Ross Archer, the Conservative Candidate for Mayor of Lewisham, has launched his manifesto ahead of the local elections. The manifesto calls for a fresh start for Lewisham after over forty years of Labour rule in the borough.
The Labour party have been in charge of Lewisham since 1971 and the current Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, has been in charge since the post was created in 2002.
Lewisham Conservatives came second in all three Lewisham parliamentary constituencies in last year’s General Election, leading local Conservatives to say they are the only alternative and the fresh start Lewisham needs.
Ross Archer has been a leading local voice against the Millwall Compulsory Purchase Order, been campaigning to save two local police stations, Catford and Deptford police stations from closing, and been campaigning to see three of South Lewisham’s train stations to be rezoned from Zone Four to Zone Three saving local commuters over £400 a year.
Ross Archer’s manifesto announces a package of measures on housing, transport, crime, the local environment and improving Town Hall transparency.
Ross Archer’s key pledges are:
- Funding 10 new Police community support officers over four years.
- Re-open the Millwall CPO inquiry to answer the real and remaining questions of what went on. Release all evidence from the Dyson inquiry.
- Ensure no Millwall CPO takes place.
- Re-introduce weekly bin collections.
- Freeze Council tax for the first two years.
- Ensure all Lewisham school students are going to a OFSTED rated good or outstanding school by 2020.
- Investing at least an extra £750,000 in youth services across Lewisham to re-open youth clubs closed by the Labour Council.
- Build 3,000 new homes a year in Lewisham. Build 1,000 new council homes over four years and in addition build 4,000 new affordable homes over four years
- Campaign to re-zone Grove Park, Lower Sydenham and Beckenham Hill Stations to Zone Three, saving local commuters over £400 a year.
- Guarantee that 60% of waste in our borough will be recycled, unlike Labour.
You can view the full manifesto here: https://www.lewishamconservatives.org.uk/Fresh-Start
Ross Archer says “Lewisham needs a fresh start. After 40 years in charge Labour have grown complacent and arrogant. I am offering a positive vision of change for our borough. If elected I'll cancel the Millwall CPO, tackle fly-tipping, build more genuinely affordable homes and fund extra police officers. I will improve Lewisham’s schools so every child has the best start in life and support our local businesses so we can have a thriving local economy. Only Lewisham Conservatives can offer our borough the change and fresh start it needs.”