Dear Postal Voter
I want to tell you how critical the coming local election will be for Warrington. It is a LOCAL election and will not change the government. You need to think about who can best run our town and give us a prosperous future.
I am pleased when people tell me that we have made an good job of running the Council since 2006. We have sorted out the mess left after twenty-three years of Labour being in charge. This year there is a serious risk that the Council may fall back under Labour control again.
Since the Lib Dem led Council took over, we have made £30 million of savings and restructured the Council making it more efficient and effective. By cutting out waste and attracting grants and investment we have got things done that just drifted under Labour. We have dramatically improved recycling, made the town centre a safer place at night, invested in Orford Park and the Parr Hall, finally got development on Omega moving, opened a on-stop-shop, improved our parks, allowed our council houses to be transferred bringing in £500 million of investment and put an end to Town Hall waste and perks.
The guiding light for everything we have done has been putting residents first. Even in this difficult year, we have set a balanced budget with no rise in council tax. By planning ahead and gaining the respect and co-operation of our staff and unions for change, we have avoided the painful panic measures we have seen in Labour run councils like Liverpool and Manchester.
All this progress could end in May if Labour takes control of the Council. They have not been a constructive opposition and we seriously doubt their ability to take the town forward. They did not even set an alternative budget that you would expect from a responsible opposition. They just read out a wishlist of £2.5 million extra spending without saying where the money would come from.
The work we have done since 2006 has put Warrington on the map as one of the most successful towns in the whole of the north of England. There is so much more we want to do.
Please support me again on 5 May in this LOCAL election for Warrington Borough Council. I will continue to work hard to look after your interests and those of Lymm.
Thanks very much.
