Labour’s own research shows Penketh residents feel let down by decisions made by the Labour run Council. The questionnaire, which has been widely distributed in a recent election leaflet, confirms local residents want to “retain the Honiton Way library” and that there are widespread concerns about “littering and dog fouling” throughout the village.
Conservative Borough & Parish Council Candidate Phil Hayward says he backs the call to keep the library open, and that it’s no surprise to hear these worries from Penketh residents. “Labour have been in charge of Warrington Council since 2011, they set the budgets, they collect the £95m in Council tax from local residents and they prioritise how that money is spent. The only people making the decision to close libraries in Warrington is the Labour Councillors.”
The Conservative’s own doorstep survey confirms the findings that Penketh residents are disappointed that the council can’t even keep our streets clean. Phil believes Penketh doesn’t get it’s fair share of funding “The council are quick to spend huge amounts of taxpayers money building new facilities elsewhere in the Borough but when it comes to providing basic services in Penketh, such as keeping our streets clean, they’re failing at every level. Paths are uneven and unsafe; street lighting is poor and roads need to be re-surfaced. If elected I will be a strong voice for Penketh, fighting for this area to be prioritised”.
Phil, who uses public transport to get around says there needs to be a review of bus routes and is committed to retaining a train station at Sankey for Penketh. “People make decisions on where to live because of the existing transport infrastructure, closing services will have a huge impact on our lives. If you’re not a regular user of public transport you don’t realise how a cut to services changes what you can do and where you can go”.
Conservative Parish Council Candidate for Penketh East Ward Lawrence Worswick says Labour has increased Council Tax by almost 6% this year, hitting those on fixed incomes hard. Lawrence thinks it’s time for some fresh thinking “How we support young people is a real priority for me, investing in skills for the workplace through business workshops will give the next generation the opportunity they need to be successful in life”.
Warrington Conservatives have pledged to campaign to protect the green belt around Penketh and villages surrounding Warrington, build more affordable homes on brownfield sites across the Borough to ease demand for housing and commit to improving roads and infrastructure in the west of the town to reduce congestion.
Voting takes place on Thursday 11th October in Penketh Ward to elect a new Borough Councillor and two Parish councillors for Penketh East Ward.
Ends
2 October 2018