Daniel Zeichner, Cambridge Labour Parliamentary Candidate

Key Issues

Environment and Recycling

I am a committed environmentalist and currently serve on the National Executive of SERA an organisation which promotes sustainable environmental policies within government and the Labour Party.

Under a Labour Government recycling in England is at record levels. Here in Cambridge, along with two thirds of households across England, we are now served by a doorstep recycling service.

Education

In a city like Cambridge, everyone agrees education matters. 20 years ago I was privileged to gain a place to read history at King's. The experience changed my life for ever. Education is central to Labour's mission to deliver social justice and equality of opportunity. We are committed to extending high quality education, personalised to each and fair to all. We believe there should be no cap on achievement and no limit to aspiration.

Pensioners

The Labour Government has done a great deal to help pensioners, through winter fuel payments, free TV licences, free prescriptions and discounted driving licences. It is important to ensure that pensioners in Cambridge claim the entitlements that are available to them especially through the Pension Credit that the Labour Government introduced but the Lib Dems and the Tories voted against. The Labour Government is committed to ensuring that every pensioner has a decent and secure income in retirement. I have produced a leaflet 'A Guide to Financial Support for Pensioners in Cambridge' (view pdf leaflet).

Labour's economic record

I remember the days when people said you couldn't trust Labour on the economy. But today the Labour Government has built a strong and stable economy. Employment is up by almost two million extra jobs and there are over 100,000 extra businesses since 1997. Britain is enjoying the longest period of sustained low inflation and interest rates since the 1960s. I believe this has happened because of the tough, long-term decisions we took such as giving independence to the Bank of England, I am proud that under the stewardship of the chancellor Gordon Brown, Britain - alone among the major industrialised economies - has avoided recession, and had the longest period of continuous growth since records began.

Housing

Decent housing matters. At the 2004 Party Conference I was put under huge personal pressure by John Prescott to back down when arguing for fair funding for council housing. Because I knew I had the support of members who had elected me, I stood firm. It was the right thing to do - it has kept the debate alive, and the hope that solutions can be found for the future of council housing in Cambridge.

International Relations

While I have not agreed with everything the government has done, for example on the issue of Iraq, in the field of international development we have had some good successes. The way in which the Labour Government put global poverty at the top of the agenda when they hosted the G8 summit made me proud of our government.

Health

In 1948 Labour created the National Health Service and today Labour in government is investing in and reforming the NHS to create a health service fit for the needs of 21st century Britain. The NHS we inherited in 1997 was on its knees. It lacked sufficient hospital beds, staff, buildings and equipment. IT systems were out of date and too few people were being treated. Years of chronic Tory underinvestment in the NHS had taken their toll. Today we are creating a better, faster, more convenient service for patients that is fair to all and personal to each. There is still much to do but our programme of record investment and radical reform is bringing about real improvements to the service.

Transport

Labour believes that good transport links, for both people and goods, are vital for our economy and the welfare of our community. Our priority is to provide a safe and reliable transport network, consistent with our wider social and environmental objectives. Our transport system is improving - after decades of underinvestment the equivalent of £260 million of public money is being spent every week to improve our transport network. Labour is making transport fairer for those who need it most - we've made off peak bus travel free for older and disabled people. Rail investment is now well over twice the amount that was being spent in the last decade of the Tory government - improving performance for customers.

Anti Social Behaviour and crime

Under Labour crime has fallen but too often when I am out and about in Cambridge people tell me about the problems of low level crime and antisocial behaviour such as public drinking, noisy neighbours and graffiti. I am following on the work of former MP Anne Campbell campaigning for the Labour Government's legislation to be put to further use in Cambridge to tackle anti social behaviour, street drinking and neighbourhood disturbance.

more on anti-social behaviour and the fight against crime

Local Issues

Residents often write to local councillors about problems with street cleaning, blocked drains and street lighting. I hope the information below is of some help to you. I suggest that it is also often worth you taking up specific environmental problems in your area directly with the council's 'Streetscene team' by ringing them on 01223 458282. If you don't receive a sympathetic response from them or local rangers, contact me again with full details or ring a local Labour Councillor.