Dear Sir,

Some people are nervous about vaccination, but no one can disagree that – in overseeing its spectacular roll-out to millions of people – our NHS has given us hope we did not have before.

Never has there been a more important election, as we begin to restore social interactions put on hold, business and industry held in abeyance, and mental health stress tested to breaking point by lockdown.

Coronavirus has shown us what matters most. As we emerge from the crisis, we need to go back to those feelings of safety and belonging which we took for granted.

REBUILDING WHAT MATTERS

The government is talking about making the public pay for the lockdown and, as usual, it is the middling-to-lower sort who are going to be asked to fork out. People have noticed that the Tories are gradually moving the burden from central government onto Council Tax … and it has also been noted that this year, for the first time, the County Council refused the government’s recommended 5% increase in Council Tax, setting a lower figure of 2.99%. Whoever would have thought that a Labour Council would be protecting us from a Conservative government Council Tax hike … but it is true.

The County Council has provided strong leadership to keep its finances under control, and is NOT one of those many councils now on the verge of bankruptcy.

Indeed it is comforting to know that, in its build-back Budget this year, Labour-led Durham County Council found extra money for highway maintenance, for street lighting, for ‘Find and Fix’ neighbourhood improvements, and for additional wardens. There is extra money too, for initiatives to improve public safety so people feel secure. And Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership is to receive extra funding for local regeneration schemes (for local residents to decide).

STICK WITH SUCCESS

And what will happen to our core services to older residents if/when the Tories return to slashing grants to councils? It is a reassurance to know that DCC Extra Care Services were judged ‘safe, responsive, well led, effective and caring’ at their last Ofsted; that County Durham Care Academy was launched in August 2019 to train carers; and that Durham now has 19 Dementia Friendly Communities across the county. The County Council has an 11-year history of maintaining frontline services despite brutal government cuts. Whatever they have criticised Labour for, people in County Durham have always trusted Labour to care for them!

But local government is more than just about caring! Durham County Council has a turnover of more than £1billion. Its revenue budget is £400million, with a projected capital investment of £484million 2021-25. The senior Labour councillors who have steered the County Council safely though the past decade of cuts are immensely skilled and experienced, and we need to think very carefully before we vote to replace them with candidates, some of whom have no experience whatsoever of being on a council at any level.

#BuildBackLabour

Sedgefield CLP Campaigns team