Adrian Gee-Turner: Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of Hackney

Adrian Gee-Turner lives in Stoke Newington, and is a former chair of Hackney Council’s Liberal Democrat group and the Overview and Scrutiny panel.

He was also the Lib-Dem spokesperson on the Local Government Democracy committee in Hackney.

Adrian is a long time trade unionist and has been an executive member of the Association of Liberal Democrat Trade Unionists. For the last eight years he has been the secretary of the London branch of Unite’s Professional Sales Association.

Adrian has previously contested parliamentary elections in 2001 and 2005.

Hackney Liberal Democrats’ top ten priorities for 2010

1. Clean and open politics in Hackney

No more secrecy about your money: Liberal Democrat councillors will hold the council accountable for every action

We will publish all information that can be legally revealed, in clear text

No more £30,000 overseas jaunts for Labour members nor Hackney Council’s £10,000 stall at the national Labour conference – all paid for by you

2. The best policies for the environment

Taking climate change seriously – like Liberal Democrat-run Camden and Islington whose environmental policies have won national praise, including ‘UK Sustainability Councillor of the Year’

Introduce polluter pays parking; so the most polluting cars pay more to park whilst the least polluting pay less – like Liberal Democrat-run Islington Council

Make Hackney plastic bag free – by encouraging local shops to provide long-life bags from sustainable sources

Preserving Hackney’s heritage – by locally listing key historic buildings

3. Cutting Crime in Hackney

Stopping it before it starts – more funding for voluntary groups and mentors to target those most likely to offend, and greater roll out of initiatives that break the cycle of youth re-offending, such as Hackney Diamond

Provide properly-funded community payback schemes for minor crime, proven to reduce re-offending

Cutting anti-social behaviour – effective council action, working with the police, to deal with the worst offenders

4. A fair start for young people

Developing more community-led sports and leisure opportunities – creating safe spaces for young people to meet, and keeping them off the streets

Supporting local work placement schemes to get young people into work and training

Implementing our national policy to cut class sizes, improve discipline and phase out student tuition fees

5. Fair taxes for all – and cutting taxes for local people

The Liberal Democrats are the only major party that will cut taxes for people on lower incomes

Nationally, we will scrap income tax for people earning less than £10,000

We will replace council tax with a fairer system based on your ability to pay

6. A fairer deal for tenants and leaseholders

Liberal Democrat councillors will listen to leaseholders and tenants through meaningful local residents’ groups that have real power, not just talking shops

Better management of the repairs service, getting repairs done faster and right first time

No more exorbitant service charge increases for leaseholders, without the quality of service improving, and no ‘major works’ imposed upon leaseholders at way-above market costs and without proper consultation

7. Cut the Mayor’s budget

The Labour Mayor’s salary and expenses have so far cost local people over a million pounds, including a recent pay rise despite the recession

The Liberal Democrats will slash the Mayor’s budget in half – and put your money back into your services

We will make the Mayor fully accountable by holding regular Mayor’s Question Times open to the public

8. A cycle scheme for Hackney

We will introduce a bike hire scheme in Hackney, for Hackney, run by the community

Create more secure parking spaces for bicycles

The Liberal  Democrats were the first to successfully introduce city-wide 20mph speed limits on residential roads in parts of Britain and we intend to do the same in Hackney

We will offer training to cyclists and to lorry drivers to help reduce accidents

9. Strengthening community groups

The Liberal  Democrats have always supported voluntary groups in our budgets as they provide best value for money services, use local expertise and builds local communities

We will provide more matched funding for community groups and work with the voluntary sector to create a future for Hackney, decided and delivered by Hackney residents

We will cut red tape and provide council officers’ time to community groups to secure funding from outside Hackney

10. Make the Olympics work for local people

Fight to make sure Hackney gets its fair share of jobs

Create opportunities for local residents to build the skills through volunteer and employment opportunities available

Support and develop grass-roots sports facilities for the long term – sport is not all about international competition, it is about local participation too

Create an enduring legacy for Hackney by putting Olympic land [that lies] within the borough into a community land trust

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Other candidates.

Note: this article was originally published 22 March 2010 and was then re-published 24 April 2010