ELEVEN Fenland divisions will be contested in the Cambridgeshire County Council elections on May 2. Here are your candidates and the party manifestos.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
The Conservative Party pledges to protect the vulnerable whilst boosting jobs and prosperity.
They will reduce operating costs, building on the £48 million savings made in 2012. But they will also create more jobs and encourage more apprenticeships.
They will invest £20 million in superfast broadband with the aspiration that more than 90 per cent of premises will receive it by 2015.
They will ensure Cambridge Science Park train station is built and operational within four years and act as a developer to take advantage of the County Council’s land-holding to secure affordable homes.
They have promised a £90 million investment in County’s roads over next five years, which will be spent on improving roads, footpaths and cycleways.
They will press hard for improvements to the A47, as well as exploring improvements to the Foxton crossing.
They will work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and local constabulary to develop safer communities and tackle anti-social behaviour, under-age drinking, domestic violence and drug abuse.
They will prevent the building of wind farms on County-owned land.
LABOUR PARTY
Labour have pledged to flight cuts to essential services, especially those for the vulnerable, disabled and elderly.
They will lobby the government to introduce a fairer system of charging for adult residential care.
They will actively campaign against cuts to benefits for the least well-off.
They will fight for a living wage for all low paid workers, particularly council employees and those employed by council funded agencies.
The party will prioritise the wellbeing of the county’s children and young people and campaign for extra funding for the poorest areas.
They will campaign for better bus services and investment in a high quality road, pavement and cycling infrastructure.
Labour will continue to campaign for the A14 upgrade and oppose toll road.
They will push for a detailed feasibility study on reopening the March to Wisbech line and Soham station.
The party is committed to regional economic growth and job creation across the county.
They will campaign for more apprenticeships to be offered to young people.
They are opposed to further cuts to police, fire and ambulance services.
They will pursue sustainable green policies.
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
The party has pledged to provide better basic services, making it easier for people to get around.
The environment is a key priority, with a pledge to invest £20 million in green energy, which they claim will bring in £2.5 million each year to fund basic services.
They will improve roads and invest in upgrading pavements, cycleways and streetlights.
The party intend to maintain primary school buildings, provide more nursery places, reduce cuts to Adult Mental Health and protect library services.
They will stop cuts to the bus service and instead increase its funding to £5 million a year.
The party will provide young people with free transport so that they are able to find jobs.
They will contribute to the cost of a rail link to Wisbech and look into creating a railway station at Ely North.
The party will eliminate corporate waste and sell County’s Shire Hall HQ, which costs £1M a year to maintain.
They will improve the A14, introduce 20 mph zones in densely populated residential areas and re-open youth clubs.
UKIP
UKIP want to the leave the EU, which they claim is a drain on the country’s finances.
They will introduce local referenda on major planning decisions such as out-of-town or large scale supermarket developments.
They are staunchly opposed to windfarms are have pledged to protect the greenbelt.
They will reduce tax and business costs to stimulate the economy and reduce the demand for housing by ending EU open-door immigration.
The party will prioritise and provide an incentive to re-use empty homes.
They will build more grammar schools, reinstate student grants and encourage apprenticeships.
UKIP say they will improve care for the elderly and oppose cuts to frontline health services.
They have pledged to mend potholes, improve public transport and maintain rural bus routes.
They will oppose road tolling for anything other than foreign lorries.
The party has promised a zero-tolerance approach to nuisance neighbours and anti-social behaviour.
They will invest in youth services, facilities and youth clubs, while cutting council executives salaries and councillors expenses.
INDEPENDENT
Councillor Virginia Bucknor is standing in the Wisbech North Ward. She has campaigned for major improvements to the A1101 and fought against the closure of Moy Park, a major local factory.
She believes North Wisbech, which is in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived areas in the country, has been neglected and is keen to see increased investment in roads, infrastructure, school, public health, children’s social care and learning disability.
Councillor Mark Archer is standing in the Forty Foot Division. He is strongly committed to improving village life and is heavily involved in many projects and groups.
He pledges to fight against cuts, reinstate some of the area’s lost services and work with other local groups to persuade Cambridgeshire County Council to stop starving the area of resources.
ENGLISH DEMOCRATS
They want England to have its own parliament and are campaigning for controlled immigration.
The party supports a points system for entry to the UK which is based on the Canadian and Australian model.
Points would be awarded for educational and professional qualifications, family links with England, financial resources and the ability to speak English.
They believe tackling immigration will ease pressure on social housing.
The party proposes publicly funded affordable housing purchase and says rental schemes should only be available to first time buyers who are English citizens.
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