Election 2022: Round-up of Havering parties' manifesto pledges ahead of voting day

In the run-up to polling day on May 5, the Recorder has asked political parties in the borough one simple question: what will your candidates do to improve the lives of people living in Havering?

This is what they had to say.

Find more information on different groups' priorities, visit their websites or get in touch with them directly.

View a full list of all the candidates here.

Green Party
Written by David Hughes, candidate for Cranham

David Hughes, candidate for Cranham (Image: Havering Green Party)

Across England, communities are suffering. Libraries close, green spaces vanish, community-owned property sold, potholes grow and street lights dim.

The local elections in May 2022 are a chance to take a stand, to unleash the power of fresh thinking and communities to make lives better – to vote Green.

We campaign for:

• Borrowing the money to build zero-carbon council houses for Havering residents, administered on a not-for-profit basis repaying the loan from rent.
• No more building on our green and open spaces.
• Solar panels on all new build homes and on all council building rooftops.
• Borrowing the money to insulate council-owned buildings and by doing it at scale, offering it cost-effectively to homeowners to repay the loans from savings in energy.
• Improving facilities for young people.
• Improving our air by introducing low-polluting buses and delivery vehicles.
• Cleaner streets; more waste bins, in particular around fast food outlets; and enforcement of fines for littering.
• More help for local businesses in the developing services and experiences economy.

Conservative
Written by Damian White, candidate in Havering-Atte-Bower who is the current leader of Havering Council

Havering Council is rolling out a pilot to support self-isolating residents (Image: Havering Council)

Havering is home to a wonderful set of communities and over the next four years, we will continue to deliver on your priorities.

Spread across four key areas, Our Plan for Havering will see the council:

• Invest an additional £50 million rebuilding the borough’s roads and pavements, the largest investment ever.
• Double the number of road sweepers, so that our borough remains litter-free and clear of graffiti.
• Expand the council-funded police team to fight against antisocial behaviour across Havering.
• Create a six-day-a-week library service and expanded opening hours to give our residents a quiet place to study.
• Expand free swimming for the borough’s children and over 60s, so everyone can benefit from being physically active.
• Build a new network of cycle lanes to support people onto their bikes and out of their cars.
• Build 1,000 new council homes for local residents, so that people are not priced out of living locally.

Havering Residents' Associations
Written by Ray Morgon, candidate for Hacton who is the current leader of the Residents' Group representing Residents’ Association of Emerson Park, Hornchurch Residents' Association, South Hornchurch and Beam Park Residents’ Association and Upminster and Cranham Residents’ Association.

Ray Morgon, candidate for Hacton (Image: Ray Morgon)

Whilst a Residents’ Association-run council will carry out a comprehensive root and branch review of everything that we do and how we do it to improve all services to our residents, one of our top priorities to improve the quality of life for all our residents will be to relentlessly focus on our environment that has declined over the past number of years.

This will include strongly pushing back on the negative impact of the over-development of Havering that is placing increasing pressure on our creaking infrastructure, as well as those public services such as health and policing that we all rely upon.

We will also ensure that the standards of those basic services - such as keeping our streets and open spaces clean and safe - are considerably improved upon and we will take strong pro-active action on all the negative impacts from fly-tipping, graffiti and all other forms of antisocial behaviour.

Havering Independent Residents' Group
Written by Darren Wise, candidate for Harold Wood, on behalf of Harold Wood Hill Park Residents' Association, Independent Harold Hill Residents' Association Gooshays, Independent Harold Hill Residents' Association Heaton and Hornchurch and Upminster Independents for Emerson Park.

Darren Wise, candidate for Harold Wood (Image: Darren Wise)

We are working collaboratively with other groups across Havering so we have a greater voice within the council and be in a position to challenge decisions.

As we are truly independent, we believe we can offer residents real improvements within the council. We want to ensure efficiency, value and transparency. We have many priorities in respect of our own individual wards.

For example, more recycling and electric charging points. We are also mindful of areas being overdeveloped, but we would like to see new-build housing become more eco-friendly - although we will ensure our Green Belt is protected.

We also want to ensure our streets are accessible for all, with investment into roads and pavements.

We would like to see investment into youth services to help with antisocial behaviour and ensure that women’s safety is a key priority. We are mindful that our elderly have to be looked after and not disadvantaged by services becoming too digitalised.

Most importantly, and with the current cost of living increases, we will ensure that council tax is kept to low minimum increases.

Labour
Written by Keith Darvill, candidate in Heaton and leader of the Havering Labour group.

Cllr Keith Darvill (Image: Archant)

Reducing Havering’s climate footprint is at the top of Labour’s agenda.

We will introduce a robust plan with measurable targets in pollution hotspots. We will oppose building on Green Belt and the loss of any green amenity areas.

Although we want more affordable homes, any new developments must have adequate health service provision, children’s play space, schools and transport.

We want to introduce reliable telephone contact for all council services and we will set up a Women’s Consultative Group to advise on safety issues.

We want to address the recent flooding and set up a proactive prevention strategy.

Areas with the most reported crime need up-to-date CCTV. We will review Havering’s knife crime strategy.

Suitable public toilets in all small shopping centres are essential and we think there should be other options for elderly residents who don’t want to use the parking app.

Amid the cost-of-living crisis, we want council tax to give value for money. Putting a stop to some councillors earning £14,000 to attend a handful of meetings will be a first step.

Liberal Democrats
Written by Thomas Clarke, candidate in Squirrels Health

Thomas Clarke, a Squirrels Health candidate (Image: Thomas Clarke)

Our candidates will improve the lives of those in Havering by pressing for more effective police and community liaison officers to better understand, prevent and investigate increasing levels of crime locally.

We will rebuild links with current and new community groups, including establishing a best-practice sharing group to help secure vital funding such as the big lottery fund.

We will support the local parks' friends groups and develop a plan for installing electric vehicle charging.

We will work with the housing associations to build both council and social housing as well as encouraging young people to get on the housing ladder.

Lastly, we will seek to build stronger links with local schools and their governing bodies and encourage each school to take a local councillor as a governor.

English Constitution Party
Written by Colin Birch, English Constitution Party candidate for Hylands and Harrow Lodge

Colin Birch, English Constitution Party candidate for Hylands and Harrow Lodge (Image: Graham Moore)

We need to help our pensioners with this cost-of-living crisis. Pensioners are on a fixed income and have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe. We support raising the state pension equal to the liveable wage.

What we support:

• The repair of the roads and pavements.
• The roads need to be swept once a week, after the bins are emptied.
• We will ensure the friends of the parks groups get supported.
• The replanting of trees across the borough, parks and streets.

What we oppose:

• The over-development of Havering.
• The development of our Green Belt and green spaces.
• Council workers working from home - they need to be back in the council offices.
• The council's move away from cash as cash is legal tender.
• We will weed out any corruption we discover within the council (if any). We will do this by letting every household know all about it!