VOTE 2014: What do the Liberal Democrats have to offer the people of Croydon ahead of the local elections? GILL HICKSON gives their party line

LibDem candidate Gill Hickson has been doing a lot of work on road issues in Coulsdon

The LibDems feel its time to break the two-party duopoly in Croydon politics.

For too long the policies have been on party grounds and not for the benefit of residents or the long-term future of the area. We want Coulsdon , and Croydon, to be revitalised through well-thought-out planning and not for the benefit of large developers who are only interested in making a fast buck.

Cane Hill is a typical example of this, where no consideration has been given to the local people who may wish to buy first-time homes or people needing to down-size and want to stay in the area. With the development being at the mercy of the free market we could easily end up with investors from China buying up properties and then renting them out for exorbitant fees. We want to ensure the council reduces the amount of empty properties in the town and brings these homes back into use.

All three LibDem candidates in Coulsdon East – Arfan Bhatti, Ashley Burridge and myself – are passionate about the area and all live in the ward. We already hold monthly surgeries and deliver newsletters and surveys to keep in touch with residents.

We believe in local government by consensus. Our priorities are governed by the electorate. We are currently working with locals on ideas to control speeding. We are supporting Tollers Estate residents in a petition to get more parking and open up the entrance to the estate to make it easier for motorists and pedestrians with disabilities to negotiate the area. A nice welcoming sign would also be good.

We’ve been listening on the doorsteps to people’s concerns. We will continue to monitor Purley Hospital that had its Minor Injuries Units hours greatly reduced, despite using out of date information and with no publicity to promote its existence and encourage more use.

We would ensure the libraries, the hubs of our community, are not run down and closed. We want to tackle the looming shortage of school places and want to help integrate the local high school and college into the community more.

We want to ensure the area is free of fly-tipping and we have some innovative ideas from neighbouring boroughs. Where necessary, we support the need for more regular rubbish collections and street cleaning. We would freeze Council Tax but ensure a better rate of collection and strive for best value for money.

We are passionate about volunteering and want to start groups to get involved with locals of all ages. We would also like to see the Hartley Downs allotments used for a community project.

It’s time for a change. It’s time for a more Liberal and more Democratic Croydon.

• Gill Hickson is the chair of Coulsdon LibDems and is a candidate in Coulsdon East

Inside Croydon’s recent coverage of the local elections:

• The Croydon party line: UKIP
• Policy analysis 1: The incinerator
• Policy analysis 2: Hammersfield
• Policy analysis 3: Crime
• ADDISCOMBE: Labour looking vulnerable to Barwell’s push
• Council CEO parrots Tory party line in official press releases
• Conservatives snub hustings as sham candidates exposed
• Council allowances and local politicians’ secret consensus
• The list of candidates for the May 22 local elections

Coming to Croydon

• David Lean Cinema: The Rocket, May 22
• Songs From The Ledge, Spread Eagle Theatre, May 23
• Greek Myths: stories and mask-making, May 27
• Howard Marks: Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe, May 29
• David Lean Cinema: Dallas Buyers Club, May 29
• Tales from Ancient Greece, Upper Norwood Library, May 29
• Upper Norwood Library Book Club, May 31
• Stitch Pitch quilting workshop, Upper Norwood Library, June 2
• Croydon Tech City “summit”, June 6
• An Improvised Murder, Spread Eagle Theatre, June 7
• Lakes Playground Action Group fun day, June 14
• Elm Tree Cottage garden open day, June 15
• Norwood Society Talk: The Concrete Church, June 19
• Classic Car Show at Purley Rotary Fields, June 22
• Crystal Palace Overground Festival, June 26-29
• Warnings to the Curious, Spread Eagle Theatre, June 27
• South Norwood Allotments open day, June 28
• Fragile, Spread Eagle Theatre, July 24-26
• Elm Tree Cottage garden open day, Aug 10
• Norwood Society Talk: War Memorials, Sep 18
• Norwood Society Talk: From Fire Station to Theatre, Oct 16
• Norwood Society Talk: Lambeth’s Archives, Nov 20

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