Orpington Labour Party

Education and Skills:

• Labour recognises and will act upon the key principle that a world class education service requires an adequately remunerated, high quality and well motivated teaching and support staff who are accountable, but will consult with them on developing a system of accountability which is more streamlined and less bureaucratic.
• Labour will continue to use targets to raise school standards but in ways which do not swamp teaching and learning. Testing and assessment of pupils’ progress will be reported to parents but the practice of compiling league tables will cease.

Britain in the World:

• We are committed to unilateral nuclear disarmament and will scrap Trident and will not replace it by any further nuclear weapons system. Money saved will be spent on social housing and other forms of peaceful development at home and abroad.

Creating Sustainable Communities:

• The Climate Change Bill sets out the framework for the transition to a low carbon economy and urgent measures are essential to cut carbon emissions to prevent the flooding of low lying nations.

Crime Justice Citizenship and Equalities:

• Expanding equalities criteria to include amongst others, nationality, national origins, ethnic group, ethnic origins, citizenship, social origins, social standing, social class or accident at birth.
• Labour will restore the service cuts in legal help and encourage local authorities to increase funding to law centres.