Care home turnaround and pledges on wastage in Liverpool's Labour manifesto

Mar 28 2008 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

LABOUR leaders pledged to keep two Liverpool care homes open and regenerate derelict housing last night, as the party launched its manifesto.

Leader Joe Anderson was joined by Hazel Blears, Secretary for Communities and Local Government, and MP for Liverpool Garston Maria Eagle to reveal pledges to entice voters ahead of the city council elections in May.

As part of the plans, the party is promising to keep Leighton Dene residential home in Fazakerley, and the Boaler Street rehabilita-tion unit in Kensington open.

Both are currently set for closure under council budget cuts, but the Labour group claims the closures would not be necessary if less financial wastage occurred.

Cllr Anderson said: “We need to cut waste and inefficiency in the council and this step would pay for the services.

“It is about value for money and we would work with Liverpool PCT to make sure they stay open and in turn prevent bed-blocking.”

The manifesto also promises to provide 8,000 more homes for rent or shared owner-ship over eight years and to use legal pow-ers to bring derelict homes back into use.

To address anti-social behaviour the party is in favour of issuing more ASBOs and has pledged to speed up the eviction of problem individuals.

Last night, Hazel Blears said: “Nationally, it is really sad that this is the worst managed council in the country. I think the people of Liverpool deserve better.

“Liverpool is on the verge of something really exciting and we need to grab that with both hands.”

During a speech at the Devonshire House Hotel, on Edge Lane, she added: “I really believe this is Labour’s year. The year of real fightback, real advance. We’ve some fantastic candidates, with roots deep in the community, with a real sense of what local people want and think.”

Maria Eagle said: “If we do not go forward as a city we will start to go backwards – you cannot afford to rest on your laurels, we need to act now.”

Other promises included employing more dog and park wardens to keep green open space in the city clean and tidy, building new state-of-the-art secondary schools and increasing apprenticeships geared to the local market need.

lizawilliams