Election: Fife Tories launch manifesto with 50 specific proposals
and live on Freeview channel 276
The party is looking to build on its 14 elected councillors when voters go to the polls on May 5.
Dave Dempsey, the Tories’ group leader at the council described the Labour/SNP administration as “woebegone and lacklustre” - and only his party could use the funds available more effectively.
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Hide AdIts manifesto pledges more and better scrutiny of council decisions, better value for money and decentralising decision making and budgets.
Mr Dempsey said: “We see Labour and the SNP promising greater powers for Fife’s seven area committees yet whenever we’ve proposed that for the past five years it’s been voted down. They have had umpteen opportunities, all squandered.
“Talking the talk is not enough. It’s time to entrust Fife to those who can bring ideas to life.”
On the Kingdom’s economy, the Tory manifesto pledges to support a mixed economy of council (in-house) and commercial service solutions to maximise value for money, and off free parking for one hour stays to encourage local shopping and encourage more local town markets,
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Hide AdIt also wants to create a council owned business to give disabled people work experience and skills to help with longer term employment.
On health and social care it wants better access to GPs, will raise the hourly rate for care at home workers to £12, and encourage the private sector to build more care homes in towns where they are most needed.
It wants to fund and build a new recycling entre in Cupar as part of its environment strategy, increase the number of community wardens to tackle fly tipping, dog fouling and other anti-social behaviour, and bring in smaller waste bins for houses and flats to cut down on street bin clutter.
On leisure it wants to ensure opening hours of leisure centres meet the needs of the community, investigate the potential for commercial sponsorship of leisure facilities, and examine the viability of building a new, state of the art leisure centre for Dunfermline and West Fife.
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Hide AdEducation plays a key part of the strategy with a raft of pledges.,
These include a guarantee of at least one STEM qualified teacher in every primary school, a one-stop shop for those on the autistic spectrum and their carers in key location, strengthening child mental health services, and maintaining the current leadership structure in schools.
The party also wants to expand capital investment into new schools, including Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.
On transport the Tories want more park and ride facilities, deliver a Fife wide charging infrastructure for electric vehicles by 2026 and reduce speed limits in appropriate built up areas to make the roads safer and cut emissions.
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Hide AdThe party will also encourage the provision of additional parent and child parking spaces, and bring road surfaces in Fife up to acceptable standards by 2024 by additional funding and better use of commercial contractors.
You can read the manifesto in full online at https://fifeconservatives.uk/images/stories/FCUA_Manifesto.pdf