Alex Corina is standing (as an Independent) for election to Liverpool Council in May 2007.
“I am standing for election out of sheer frustration and disappointment that communities like Garston are not getting the benefits and regeneration the City Council promised for the Capital Of Culture.
I think people are tired of being taken for granted and ignored which is why we cannot allow the Council to sleep walk into an embarrassing 2008 failure and why we need people to vote for change. This is the last election before 2008.
All longer-term investment in regeneration has gone to the city centre. My aim is to initiate a Big Debate about the Capital Of Culture, Community Involvement and the gap of £20.9m Culture Budget for 2008. The Echo have initiated big debates on everything else.
Capital of Culture
One of the critical factors in Liverpool’s successful Capital of Culture bid was the community’s involvement in the run up to the bid in 2003. The perception of many of those communities is that they have since been ignored, particularly in South Liverpool, and Garston in particular.
Garston Cultural Village Campaign –
I have campaigned for almost 4 years now for Garston to be one of the principal beneficiaries of the successful Capital of Culture bid, by bringing back into use the many derelict buildings in Wellington Street and St Mary’s Road. St Mary’s Road still resembles the land time forgot (the Council forgot more like) after ten years of Liberal Democrat rule in the city.
Lib Democrat Budget Deficit
The Liberal Democrats recently announced a massive budget deficit for 2007 – 2008, which included the announcement that they didn’t have a clue where £20.9m Capital of Culture funding was going to come from. Who would have dreamt the turmoil the city would go through, just six months before the start of the Capital Of Culture.
If this had happened under the last Labour Council there would have been outrage and questions in the House of Commons.”
Alex Corina