The four main parties in Stratford speak to the Herald about why you should vote for them. Conservative leader Tony Jefferson answers key questions
1, What is your top priority for the Stratford district over the next four years?
To deliver and implement the South Warwickshire Local Plan. It is the foundation stone for achieving a step change in our resident’s (young and old) opportunities, enabling us to:
- Deliver local climate change actions — both mitigation and adaptation
- Build ‘real’ communities where people live, work, access education, health, leisure, and retail
- Drive economic growth beyond Shakespeare tourism focusing on development in the technologies and jobs for a green AI world
- Put infrastructure delivery first
- Provide more truly affordable housing for rent and purchase
Without this holistic forward -thinking plan we leave our future to the developers… which is unacceptable, so the stakes are high.
2. Stratford town centre, in particular, has been described as tired and hampered by traffic issues. How would you address this?
Stratford has been ravaged by the impacts of Covid, the march of online retail, energy and cost of living pressures and high interest rates. These factors hamper businesses opening here. Stratford must evolve to meet the future needs of residents and visitors alike with an individual not just a ‘me too’ offering. We must deliver Gateway, which will open access to funds for regenerating Bridge Street and High Street. Our discussions with the owners of BHS continue in persuading them to bring an iconic building forward. Finally, Stratford Town Council must come the table and work with, not against, us.
3. Stratford District Council has been accused of losing out to other authorities in the competition for government money. Do you agree, and if you do agree, what would you do about it?
Well… they would say that wouldn’t they! Since 2019 we have secured £28.5m from the government, an average of £7.1m a year. This compares with the approximately £9.6m raised through this year’s council tax. Like all other local authorities some bids are successful, some are not. Frankly, while hit badly after Covid, we are always going to struggle bidding against the most deprived parts of the country no matter how many extra bid writers we employ. We will continue to bid for grant opportunities making best use of internal and external specialists with specific knowledge and skills to maximise our chances of success.
4. What will you do to ease the housing crisis in the district?
We are proud to have delivered record numbers of affordable homes in each of the last four years. There is much more to do. The new Local Plan will focus on homes for ‘local need’ in our villages supporting their Neighbourhood Development Plans. We will also require higher proportions of affordable rent and purchase homes in any new settlements.
We will also work with our partners at Warwickshire County Council to ensure any of their land they bring forward for development also will address housing need in the district.
5. How will you work with local businesses to boost the district’s economy, create jobs and increase prosperity all round?
Just ask CWLEP, Chamber of Commerce, Growth Hub, and University of Warwick... their answer? We ‘get’ business and partnership with this Conservative-run council will increase prosperity for all.
- Partnering with University of Warwick to support the Stratford on Avon Innovation Campus at Wellesbourne where cutting edge businesses including Lotus has re-located its R&D.
- Our approach to Wellesbourne Airfield will now see a high-tech employment development alongside the airfield and campus creating thousands of jobs
- We used a £1.2m ‘Additional Facilities grant’ to protect and create over 500 jobs.
- SDC’s ‘Driving Innovation and Growth Summit’ has created a forum for business to access SDC support more effectively.
6. Is enough being done in the district to tackle the climate crisis? What would you do?
No, not anywhere on the planet, but we will do whatever we can locally in a global crisis. Our view has always been that adaption is as important as mitigation. We are the first authority to engage Met Office modelling in our Local Plan. Increasingly, it is clear that limiting temperature increases below 2C is no longer feasible. So, we must adapt to a changed world with higher temperatures, droughts and floods. Our new Local Plan will ensure we are prepared. The cost of the infrastructure needed will be massive. That is one reason we are already in discussions with infrastructure providers.
7. What feedback have you had from voters and how are you planning to address the issues raised on the doorstep?
Potholes are number one, a county council issue I know, but it is symptomatic of a lack of investment in both providing and maintaining infrastructure. This country must spend far more on both. In developing our Local Plan, we are putting significant emphasis on working with infrastructure providers to ensure we get the infrastructure we need first ensuring we develop rounded communities and address climate change issues. People do need to be aware that infrastructure investment will come at a (high) price but is absolutely critical for the country’s future.
8. Why should the people of the district vote for your party?
We supported residents during Covid and our strategic approach to recovery is bearing fruit with Gateway, Wellesbourne Campus and airfield, and the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre taking off. The 123 refuse system and state-of -the-art materials recycling facility puts us in the top 10 per cent for recycling in England. We are proactive, decisive, get things done, making a difference for individuals and businesses against the most challenging backcloth in a 100 years. Our strong and experienced councillor team will take and implement difficult decisions. The alternatives are unproven, untested, and spend too much effort focused on national issues rather than on making our residents’ lives better.