LABOUR PARTY ELECTION STATEMENT

Hyndburn Labour Party launched its campaign to retain control of the Borough Council this weekend and Council Leader Miles Parkinson (also County Councillor for Rishton) believes that his party have taken the right approach during their first year in control of the council for over a decade.

'Against a national backdrop of rising unemployment, attacks on the NHS and the risk of a double dip recession it has been important for the Labour Party to stand up for the people of the Borough, ensure fairness even when there's less money around and to take a responsible approach to the Council's finances.

We have set a 0% Council Tax increase, we have protected the services people rely on, like investing in new bin wagons to improve the service and investing in housing projects and innovative recycling schemes but we have also taken difficult decisions in order to ensure the sustainability of the services we provide. We are the only Party in Hyndburn taking this responsibility seriously and the only Party to offer a clear response to the financial challenges facing our residents.''

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones added, ''Hyndburn is being let down by this Tory-led Government. Hyndburn has had to face the largest cuts in Council funding whilst the leafy south has benefited. Incredibly some areas in the South have seen an increase in the amount it receives. Unemployment in the north is running at 3 times higher than the rate in the south. The north-south divide is widening at an alarming rate under the Conservative led government. Your Labour Council is managing a reduced budget from £17m to £11m as best it can with a 0% increase but with rising charges and back office cuts.

The local Tories have no plan other than to spend, spend, spend in the hope that you will be taken in and put them back in to power. Labour is the only credible Party worth electing to protect your services, run the council sensibly, openly as well as keeping taxes down.''

Cllr Harry Grayson has once again put himself forward as the Rishton candidate, a position he has held since 2006. It is currently unconfirmed whether there will be Conservative opponent in 2012.