The Conservative Party is a large and complex organisation, representing and involving people with a diverse range of backgrounds, interests and concerns. It is a broad church, which encourages open debate and accepts differences of opinion. What unites the Party are the core Conservative principals which provide our foundation.
Freedom
Conservatives believe in less interference from the State - freedom for individuals, families, voluntary groups and businesses.
Enterprise
Conservative want to keep taxes low and set businesses free from red tape to help Britain compete in the global economy.
Responsibility
Conservatives stand for the rule of law and support for all members of our society. We recognise our duty to protect the environment for future generations.
Nation
Conservatives want to safeguard the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, maintain strong defence and uphold our right to national self-government. We want to be in Europe but not run by Europe.
The Conservative Party in Liverpool
The City of Liverpool Conservatives is the organisation which represents the Conservative Party across the five constituencies in the city. These are, Garston and Halewood, Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree and Liverpool West Derby.
As well as upholding the principles and policies of the Conservative Party, the City of Liverpool Conservatives, following consultation with the people of Liverpool, has prioritised local campaigning in the following areas.
Crackdown on Crime
The level of violent crime and anti-social behaviour in Liverpool is unacceptable.
If elected, the City of Liverpool Conservatives will make reducing crime and anti-social behaviour top priority. This will be done by campaigning to get more resources to the police and campaigning to reduce police bureaucracy to allow officers to spend more time fighting crime and less time filling in forms.
Responsible Council Finances
The recent performance of Liverpool City Council is unacceptable. In 2008, the Audit Commission rated Liverpool as the worst local authority in England.
If elected, the City of Liverpool Conservatives will campaign to balance the council’s books and ensure responsible council finances. Conservatives aim to deliver high quality local services and good value for money for council tax payers. Council Tax would be frozen for two years under the Conservatives, not just in an election year.
Improving Liverpool’s Neighbourhoods
The poor state of many of Liverpool roads and pavements is unacceptable. The recent performance of the City Council regarding fly tipping, clearing leaves and clearing snow has been inadequate. The people of Liverpool deserve better.
If elected, the City of Liverpool Conservatives would look to focus more resources on improving our local environment and neighbourhoods. Work needs to be done to repair as many of Liverpool’s roads and pavements as possible.
These improvements would be paid for by spending less money on consultants and quangos and by making Liverpool City Council more efficient.
In short - The City of Liverpool Conservatives would deliver more - for less
The Conservative Party Revival in Liverpool
Following years of decline in Liverpool, the Conservative Party is finally showing signs of recovery in the city.
David Cameron’s Pledge
After his election as Conservative Party leader in 2005, David Cameron pledged that there would be no “no-go” areas for the Conservatives and that the Party would endeavour to re-establish itself in Britain’s inner cities – including Liverpool.
Chris Grayling appointed
Soon afterwards, Chris Grayling MP, the then Shadow Home Sectretary, was appointed as Shadow Minister with responsibility for Liverpool. Despite the fact he no longer holds an offical position of responsibility for London, Mr Grayling remains passionate about Liverpool and has regularly visited the city and has been working hard to promote and represent the Conservative Party here.
Restructure
The five former constituency associations in Liverpool became one organisation, now known as the City of Liverpool Conservatives. This organisation represents the Conservative Party across the five constituencies of Liverpool.
Recovery
Since then the Liverpool team, consisting of an expanding team of committed, hard working volunteers and candidates, have started to move the Conservative Party in Liverpool in the right direction.
Improvements
The City of Liverpool Conservatives has increased its membership and now has many more membership events. It has a new headquarters in the city centre and has a new Conservative Future, for the city’s students and for younger members of the Party. There is also a new Business Forum which regularly meets with the city’s business community.
Working Hard
Importantly, the Conservative Party is once again involved in the debate concerning the future of Liverpool. The Party’s volunteers and candidates have been winning new supporters by working hard locally at a “grass roots” level and have been campaigning regularly on behalf of Liverpool’s residents, families, businesses, communities and voluntary sector. Liverpool Conservatives have been listening; Liverpool’s priorities are our priorities.
Progress
As a result of this hard work, the Conservative vote in Liverpool in 2008 increased by nearly 40%. This result was even more impressive in South Liverpool where the Conservative gains were even greater. Liverpool’s voters also helped return three Conservative MEP’s in the North West at the European elections in 2009. As a result of this progress, the Conservative Party has had much more coverage in the city’s media. In 2011 the Association spearheaded the opposition to the adoption of the Alternative Vote system, winning with a majority of the votes in the Liverpool count.
Long way to go
Unfortunately, despite the significant progress that has been made, there is still no Conservative representation on Liverpool City Council. This is unacceptable for the City of Liverpool Conservatives and the team will be continuing in their efforts to earn more votes in the future local council elections and the next general election. Good progress has been made but there is a long way to go.
The Future
However, the future is looking brighter for Liverpool Conservatives. The candidates selected for the general election all have local connections and the majority of the candidates for the City Council elections will be under the age of 30. Liverpool Conservatives are working hard for today and building for tomorrow.
We need your help
To continue our progress, Liverpool Conservatives need more help and support. If you believe that it’s time for change, then why not get involved with the City of Liverpool Conservatives today and be part of the change that both Liverpool, and Britain, so desperately need.
