Strood News

Medway Council tax soars in 2010

Council tax in Strood has increased by an eye-watering three per cent in 2010, despite a former five percent increase in both 2008 and 2009, sending the average household bill close to the £1,300 mark. The rise comes despite local Strood tory councillors pledging to keep council tax affordable to local residents in Strood who are in tough times.

Road Success for Darnley & Merrals Wood Road

The Strood Labour'Get Strood Moving' Campaign continues at pace. Working with local residents we have organised road petitions and have delivered in road resurfacing across the area, including successfully securing funding for Merrals Wood Road and Darnley Road resurfacing in South Strood.

Strood Tory Trolley Pledge Broken

Strood Labour have photographed the fabled trolley graveyards that the Strood Tories pledged to remove in the 2007 Local Elections. Despite the promise to electorate, the Trolleys remain in place...

Tory tax bomb on Medway Tunnel

Taxpayers will be stuck with millions of pounds of costs with a council deal to buy the Medway Tunnel. Jonathan Shaw MP and local Labour campaigners have attacked the deal by the Rochester Bridge Trust (RBT) to transfer its ownership of the tunnel to Medway Council.

Campaigning for Strood Shops and Local Business

Local traders and shop owners are working with Labour organisers to protect local business. Local residents working with local Councillors are petitioning the Tory Council to have a coherent plan on future development in the highstreet, and to listen to local residents and traders concerns about a lack of direction and focus on development on the highstreet.

£800,000 Aveling & Porter Disgrace

Local campaigners and SAVE Britains Heritage have failed to persuade local Conservatives to safeguard the former Aveling & Porter building from being demolished at a staggering cost of £800,000. The former Aveling & Porter steamroller factory building, which formed a part of the former Civic Centre is now to be bulldozed by the Tory Council.

Keep Warm this Winter

The Strood South Team led by Tristan Osborne and Christine Godwin met with representatives from the Keep Warm campaign and gave advice to local pensioners on how to keep warm this winter in the face of rising heating bills. The campaign raises awareness of access to government assistance on insulation and other measures for those over 60 to keep warm

Shaws Wood old people home closed by local Tories

In the local election 2007, local Tories promised to maintain the Shaws Wood peoples home as a local presence for the elderly community in Strood. After almost two years of tory dithering, the Tories closed the centre in July 2009, and have proposed to sell the land for private development.

Alleygates for Strood Streets

Stephen Hubbard and local Labour organisers have been working hard to fight antisocial behaviour across Strood. Labour, working with local residents has secured funding for alleygate schemes for Strood residents.

Medway Tories give 'green light' to Estuary Airport

Despite a massive campaign by Bob Marshall-Andrews MP, environmental campaigners and local residents to safeguard the nature reserves at Cliffe in 2001/02, they are now under severe threat from destruction from the new tory mayor of London who is calling time on an airport for North Kent.

Tories snub Strood Academy concerns

Medway Tories have snubbed, ignored and airbrushed over the concerns of residents, parents, pupils and petitioners in what are the largest proposed changes to education in Strood for a generation.

Tories cut Strood services

Medway tories have now admitted that they have mismanaged the council budget over several years, and that punitive cuts to frontline services in Strood would now result. Already cuts to staff & services that directly affect council-tax payers have been seen in Strood, including the future closure of the Civic centre and cuts to Strood Sports centre.

Teresa Murray for Rochester & Strood

The Labour Party in Rochester & Strood has overwhelmingly selected local campaigner, teacher and long-term Medway councillor, Teresa Murray to be our candidate for the next general election. She is a strong believer in education, NHS and fighting for greater womens rights in the workplace.

Labour wins for your bins

Residents are celebrating after successfully winning the fight for the retention of the weekly bin collection. The tory position before the election was extremely ambiguous, with cabinet minutes leaving an option for them to opt into fortnightly collection. This 'ambiguity' has now been closed following a Labour campaign.

Urban Regeneration for Strood

Cllr Stephen Hubbard and local ward organisers are leading the way on improving Strood for local residents and business. We are working with the Labour Government to deliver and regenerate local communities in Strood

Flip-flop on Two-way fiasco!

The tories have dithered on the widely derided £2.5m project which included the changes to the road system in Strood, Chatham and Rochester which led to commuter chaos and confusion, as well as severe problems for local business and traders.

The Labour Group works with local residents to make Medway a cleaner and safer place to live. We focus on the things that matter to you on the ground; protecting our green spaces, decent roads, efficient spending of tax payers money, stronger and better policing and giving opportunities to our schools and young people to excel. We are passionate and optimistic about the future of our towns under this Labour government.