FORMER local Labour Party Council leader, Jim Rogers, is standing for Respect in the ward in Harlow he held between 1986-2000. Rogers told Socialist Resistance about the issues his campaign will focus on.
"Our local MP, Bill Rammell, who is the Minister for Higher Education, is proposing to close a centrally placed and successful local comprehensive in order to keep open an improving one that the Tory County Council wants to shut.
We say that both should remain open", he explains. "We want neighbourhood committees re-instated to reintorce council democracy and stem the march of various quangos", he continues.
"We are also proposing alternative community based
usages of closed council building and their retention in public ownership, rather
than seeing them sold off to the private sector"
"We are putting forward the 'fourth option' proposals promoted by the Defend Council Housing campaign as future Harlow Council policy. We want a critical review of council tax to evolve a local taxation scheme as an alternative. These alc the Ilall issues at the centre of our local manifesto."
Labour currently hold all three seats in the one ward In which Respect is standing. Their candidate is a senior Labour councillor who has held the seat for at least LWCHLY veals
However both Tories and Lib-Dems have come within forty votes of taking the seat.
Labour know they are vulnerable on the issues Respect is raising. They are bringing in workers from other wards. Their line is "vote Respect and get a Tory councillor"
So Harlow Respect would also be grateful for any offers of help from branches who are not themselves standing candidates.