Interview with Will Conway, Labour candidate for Bromley Town, Bromley

 Interview with Will Conway, Labour candidate for Bromley Town, Bromley

• Why a Labour candidate in Bromley Town?

Basically because they deserve better than what they’re getting at the moment, and I think we are the only ones who really have the resources (nationally apart from locally). When you are making promises to people in a national level you should be following that policy at the local level. The LibDems and Greens are never going to be the party of national power, they might grow, but when it comes to the cost of living crisis and so on, they are not going to have a reasonable approach to the reality. Single-issue parties like the SNP have it difficult to show unity, they’ve just got one policy. 

• What are the main issues you want to prioritise?

We’ve got various issues, the national stuff on corruption is also one but that’s more of a thing to get votes. On local issues, the council just refused to spend money on things, they’re letting things run away. We have an issue which is fly-tipping, it’s not only a local issue, it’s a central problem because nobody gets prosecuted for dumping rubbish. Potholes will take ages to do because there’s no one doing anything about them. Council houses are old, housing is another important issue.

Bromley is London’s greenest borough: more than 50% of Bromley is park land, but people don’t use that park land very much. They don’t use the spaces as much as they should. The council don’t spend any money on them. They don’t use the money to spend it on tackling poverty. 

The other thing is environment, Bromley has the worst death rate for air pollution in London, and the council calls it “standard air quality”! They do nothing for schools, with pollution around schools.

• Why is Labour the best alternative to the other parties in Bromley?

The minor parties don’t seem to be putting anything in, there’s a purely local issues party in Chislehurst which is about speeding, buildings and these things, but it’s not about the people. Labour cares about the people and looks after the poor in the borough, whilst the Conservatives seem to prioritise other wards. I have a plan for the people, I care about the people.