‘I will listen to the people of Dagenham and Rainham’-Margaret Mullane.

Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Margaret Mullane writes her column for the Havering Daily.

Margaret talks.

I hope to be elected as the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham and for me that means I have to understand people’s local priorities so that I can be fit to represent them. So with that guiding principle, I launched an initiative across the area, inviting local residents involved in community and voluntary groups to come into meetings so that I could listen to their concerns for our area.

It was vital for me to go beyond our Labour Party members to hear voices from all quarters in Dagenham and Rainham. The level of participation was so encouraging, well over 100 attended across two sessions and it was great to hear suchlively engagement and ideas.

Key issues emerged from the discussions that need action to improve our area. The top priority that was raised by just about everyone was the need for a strengthened police presence, visibility and accessibility across Dagenham and Rainham. This was followed by tackling fly tipping and littering of our streets and shopping areas. Two other major issues of concern were widely raised. The first was housing and over development, in particular the lack of genuinely affordable homes for local families and the shortage of the vital public services such health centres and GPs. The next was the real need for a boost in opportunities in terms ofyouth services locally.

These will be the central themes for my campaigning from now until whenever the General Election takes place. But I really believe that actions speak louder than words. I am launching two actions straight away. The first is to press for increased Police presence at Dagenham Heathway in the form of a hub from which the local Police will operate from. Public pressure is vital to getting success and so I am organising petitioning in the area to give strength to this. My intention is then to roll this on to the shopping parade at Elm Park station.

The second is to organise regular litter picking teams in the areas of Dagenham and Rainham that most need it. We are going to start with the Cherry Tree area in south Hornchurch.

I will then bring the focus on housing and the need for those public services to properly support a growing population. I am also planning a widespread engagement with local young people to understand what services and facilities would be best for them in our area.

I am sure that along the way there will be frustrations and disappointments, but what I can promise is that I will always listen to people and do my absolute best to represent the people of Dagenham and Rainham, irrespective of how they vote.

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