Elvie outlines Swale Liberal Democrat priorities (Sittingbourne and Sheppey Liberal Democrats)

Sittingbourne and Sheppey Liberal Democrats <info@sittingbourneandsheppeylibdems.org.uk>

Elvie outlines Swale Liberal Democrat priorities

April 28, 2011 6:44 PM
In East Kent Gazette - 27 April 2011

Cllr Elvie Lowe Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Elvie Lowe has put jobs and local development at the top of the Liberal Democrats' agenda in Swale. Along with other local party leaders, Elvie was asked the following questions by the East Kent Gazette.

Should the Northern Relief Road be linked to the A2?

Of course this road should be completed. It is nonsense to have spent money on a road to nowhere. A bypass should take traffic away from the congested parts of town and anyone trying to get off the industrial estate and Great Easthall at rush hour will be able to testify to the congestion. We then need to minimise the impact on villages to the east.

Which of the four core strategy options do you support and why?

It is easier to say which ones I do not support: options three and four. These will expose the countryside around Kent Science Park and cause severe problems on roads not made to take large volumes of traffic. We need to retain a green lung around urban areas, otherwise we will become one massive built-up conurbation. We need quality employment but there is space within the science park to expand so one is not mutually dependent on the other.

How would you persuade people to shop and socialise in the nearest town?

We need to get the town centre development under way in Sittingbourne: this has been promised for far too long without anything happening. We would like to see commerce go hand in hand with better leisure facilities, a cinema, bowling alley, cultural centre etc and open air areas where people can sit and socialise. I have planted trees with volunteers on Church Marshes Country Park and we continue to support this excellent project.

How much emphasis should be put on the arts and tourism in Swale in this tough economic climate?

There should be development agreements to provide leisure facilities which will bring in visitors. We can then introduce them to the interesting tourist attractions we have in Swale. We appreciate the tough economy but if we lose our heritage it will be lost forever. Tourist attractions, like Milton Regis Court Hall, should be given help ad assistance in partnership with the local community.

If you were given £1 million to spend for the benefit of Swale people, what would it go on?

Good jobs. We would invest in a fund to help small businesses, some as a grant and some as a loan so that as a business becomes successful, it would repay the loan so the money could be recycled to do even more. We would set up vocational training and help with the finances of offering apprenticeships.