News from Islington Labour

Islington Labour’s St Mary’s by-election candidate sets out priorities

Gary Pool, Islington Labour’s candidate in the St Mary’s by-election, has set out his priorities if elected in the 10 November St Mary’s Ward by-election, saying:

“I am honoured to have been selected as Islington Labour’s candidate in the St. Mary’s ward by-election.

“My number one priority is to make St. Mary’s a safer place. Through my extensive experience of working as a prison officer I have seen first hand the importance of a strong, local police force. This is helpful not only for quickly reacting to crimes and disturbances, but also working proactively to prevent trouble before it is too late.

“If elected I will use all of my experience to build a strong alliance with our local police force to robustly tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the ward.

“I will be using my campaign to highlight the Conservative Mayor of London’s police cuts which will remove a quarter of Islington’s Safer Neighbourhood Team sergeants from our streets.

“As a proud Islington resident it angers me that the Government are deliberately loading their cuts on deprived Boroughs like ours. We are officially the eighth most deprived Borough in England but are suffering the largest cut in cash terms in all of London at 12%, whilst the much wealthier Richmond’s reduction is just 0.61%

“I am standing for Labour because I believe in fairness and I know that fairness is at the heart of everything Islington Labour does.

“The ‘Fairness Framework’ developed by the pioneering Islington Fairness Commission ensures that all of the policies our Labour Council develops work towards to goal of making Islington a more equal and fairer place to live and work.

“It is deeply unfair that some of the most disadvantage communities in our Borough must live with the fear of crime. This is why I will be fighting the Conservative Mayor of London’s reckless cuts to our Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

“I will also be fighting for a fairer deal for our local veterans. I have a record of campaigning against the tragic neglect of the Islington Green War Memorial under the previous Lib Dem administration. I was delighted that on taking control of the Council in 2010, Labour worked quickly to address my concerns. However, I still believe there are still improvements that can be made, and if elected I would champion veterans’ issues inside the Council.

“As a Councillor I would work tirelessly to bring together the various communities of St. Mary’s and to build a fairer and more equal Islington.”

Other news from Islington Labour

• 'Excellent' report for Islington's Children's Services - 21 November 2011
• Three Islington organisations victorious in national awards - 21 November 2011
• Labour Islington promises to get to grips with good nutrition - 21 November 2011