Your Labour Candidate - Cuckfield
HILARY SCHAN-MARTYN
Parish Council Candidate
Representing your views
I am standing for the Parish Council because I believe passionately in the importance of local community and that we must seek to provide the opportunity of a good standard of life for people of all ages. The Parish Council plays a vital role in voicing the views and concerns of local residents and I will fight to make sure you are heard on important issues such as Protection of the Cuckfield Play Meadow, Planning, Road Safety and use of our Community Spaces.
Supporting local women
I am the Women’s Officer for Mid Sussex Labour, having joined the Party three years ago. I am proud of the work that Labour has done to encourage grass roots activism and have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the issues facing local women and working to get more women actively involved in local politics. A priority of mine is to get more Red Box collections set up, so that we can seek to provide much needed free sanitary products to local girls and women.
Protecting Cuckfield
I currently volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service Good Neighbours Scheme and have been visiting a local lady for the past 2 years who was born and raised in Cuckfield. This has led me to take a keen interest in the local history of the village and I have been saddened by the lack of action by Mid Sussex District Council to protect the local Play Meadow and listen to views of residents. I would love to be able to be your voice on the Parish Council and to contribute to ensuring Cuckfield continues to be a wonderful place to live.
As your parish councillor, I pledge to:
- Fight alongside local residents to save the Cuckfield play meadow and hold MSDC to account both legally and morally for the sake of the community.
- Push for further traffic calming measures throughout the village.
- Ensure adequate youth club activities are held in the Village Hall.
- Campaign for an enforceable minimum quota of 40% affordable housing in all local developments.
- Demand that money for roads, schools, GPs, community buildings, parks, sports facilities and open spaces is required from housing developers.
- Always put your interests above all else on the Parish council.
- Work constructively with other councillors, considering issues on their merits alone.
- Always be available – listening to your concerns and pressing for action to resolve difficulties.
On the environment Labour will:
- Support the completion of the Green Belt with the inclusion of fitness trails, and work to maintain, advertise and improve footpaths and cycle links.
- Work to protect and improve new and existing green spaces to the benefit of people's health and well-being and seek community engagement and support, using funding generated from new developments and other sources.
- Press our County councillors to support the motion due to be debated by West Sussex Council declaring a climate emergency and press the District and Town councils to pass a similar motion, making climate change considerations an integral part of decision-making.
In planning and building Labour will:
- Bring back Local Planning Committees, ensuring that all decisions are taken at the local level with community input.
- Demand that ALL developments are in full compliance with District and Neighbourhood Plans and incorporate traffic management schemes to ease the congestion on our roads.
- Require developers to have open and transparent accounting for their contributions. This must occur as an integral part of the development and not as an afterthought.
- Expect high building standards that include renewable energy, electric car points and adequate car parking facilities.
A VOTE FOR LABOUR IS A VOTE TO:
- Stand up to speculative developers
- Demand high building standards that include renewable energy
- Create more affordable housing
- Be more transparent about how council decisions are made
- Bring back truly representative local planning committees
- Put the environment and green space above profit
- Balance the needs of business with the interests of the community