of Sutton want them closed.

We will protect your parks and environment

Green spaces, such as parks are an important part of the character of Sutton which families, young people and old can enjoy. The Sutton Conservatives recognise this and that is why we will not be selling off any of our parks to developers.

We recognise there is a climate emergency and we will work tirelessly to ensure Sutton is a Green friendly borough. However, we acknowledge that Sutton alone cannot reverse climate change and there needs to be a greater emphasis on protecting residents against extreme climate events that may arise.

For decades travel has been an issue for Sutton residents that has gone largely untouched by the Lib Dems. We will not shy away from this issue and will work for a sustainable transport system. We’ll represent Sutton on the GLA and with Central Government lobbying for better transport links so Sutton is less reliant on cars, meaning a healthier, greener borough for all.

We need to ensure high quality education, health and social care for Sutton

Rather than do the right thing for Sutton, the Lib Dems have used school places and health care as a political football in a cynical attempt to win votes to try to cling onto power. Some of the most vulnerable in our community have been treated appallingly, with Sutton embarrassingly appearing on a Panorama expose because of their approach to Children with Special educational needs.

Sutton Conservative promise a different approach, we will take responsibility for and not blame failings and use council run companies as shields. As Sutton Conservatives we will put residents at the forefront of every decision we make. We know we are here to serve the people of Sutton [you] and not to blindly follow political and personal ideologies.

Education should not just stop at the school gates, we should give residents of all ages the opportunity to learn new skills or develop existing ones, whether that be at a local college, a sports field or club, youth club or community centre or in the theatre, We should encourage and celebrate achievements

We need a strong vibrant local economy

A strong vibrant local economy benefits all residents. Whether it’s the Cancer Hub in Belmont creating new jobs or the rejuvenation of the high street. The Sutton Conservatives will ensure that we build an economy that welcomes local enterprise, encourages residents to shop locally as well as attracting shoppers from outside the borough.

We need a strong vision for our high streets, recognising they have changed whilst seeing their potential, not just the usual Lib Dem cosmetic changes. We believe that Town Centres should be accessible destinations for families and shoppers and only then will businesses understand the benefit of increasing their local presence. Then we can enhance this by encouraging events in our town centres, whether that be music festivals. the celebration of foods from different cultures or seasonal fairs.

More than anything, it is essential that residents see positive results from every penny we spend on our high streets. Rather than money being spent on pet projects that achieve very little. Together we can build a local economy that benefits all residents and businesses across the borough.

Local Councillors who work for you

You deserve councillors who work for you and want to make the area you live in a better place. We want to focus on housing that reflects the local need and affordability, by creating small pockets of affordable homes which are supported by the local community and will keep our town centres alive and allow youngsters to stay in Sutton.

Sutton Conservatives have the good of this borough at the heart of everything we do and we will always put Sutton residents first, as opposed to political theory and ideology.

10 things we would have done differently:

If we had spent 26m on a shopping centre, we would have had in place [we would first have] a detailed plan of what to do with it.

If 92% of the residents consulted did not want a CPZ scheme imposed we would listen and not put one in.

We would not have become a mouthpiece that blindly defends our contractors such as Veolia, IdVerde and Viridor when they let down our residents.

Sutton Conservatives would ensure Sutton had a clear plan for school places and not lurch from year to year with the risk of bulge classes.

We would work with partners and listen to experts to ensure high quality health and social care for all residents.

When entering into commercial arrangements, we will have a high benchmark for due diligence so we avoid underselling resident assets such as the Lodge, losing c.£1m of taxpayers money.

We will not alienate but engage and work with the central Government and the Greater London Assembly [Authority] when it’s for the benefit of Sutton’s residents.

We would listen to and not ignore the concerns of parents regarding the borough’s approach and care towards children’s Special Educational Needs.

We would actively pursue known fly-tippers that blight our borough and not support policies that discourage legal disposal.

We would ensure every penny spent of taxpayers money represents value and not spent on ideological pet projects.

VOTE FOR CHANGE AT SUTTON COUNCIL

Taking Sutton Forwards together