Stirling Council Manifesto 2017 – Strengthening Communities

Along with warm, safe homes, we all want our communities to be vibrant, green and great places to live.  Since coming to power in 2012, Labour has worked hard to make our communities great places to live and raise a family. 

LEADING on recycling across Scotland.  Stirling now recycles 54% of all waste;  that’s 12% above the Scottish average.

REDUCED carbon emissions.  Labour has ensured Stirling Council’s carbon emissions have been cut by 20% in the last five years.

REPLACED street lights with low carbon, low energy, low cost LED bulbs.

PLANTED wildflower meadows in place of grass in appropriate areas, cutting the council’s grass cutting costs and improving biodiversity and helping honeybees.

PROTECTED green belt land from exploitative developments.

WORKED with communities to ensure their voices are heard in decision making processes that affect them directly.

CHAMPIONED community food growing and gardening with projects such as Braehead Community Garden.

BUILT miles and miles of new cycle and walking paths, connecting communities in a green way.

INCREASED the levels of physical activity across the district with world class facilities at the Peak and other community facilities.

CHAMPIONED libraries and community centres in the face of cuts to council budgets.

In the next five years Labour will:

INVEST in new equipment for playparks.

REPAIR roads and paths across the district, starting with the routes that need it most.

INCREASE the amount of cycling and walking routes across the district.

IMPROVE Stirling’s already impressive recycling record.

INTRODUCE a campaign to reduce litter and dog fouling through a community grant fund that rewards communities who pick up and bin their litter.

COMMIT to working with communities to allocate more land for allotments and community gardens.

PROTECT green belt land from exploitative developments.

TARGET irresponsible dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets.

TARGET the fly tipping, graffiti and other anti-social behaviours that blight our communities.

HOLD TO ACCOUNT Police Scotland and ensure that community policing is in line with what communities, not police bosses, want to see.

ENSURE Stirling’s leisure services are kept out of the private sector with a new local charity to run things by the end of 2017.

GIVE more control of community services to community groups.

REGENERATE the communities that need it the most, echoing the success we’ve had in Raploch and Cultenhove.

USE all of the tools at our disposal to stop fracking in Stirling and use all of the influence we can bring to bear to ensure a national ban on fracking.

SUPPORT our libraries by ensuring they are 21st century community hubs with appropriate facilities.

We will COMMIT to investigating the creation of a municipal public transport company to provide public transport.  Community priorities, not commercial priorities, should determine where and when public transport operates.

To download a full copy of our manifesto, click here.

To read other sections of our manifesto online, click on the links below:

  1. Introduction
  2. Jobs & the Economy
  3. Education & Young People
  4. Housing & Utilities
  5. Strengthening Communities
  6. Health & Social Care