Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Southport, Liz Savage, has announced she’s stepping down as a West Lancs councillor to concentrate on ousting the constituency’s current Conservative MP.
The Labour politician is not standing in this May’s local elections after eight years as the councillor for Ashurst ward and holding several positions including shadow finance spokesperson, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor.
Liz Savage says that it’s her “overwhelming belief” a Labour government is needed to improve conditions in the country and so she has decided not to stand in West Lancs but to focus her energy elsewhere, explaining:
“Instead, I will concentrate on unseating Southport’s Conservative MP whose support for Universal Credit and austerity policies; voting for yet more police cuts and his constant, petty and divisive attacks on a local authority here that has had nearly £1/4 billion cut from its vital services by his party and the Lib Dems, has done immense harm to the constituency and its residents. Southport needs far better and I will provide it.”
Revealing how her life increasingly revolves around her political work, casework and friendships in Southport, she says:
“We’ve nearly quadrupled the Labour vote since I first stood here in 2015 and I am proud to have been selected as the Southport candidate once again for the next parliamentary elections, whenever they should be.”
“The town and surrounding area are increasingly feeling the effects of devastating Tory and Lib Dem cuts and I feel that it is essential to devote all of my political and casework efforts to do whatever I can to oust this vicious Tory government and help repair the damage they are causing locally.”
The full statement reads:
Almost eight years ago I had the great honour of becoming a Councillor in Ashurst. It’s been an incredibly hard eight years for local government and I could never have foreseen the amount of cuts that were to befall local authorities such as West Lancs.
I don’t believe that any Labour councillor stands with a view to cutting services or charging more for them in their local area but those decisions have sadly been forced upon us by brutal Tory cuts.
Previously, I had been a local councillor in Potters Bar. I was proud of the gains and improvements that a colleague and I made to the ward we represented. This time, the experience has been very different due to councils being starved of funds. I take a different sort of pride this time in managing to maintain what we have in the face of the wilful vandalism to local services inflicted on us by the Tories and Lib Dems. It is one tinged with deep anger and sorrow at the damage they have done.
I’ve also gained valuable experience over the past 8 years, where I have served as shadow finance spokesperson, licensing spokesperson and more recently as Deputy Mayor and then Mayor in 2016-17 and would like to thank all who were of assistance during this period. I hope I served those roles, the council and local residents well.
My overwhelming belief is that to improve the lives of people in this country we need a Labour government. It is with this in mind, I have decided not to seek re-election to West Lancashire Council but focus all my energy elsewhere.
Instead, I will concentrate on unseating Southport’s Conservative MP whose support for Universal Credit and austerity policies; voting for yet more police cuts and his constant, petty and divisive attacks on a local authority here that has had nearly £1/4 billion cut from its vital services by his party and the Lib Dems, has done immense harm to the constituency and its residents. Southport needs far better and I will provide it.
Having been raised and schooled in Ormskirk, I’ve always had strong links with both Skelmersdale and Southport but since moving to nearby Tarleton I have increasingly found that much of my life, work and friendships revolve around the Southport area.
We’ve nearly quadrupled the Labour vote since I first stood here in 2015 and I am proud to have been selected as the Southport candidate once again for the next parliamentary elections, whenever they should be.
The town and surrounding area are increasingly feeling the effects of devastating Tory and Lib Dem cuts and I feel that it is essential to devote all of my political and casework efforts to do whatever I can to oust this vicious Tory government and help repair the damage they are causing locally.
I wish West Lancs Labour the best of luck in the forthcoming elections, there’s some amazing work being done at the moment especially within the housing portfolio led by Jenny Forshaw. I’d also like to thank everyone who voted for me there and all who have made serving as your representative such a truly rewarding experience.
I will, of course, continue my links with Digmoor, where I’m a governor at Bishop Martin School.
Liz
OTS News on Social Media