Putting fairness first: our design for delivery of serives by local people for local people

By Jeremy Beecham

Next year’s elections will pose a stark choice between two fundamentally different approaches to government.

That choice will be between a Labour Party deploying resources nationally and locally to promote economic recovery, social justice and a better environment – and the Conservatives, who are content to let the market lead their decisions with scant regard for the social consequences.

Local Labour has launched Putting Fairness First – the local Labour manifesto for a new term. Labour councillors from across the country have worked to put this document together, celebrating the values we embody in local government – and to influence our national manifesto.

Although the economy is going through difficult times, many of our proposals are bold. We want to see the Future Jobs Fund extended to 25-34 year olds in long-term unemployment, and the extension of Sure Start to cover 5-7 year olds to help provide in-the-round care and advice for all primary school children and their parents.

Many more of our policies show how Labour councils can make a real difference to people’s lives. Take the examples of Manchester and Oxford, who have set a locally-determined living wage to supplement the national minimum. Or local Labour’s commitment to build new council and social housing.

Contrast this approach with the new Tory ‘flagship’ councils, who are giving a flavour of what a future Cameron government would look like. Authorities like Barnet and Hammersmith & Fulham show what the resurgent Tory right is capable of – the ‘politics of Ryanair’, the most basic service possible with any extras at high personal cost; cuts for the voluntary sector they profess to value; the decanting of council tenants; and a freeze on affordable or social housing.

The ideas in our manifesto could represent a key shift for the Labour Party, re-emphasising our focus on the local design and delivery of services by local politicians for local people. The moment has come for all of us to re-engage with our communities in ways that celebrate the organic link between local action and modern socialism.

As we define what Labour stands for in the 21st Century, we should remember the defining goal of municipal socialists throughout the 19th and 20th centuries – to involve local people and their representatives in a productive and worthwhile partnership in order to address specific local issues. For the faithful in Labour’s ranks, localism has never been an end in itself – it has always been, and remains, a tool to deliver essential social democratic values, whose application quite rightly varies according to place and circumstance.

Almost all we ask for will cost money. The inevitably constrained condition of the public finances necessitates continued debate about national priorities. That is why we have called this manifesto Putting Fairness First – we think that this mantra must condition all of our spending proposals for the next parliament and beyond, ensuring that public money is only spent where it promotes social justice and encourages a better life for the overwhelming majority of people.

If virtually everything is up for discussion, even life-long anti-unilateralists like me will question whether billions should be invested in replacement for Trident, or whether the introduction of ID cards could not be even further deferred.

The task ahead of us as we count down to the next general election is great. The tasks we will have to undertake after the election will be greater still. Labour councils and councillors have compelling stories to tell about how we can overcome the challenges facing us.

Now is the time for us to make our voices heard.

You can download the Local Labour Manifesto here.