Conservatives

‘Investing in residents’ priorities’

Buckinghamshire Conservatives  MANIFESTO 2025

Our Commitment for an even better Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire council is committed to supporting opportunity and aspiration whilst protecting and supporting the most vulnerable. This needs to go hand in hand with protecting our beautiful environment and our residents against the attacks from this new Labour Government.

Our strong financial management and preparedness to take the sometimes difficult and tough decisions means we are in robust financial shape. However, we face many challenges, with rapidly rising costs for key, legally required services, threats to our environment and the proposal from the government to cut our funding and divert money to its own ‘heartlands’.

Only a Conservative council will have the focus and determination to fight for Buckinghamshire, keep repairing our roads, protect our environment, and keep Buckinghamshire a wonderful place to live work and bring up a family as demonstrated over the past five years.

Martin Tett
Leader
Buckinghamshire Council
Conservative Group

If elected a Conservative Buckinghamshire Council will:
Invest £120m so we have fewer potholes and better roads

• Committing a record £120m into repairing and resurfacing our roads and almost £9 million extra on pavement repairs
• Cleaning every drain, every year to reduce flooding risk and make our roads safer
• Investing an additional £4million in our bus services and bus infrastructure across the county, including rural areas
• Favour locally led speed reduction schemes where appropriate, as opposed to the introduction of a standard 20 MPH speed limit across the county which would cause unnecessary delays to residents’ journeys
• Relieving congestion by continuing to deliver the vital Link Roads around Aylesbury
• Pressure the Government for a Lane Rental scheme and higher fines to reduce the disruption from utility road works.
• Holding utility companies to account for the disruption their last-minute road works cause

Protect Our Beautiful Environment and Combat Climate Change

We have already beaten our ambitious carbon reduction targets, reducing emissions by a remarkable 78% compared to baseline emissions from 1990 (this is the same measure that Government uses). This means that we have hit our target five years early, of achieving a 75% reduction by 2030.

• • Action with the Environment Agency and Water Companies to mitigate flood risks
  • Supporting nature recovery through projects like the Local Nature Recovery Scheme (LNRS) which Buckinghamshire has led the way on and improving our environment
  • Cracking down on Flytipping and Littering with maximum fines of £1000 and prosecutions
  • Mitigate Climate Change with a costed, deliverable Plan
  • Doubling again our coverage of public EV charging points
  • Continue planting 550,000 new trees
  • Continuing our ‘Energy Doctor’ advice to homeowners on house insulation
  • Reducing emissions in our own buildings and by our vehicles
  • Promoting active travel for those who wish to use it
  • Continuing to hold HS2 and EWR to account, particularly for the damage to our roads and our environment

Take Real Action on Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

• Installing new digital CCTV coverage across our county town centres to deter anti-social behaviour, protect the vulnerable and reduce the fear of crime
• Joint working with Thames Valley Police on crime ‘hot spots’, speeding and illegal parking
• Action to focus on Rural crime in partnership with the police

Support good, well paid job creation

• Keeping our excellent schools to maximise achievement for all our young people. Resist Lib Dem and Labour attempts to abolish Grammar schools.
• Investing in our young people’s skills, including new apprenticeships and ‘T Levels’
• Increasing and improving Broadband and mobile access across Bucks
• Regenerating our major High Streets (in Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham)
• Championing the rural economy through support to rural businesses and working with Thames Valley Police on rural crime

Protect the vulnerable

• Focusing on Prevention to support both young and old before their need becomes critical
• Continuing to support children in Care, including mental health
• Investing over £11million building more of our own children’s residential Care Homes to provide safe, secure accommodation for young people in need
• Continuing to lobby Government for a new 127 place school specifically for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

• Continuing the ‘Opportunity Bucks’ programme to tackle areas of disadvantage in our major towns
• Providing support to enable people to stay in their own homes as long as possible.
• Working with the NHS to enable the elderly in hospital to return to their homes as soon as they are able and wish to
• Improving outcomes and reduce costs by increasing incentives to recruit and retain more foster carers

Deliver Housing for our young people

• Opposing inappropriate development and adopt a ‘Plan led’ approach to new development with a new Buckinghamshire Local Plan
• Demanding a commitment from Government to the necessary infrastructure to support the massive over 105,000 housebuilding targets forced on Bucks by the Labour Government.
• Focusing new housing as far as possible on Brown Field sites and on surplus council land in town centres.
• Continuing to deliver affordable housing in partnership with Registered Providers (over 2.300 already delivered)

Improve Health and Wellbeing

• Evaluate the building of a new major Leisure Centre in the north of the county (similar to the new Chiltern Lifestyle Centre in Amersham).

• Extend the opening hours of our main libraries
• Work with our Health, Leisure, and Voluntary Sector partners to ensure that our residents can live healthier and more fulfilled lives.
• Continue to maintain one of the highest life expectancies in the South East of England (85 years for women and 81.5 for men).
• Improve those later years of life lived in good physical and mental health.

Delivering Great Value for Money

Buckinghamshire Conservatives always remember that every penny they spend is your money. We have delivered massive saving of over £ 120m from efficiencies, and plan more. Conservative councillors have led the example by cutting the number of councillors by a third and reducing Councillor Allowances by 10%. Unlike nearby Lib Dem and Labour run councils, Buckinghamshire council remains prudent and financially stable. We will continue to take the decisions necessary to remain focused on your priorities.