Views From The Ground: How Leicester Is Being Let Down By Labour

kishan

In this edition of ‘Views From The Ground’, we hear from Kishan Devani. Kishan is the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Leicester East. 

Growing up surrounded by cultural diversity, I can truly say that it forms the basis of successful and tightly knit communities which exemplify the ideal of unity in diversity. Therefore, the opportunity to stand for parliament in an area such as Leicester East, where there is immense cultural diversity; where peoples of all backgrounds and community roots thrive, is truly humbling. It is an opportunity where I not only have the chance to represent members of all communities, but also stand up and speak up for the many residents who over the last 28 years, have clearly not been listened to by their stubborn and somewhat complacent Labour representatives.

However, the fact that Leicester East is and has been a major stronghold for the Labour Party, doesn’t shake me in the slightest. For I see the majority of residents embracing the great British values of family and community, and strength in hard work. The same values the Conservative party has held on to dearly. We are the party for hard working families and strong communities. We believe that people should keep more of what they earn as it is their right to do so. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see that in government, we have taken the lowest income earners out of income tax all together. 26 Million people in total have received income tax cuts! 1.85 million more people in employment under the Conservatives – this is a record to be proud of!

Therefore, it gives me great sorrow to see that once more, the residents of the city of Leicester are suffering at the hands of those who pretend to support them and pretend to be the workers party. This is clearly not true and the contrast is stark between the two major parties at the General Election in May. We have the real party of the workers – the Conservatives and then we have the party of welfare, Labour – that allowed for a situation where it was better to be out of work than in work! Diabolical I say! We had to make realistic assessments about the state of the British economy and this involved taking difficult decisions to reduce the deficit and control spending. Thanks to the hard work of the British people, this long-term economic plan is working. The deficit is down by half, there are over 2 million more private sector jobs and there are 760,000 more businesses.  For 13 years Labour persisted in spending more than our country could afford with hardworking taxpayers continuing to pay back Labour’s debt. Their inefficient and ineffective spending meant our economy was vulnerable at a time when it should have been strong and healthy. Labour hasn’t learned its lesson. Their only policies are still to tax, spend and borrow more – creating economic chaos and adding more debt than future generations could ever pay.Leicester city’s long ruling Labour council is no different: under their increasingly powerful and growingly unpopular Mayor, who has once more squeezed resident’s pockets for their own gains. The Labour led council has approved the Mayor’s plans to hike up council tax by 1.99 per cent, adding to the £49million already banked.

By increasing council tax, the Labour run council plans to line its already healthy reserve pot. The problem sprouts from the fact that there are no real signs that this money will be returned to the public in the correct form. Since 2011 the reserved funds have only gotten larger, and the current trends show that this will only continue to be the case. As Labour has its way, a further £6.9million is expected to be collected by the council over the next financial year.

Alongside shallow pockets, the residents of the locality will be forced to accept an unfair lower standard of living. But for what sake? So that the council’s finances can look plump, and be wasted on future projects that completely ignore resident’s needs for stable living standards? The council is set to spend £1million on undisclosed sites on ‘regeneration projects’. Yet it isn’t committed to supporting a better standard of living for its locals.

Since forming a government, the Conservatives have given local authorities the power to decide how grants from central government could be spent, providing them with the opportunity to freeze council tax rates. However, the city council chooses not to act on this support. So what is their excuse for not using the money, that we as Conservatives in government have given to them to freeze hardworking people’s council tax bills? There is no excuse.

Rather absurdly they prefer to increase council tax rates, and choose to sit on the money belonging to residents. Is it not hypocritical of the Labour run council to speak of a cost living crisis, when it is their own decisions that are irreversibly reducing the standard of living for residents by increasing their council tax. I believe that this is unacceptable and more so, despicable.

 Find out more about Kishan Devani and his campaign to become Conservative MP for Leicester East by clicking here

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