Richard Baum

The election is a week today. In St Mary’s it is a two horse race between local Lib Dem candidate Mary D’Albert, and Gordon Brown’s Labour Party candidate. The Conservatives can’t win here. The results last time show them way off the pace. This year, canvass returns are showing that people sick of Labour lies know that the best candidate for Prestwich is the Lib Dems’ Mary D’Albert. There are seven days to go, and here are seven reasons why Mary D’Albert is the only choice for St Mary’s:

Only Mary D’Albert has lived in the ward for years. The Labour candidate is a former Labour Party big-wig who knows lots about polling data but little about community issues in St Mary’s. Vote for the local candidate.

Only Mary D’Albert campaigned to stop the closure of our local school. Labour PROPOSED the closure, but were defeated when Lib Dems joined with local people to stop them. Vote for the candidate who sticks up for St Mary’s.

Only Mary D’Albert is campaigning to stop Post Office closures. Labour PROPOSE the closures, and won’t come clean about which ones will close until AFTER the elections. Vote for the candidate who values community facilities.

Only Mary D’Albert and the local Lib Dems have secured extra money specifically for street cleaning and youth facilities. These are what YOU said you wanted when we asked you in our surveys. Labour’s solution was to earmark vague funding “for Prestwich” by CUTTING services to children and vulnerable people across Bury, and emptying Council emergency funds. Vote for the candidate who listens to what local people want.

Only Mary D’Albert and the Liberal Democrats are campaigning to stop the unfair Congestion Charge. Since this LABOUR PROPOSED TAX on local people was first suggested, Bury Lib Dems have led the fight against it. It isn’t right for Bury, and the Council have now backed the Lib Dem position after an amendment put forward by us. Local Labour sit on the fence. They can’t support their own government’s congestion tax because they know that local people don’t want it. Vote for the candidate sticking up for your right to get quality public transport before even thinking about congestion charging.

Only Mary D’Albert will stop a return to Labour’s neglect of Prestwich. Labour controlled Bury Council for 21 years, and look what happened to Prestwich – the Village was crumbling, the traffic was terrible, they closed three local libraries and tried to close the school. Since you first elected a Lib Dem in St Mary’s in 2006, the school is saved, the Village regeneration project has begun, we are taking out some of the troublesome traffic lights slowing down traffic, and we’re trying to stop Post Office closures. We’ve also started the Clough Day as a celebration of all that’s good in Prestwich. Don’t let Labour back in for more of the same neglect. Vote for the candidate who is putting the pride into Prestwich again.

Only Mary D’Albert keeps in touch all year round with Focus. It’s nice that Labour have put out a couple of leaflets recently, although their grasp of the truth is missing in a lot of cases. But where are they for the rest of the year? Lib Dems stay in touch all year round, not just at election time. Vote for the candidate who keeps in touch.

The Labour Party nationally are in a shambles. Led by a man doing more about-turns than a soldier on drill practice, and incapable of making a decision whilst the economy stutters, his own party rebels, and teachers are so fed up that they won’t teach our children.

Send a message that Labour’s neglect isn’t good enough. Remember - it’s a two horse race between Mary D’Albert, the local, hardworking Lib Dem, and Gordon Brown’s Labour candidate taking us back to years of neglect. The Tories can’t win round here.

Vote for Mary D’Albert next Thursday 1^st May to send a message to Labour and to carry on the good work that local Lib Dems have been doing for St Mary’s.

Rick