Earlier this month, Sally-Ann Hart, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, reflected on a year that was both frustrating and rewarding, despite the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. In this exclusive response, we hear the views of Nick Warren, Chair, Rye and District Labour Party, and his take on the year that was 2021.
A few weeks ago, as part of a look back at the last twelve months, Rye News published a review of the political world, both nationally and locally, through the eyes of Hastings and Rye MP Sally-Ann Hart.
Having read the recent “review of a year in the life of our local MP” by Sally Ann Hart in Rye News, it is very tempting to concentrate on the current sleaze scandals, blatant lies and shameless partying of her Party’s leadership at a time when the rest of us were doing our best in challenging circumstances to protect others from Covid.
It is tempting to call her out for her blind support for the PM, often at the expense of the local people she is supposed to represent, e.g. her failure to support measures to punish water/sewerage companies for their incompetence in allowing untreated sewerage to pollute our local seas or her failure to try to stop making the poorest in our communities becoming even poorer by removing £20 per week from their Universal Credit – how does this sit with her claim to support “levelling up”.
Whilst we are not the party currently in power nationally, we do have a number of active members in local councils and local communities, and you would therefore be quite right to ask what has Labour done locally and what is it proposing nationally?
Locally, we have been actively involved in campaigns to punish the water/sewage companies for the terrible pollution of our seas and to stop further pollution, to build affordable housing in our area to house local families, to save long standing popular local business, Rye Hire, from enforced closure and loss of local employment from development and to combat speeding on our local roads.
Nationally at the end of 2021 we made a number of radical policy pledges:
Environment and Economy
To spend £28bn each year until 2030 on investment in green infrastructure and jobs.
We will be the party to prioritise “climate justice and economic justice together” with a £3bn fund to “green” the UK steel industry.
Economy
We will scrap unfair business rates and eventually replace them with a system designed to come down harder on online giants – rather than squeezing high street businesses. We will launch a new Office for Value for Money to monitor how taxpayer money is being spent.
Housing
We will cap the amount of property overseas investors can purchase in new developments – giving first-time local buyers priority.
We will change the rules around how large developers contribute towards affordable housing and give councils more powers to buy land for building homes.
Education
We will remove the charitable status from private schools – which allows them to pay less tax than other business. With the money raised, we will fund educational reform in state schools.
We will boost arts and digital funding and offer better careers guidance to children – making work experience compulsory and teaching students about pensions, mortgages and contracts.
Health
Labour will double the current funding for dementia research and seek to build a national care service in the image of the NHS. Above all we will rebuild and protect the NHS.
Crime
We will develop a state-run pro bono service to compel firms to offer a certain amount of free legal advice to those who need it and are not eligible for legal aid.
We will speed up rape and sexual assault cases, toughen up on street harassment and misogyny.
We will restore neighbourhood policing through new police hubs and fighting anti-social behaviour.
Foreign affairs
We will set up a £35m fund to help British veterans and Afghan interpreters – to provide mental health support services and support.
A Labour government would place extra controls on the use of British troops and police to train their counterparts abroad to ensure the UK is not offering support to countries abusing human rights.
Devolution
Labour would boost devolution to give local councils greater control over the investment and infrastructure in their areas.
The cost of fuel for homes
We will look to help homes facing large rises in fuel costs in April 2022 by removing the VAT from home fuel bills (funded by a windfall tax on fuel companies)
Rye and District Labour Party sends all local residents, best wishes for 2022 and looks forward to working with you for a fairer, caring future.
Nick Warren
Chair, Rye and District Labour Party
January 2022
Thank you Nick,for giving voice to these vital things, and in so clear and erudite a manner.Palmira
Interesting to read Nick Warren’s political broadcast on Rye News, just sad the party is so divided,with the momentum Corbyn lovers, and Captain hindsight Starmer, something that will tarnish labour for years.
You seem to be unaware that Keir Starmer has removed the whip from Corbyn (ie he is no longer a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and therefore has no power) and has expelled those of the Far Left who seek to split the Party. The days of Corbynism are well and truly over.
Thank you Nick for your article which provides a positive alternative to the views of our MP. It is good to see that in some areas the political life of this country is alive and well and providing for the needs of the populace, something that the current shambles of a government is signally failing to do (unless you are very rich). I can only surmise that Conservative MPs are trained to believe that if they constantly tell themselves and us what a wonderful job they are doing for the country, both they and their constituents will eventually come to believe it. There seems to be a culture throughout the Conservative Parliamentary party which sees being economical with the truth – or as some might say, spinning – in all matters as acceptable. I may not vote for the Conservative Party but I accept the democratic process whilst expecting our leaders to show decency, integrity and dignity, all of which is sorely lacking at the moment.
As anyone who has tried to engage with our MP on any point of view opposed to the current ‘Government think’ (not sure much of it is actual policy more knee-jerk reactions) will tell you, all you get by way of reply is a bland statement of what is supposed to be happening. Her voting record speaks for itself in terms of her ability to consider the needs of her constituents above the party whip. I believe there is only one occasion when she voted against the leadership – and then she sat on the fence by abstaining.
My only criticism of the current Labour leadership is their apparent failure to call out each and every misrepresentation of the wonders of the current government but then again these are so myriad where would they begin? Faced with a strongly right-wing press and a cowed national broadcaster it is often difficult for alternative voices to be heard. So thank you Rye News for allowing this to happen.
Thank you Nick for that response to Sally-Ann Hart’s rose-tinted look at 2021.