Monday 26th January 2015, Saffron Walden: Residents-for-Uttlesford (R4U), the local advocacy party for towns and villages, has unveiled its manifesto for the upcoming district elections. Uniquely amongst other political parties, R4U has also announced a 2 week residents’ public consultation on the proposals.

R4U party chair Cllr John Lodge said “We are excited to launch our Residents’ Manifesto for the future of Uttlesford. In it we promise an open and progressive local government that will be financially responsible and answerable to residents. We will focus on growing and keeping businesses in Uttlesford; we will ensure that development is in tune with local needs and that it is both sustainable and infrastructure-led; we will hold other authorities to account for our needs, such as schools, health, roads and water; we will encourage healthy lifestyles with improved green spaces, sport and leisure amenities.”

Prospective district council candidate Dr Richard Freeman is co-chair of the R4U policy team. He said “The R4U manifesto is built on our party principles of: listening to residents; sustainable long-range planning; delivery of excellent services; fiscal responsibility; development of progressive policies free from national party politics; and transparency and accountability. We believe we have the right balance of short and long term policies to continue to keep our beautiful towns and villages the special places they are.”

Prospective candidate Dr Barbara Light is the other co-chair of the R4U policy team. She added “We are excited that we have built our manifesto with residents, and it includes input from more than 600 locals that attended the March 2014 public consultation. People can read it on our website and we welcome them to submit feedback. Residents are also welcome to attend our manifesto launch at 8PM on Friday 30th January at 3 London Rd, Saffron Walden. They will be able to meet our team and let us know their opinions. For the event please RSVP on our website residents4u.org.”

In summary, the R4U manifesto policies say:

• Council Services, Local Government & Finance: We will be open, transparent and accountable to residents; we will be responsible and run services efficiently; we will be a strong voice for Uttlesford on policies and authorities that we can’t directly control.

• Economy & Jobs: We will support economic growth and employment inside Uttlesford and promote our district as a great tourist destination.

• Housing & Planning: Our planning will be driven by local housing needs, homes will be built to high environmental standards, and we will incorporate the infrastructure essential for our vibrant and growing communities.

• Environment: We will protect and enhance our built and natural environment, creating new green spaces, reducing pollution and improving sustainability.

• Health & Leisure: We will encourage healthy lifestyles and work to improve sport and leisure amenities and the provision of more healthcare facilities.

The full R4U manifesto is available for download on the party’s website at www.residents4u.org/manifesto/. The current 2-week consultation is open until Monday 9th February. Residents can submit comments on the R4U website at the link above.