Under the Conservatives our neighbourhoods are dirtier, and our communities are weaker. Far too many residents and communities are being left behind by Medway Council’s regeneration schemes. Potholes are also causing chaos across Medway.

Under the Conservatives, the condition of our roads has got worse and worse. The Council’s road repairs budget is being raided to fund costly repairs to the Medway Tunnel, which the Conservatives foolishly bought for £1. Traffic congestion and emissions are causing misery for motorists and Medway’s poor air quality is resulting in 120 premature deaths across the Towns every year.

A Labour-run Medway Council will take action to cut vehicle emissions and invest in sustainability.

A Labour-run Medway Council will ensure everyone benefits from the area’s regeneration and we’ll work with you to put the pride back into Medway.

Keeping Medway clean:

• Commit to keeping the weekly doorstep refuse and recycling collection service
• Bring back the free bulky waste collection service and take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping to make our streets cleaner

Protecting and improving our green spaces:

• Fight to protect our vital ‘green lungs’. The Council’s failure to adopt a Local Plan has left Medway’s green spaces under constant threat from developers
• Increase the levy on private developers to fund the planting of more trees and improvements to Medway’s green spaces

Investing in infrastructure:

• Champion Medway’s £170 million Housing Infrastructure Fund bid, with extra rail and road capacity to keep Medway moving
• Take back control of Medway’s highways maintenance (which the Conservatives have privatised), to get better value for money and deliver faster, better quality road repairs

Improving transport links:

• Focus on making public transport more accessible, more reliable and more affordable
• Work with local bus operators to secure cheaper fares on key routes and consider further bus prioritisation
• Seek to introduce a publicly-run, not-for-profit bus operator in Medway that meets the needs of passengers
• Clamp down on out-of-town taxis, supporting our hard-working Medway taxi drivers who play by the rules
• Reintroduce the annual visitors parking permit, which the Conservatives abolished (making parking more expensive for residents), alongside taking a zero tolerance approach to the minority of people who abused the system.

Supporting our High Streets and small businesses:

• Stop using parking as a money spinner so that we can support our businesses and encourage shoppers to return to our Town Centres by freezing car parking charges for the next four years
• Actively involve local businesses and residents in Council decisions about our High Streets and Town Centres
• Help set up Business Improvement Districts in areas where they are supported by local businesses, to improve the local trading environment
• Where Medway Council owns retail premises – for example in Twydall and Brompton shopping centres – we will be a responsible landlord and deliver improvements to support businesses