Manifesto

We believe in equal opportunity for everyone in our borough. There are many diverse areas within Stockton on Tees and it’s our aim to give everyone the best services, life chances and opportunities possible.

Local people have been hit unfairly by the Tory government and the government has continued to assault our quality of life and opportunity. More than £73 million has been cut from our annual funding by the Conservative Government since 2010. Despite this continued unfair attack on the people of Stockton on Tees, we will aim to make fairness central to all we do.

Stockton and the North East as a whole has suffered most under the Tory government, with dramatic cuts in jobs and real wages, and rises in unemployment amongst our young people and unfair zero-hour contracts.

A Labour council for Stockton on Tees will continue to fight for local people. We will work with businesses and other bodies to attract new employers and make the case for our borough as the place to invest. We will ensure that residents of the borough have the opportunities to develop the skills, creativity and ambition required to fill the high value jobs growing investment will create.

We must fight to keep and grow our powerhouse industrial sector in the face of global competition. A skilled workforce, good conditions to do business and live, and local authorities that are committed to the sector are vital. We know that the region as a whole must work together to make the case for the Tees Valley to these multinational companies and we will do that as a council, through Tees Valley Combined Authority.

At the same time, we know Stockton needs more small businesses and we must help local people start up and expand their businesses here.

And we must fight to give our young people the decent opportunities to learn and work that the government is cruelly denying them.

We believe Stockton Council and its partners can make a real, positive difference to people’s lives. This means closing the gaps in people’s health across different parts of the borough, and giving everyone the chance to enjoy the best health, well-being and opportunities possible.

By striving for the best services for everyone, and targeting work on those most in need, we will make best use of council resources. We aim to be innovative and focused on helping our residents achieve their potential. Stockton on Tees offers many great things to people and we want to do more.

We want people to be able to enjoy the best arts, leisure and sporting activities on their own doorstep. And at the same time we will provide outstanding events for residents to enjoy, and to attract visitors into our borough.

We want Stockton on Tees to be a borough where the environment makes a difference to people’s quality of life, drives green business growth and helps deliver social justice. Continuing to regenerate the borough will provide better housing and give people more options to buy or rent affordable homes.

We will improve standards in the private rented sector, tackling rogue landlords and nuisance tenants. We will develop housing where there is increased demand – for older people, single, and young people – and also family homes, as our population continues to grow.

We are committed to reducing carbon emissions alongside helping our powerhouse petrochemicals, process and other industries.

Stockton can become a centre for attracting investment in new, low-carbon sectors, renewable energy, and other green-tech industries and jobs. Great parks and green spaces, highly-valued refuse and recycling services and innovative community energy solutions are also high on our list.