Kim Caddy, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham
1. Housing
We need to build more homes to meet the rising demand, so that housing becomes more affordable for ordinary working families, in Streatham and across the country. Young people must be able to rent a decent home and have a realistic chance of owning one in the future. A Conservative Government will focus on building more homes to fix this dysfunctional market. We have already built 313,000 new affordable homes since 2010 and housebuilding was up 11% in 2015/16 compared to the previous year. Key to succeeding in our commitment to build a million homes by the end of 2020, and 500,000 more by 2022, is working with Councils and other housing providers to encourage development. I would work with Lambeth Council to make sure Streatham is able to benefit from the Conservatives’ ambitious plans to build more social housing by offering Councils low cost capital funding and support to build more homes.
It is also important that we make sure people live in good quality homes and developments and I would work to hold housing providers to account to make sure they offer this. We need a mix of different solutions such as rent-to-buy, affordable rent and shared or part ownership schemes. Greater competition in the marketplace (most new homes are built by the top ten developers) will also stimulate housebuilding, which is why the Conservatives have created a £3bn home building fund to help smaller building companies. Where areas are undergoing regeneration and development, I would make sure residents are consulted and their input included in plans. We need to have sustainable, quality developments which support and enhance local communities rather than breaking them apart and damaging them.
2. Environment
The high levels of air pollution in our capital are unacceptable and the Brixton Road is one of the most polluted in London. I don’t want to raise my children in an area where there are unhealthy and dangerous levels of pollution. This issue needs to be at the forefront of all of our minds and there needs to be action in many areas to improve the situation rapidly. Some examples of things I would work on if elected are: investing in and increasing the number of clean buses, encouraging vehicles not to sit with engines idling, introducing innovative delivery and loading solutions, for example, shared warehouses, encouraging electric vehicles by building more charging stations, driving a shift to walking or cycling and planting more street trees and green walls/roofs. The government has committed more than £2bn since 2011 to support ultra-low emissions vehicles and greener transport schemes. I will work closely with the government to bring about real positive change in this area. We need to publicise this issue and make people aware of the dangers of poor air quality and what we can all do to help.
3. Brexit
Like many in Streatham, I supported the Remain campaign so I understand people’s concerns on this issue. What is important at this election is getting the best deal possible from Brexit and beyond – something that can only be delivered by Theresa May and a strong Conservative Government. I want the best possible outcome from these negotiations, allowing our local economy and businesses to thrive and continuing the record increases in jobs here. I will make sure I represent the views and opinions of Streatham residents on this in parliament. One of the best things about our area is the vibrant cultural and international mix and supporting and championing different community events and organisations is an important way of making people feel welcome.
4. Local business.
Local businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, bringing jobs and economic security. Residents have told me how important a variety of independent businesses are to their communities and how they are concerned for their future. We need to support small businesses and entrepreneurs and there are many ways of doing this, from reducing red tape and making life easier for business owners to reducing the tax burden on them by offering low rates of Corporation Tax, relief for small businesses and help with business rates. This is something the Conservative party has focused on and it has helped drive the huge increase in the numbers of jobs in Streatham and across the country since 2010.
5. Education
Local schools are getting better and better. In Lambeth, there are over 370,000 more children in good or outstanding schools since 2010 and since just 2015, 9 more good or outstanding schools but we should always be looking for improvement to make sure every child has an outstanding education. One of the most important factors is having fantastic teachers, particularly in challenging schools, so I think supporting teachers is vital for improving schools.
The Conservatives have pledged to increase the overall schools budget by £4bn by 2022 and are making sure that no school has its budget cut by the new fairer funding formula. We will also continue to protect the Pupil Premium which is crucial in Streatham, with schools here having received £6.8m for disadvantaged pupils in the last year.
You can see the full list of questions and candidates here
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