The Labour Party in Devon are standing 60 candidates in the upcoming May 6th Devon County Council elections.

Standing a candidate in every seat gives voters an opportunity, no matter where they live in Devon, to vote for a Party that will stand up for local services and local businesses.

The Labour Party is the only party other than the Conservatives to be standing in every division, showing that Labour is the only serious opposition in Devon.

The 60 candidates are standing for election based on the 2021 Devon wide Manifesto ‘A Better Future For Devon which outlines Labour’s vision for making Devon a great place to grow up, grow old, and live in.

Labour Candidate for Exwick and St Thomas and Leader of the Labour Group at County Council, Rob Hannaford said, ‘this Labour manifesto I think offers a better, fairer, intelligent and more compassionate way to go forward and is a focal point of hope.’

During the pandemic Labour councils and councillors went above and beyond in helping their communities. Alongside the heroic efforts of our NHS and frontline workers, they pioneered local contact tracing, secured protective equipment or provided free school meals when the Conservatives refused.

As we come out of this pandemic, Labour’s priorities are those that most matter to local communities. Labour will protect the vital public services we all rely on, invest in our local businesses, towns and high streets, and keep our neighbourhoods secure by putting thousands more police back on our streets.

Labour will also work to protect family incomes and oppose Conservative tax rises that will choke off the recovery and put jobs at risk. And we’ll work with local people to provide the homes our communities want, and never hesitate to stand up to developers who don’t have residents’ interests at heart.

The six priorities Labour has for Devon are:

1. Promote enterprise through investment, innovation, improving people’s skills, sustainable jobs and give priority to opportunities for young people and small businesses including cooperatives and other innovative models.
2. Tackle the climate and ecological emergency by promoting environmentally sustainable practices and reducing carbon emissions towards a target of net zero by 2030.
3. Improve Devon’s health and social care services by making sure people in Devon receive good quality integrated services at hospital and at home that address the long-term effects of Covid-19.
4. Promote better Public Health solutions and funding to address health and wellbeing including mental health.
5. Support nurseries, schools, colleges and universities so that all young people thrive, catch up on lost education as a result of Covid-19 and reach their full potential.
6. Establish county wide fast broadband connection accessible to all.

The elections on 6 May are a choice between the Labour Party that will stand up for local services and local businesses, or an out of touch Conservative Party that is risking the recovery by raising taxes on Britain’s families, wasting money outsourcing to private companies and failing to back the NHS with the resources it needs to cut waiting lists.