Nottingham 2020

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 10th Oct 2005

The Nottingham Evening Post asked Gary what the Lib Dems would like Nottingham to be like in the future. This is the article he wrote.

A vision for Nottingham in 2020 is a vision of its people. Nottingham is its people. Those born here, those who have moved here to stay and those who are staying a while then moving on.

Much of my vision is already partly there, but we need leadership- not just to build buildings and monuments, but to build people, to build communities. For many of us Nottingham is a wonderful place to live, but not for everyone. Too many of our people do not get a fair deal, do not feel free to enjoy their lives, feel closed in and oppressed by the situation in which they live.

One of the biggest fears people have at the moment is a fear of crime. This fear can be greatly reduced with better and more effective policing. Once caught we need to not only punish offenders but also treat them in ways that mean they are less likely to re-offend when they come out of prison. We need to, for example, not just clear beggars away from our streets, but also show them that there is a better way to live & support them to be able to do that.

We need to set our sights on a City where all people have enough education to do what they want, enough money to meet all their basic needs and where people do not feel pressured into doing things just because everyone else does them.

A City where everyone is helped to discover what they are good at & is able to do it, where we can all work together to build better lives.

A City when children of every race, colour and creed learn together and play together. Where every woman & every man can work together to build a better future for themselves and for all of us.

A City where people stay as healthy as possible all their lives and don't die before they have to.

To do this we need to create a whole variety of employment opportunities. Our education must be both practical & academic and be available for both young and old so that people can learn what they need to learn to suit their capabilities and needs. And can relearn when these change.

We need to celebrate our diversity and learn to live with even greater tolerance: young & old; different cultures, faiths and lifestyles. We can achieve this if we are able to get people involved in their local communities; giving everyone a chance to help make decisions that have impact on their lives; encouraging participation in local groups, single issue groups, community councils, voluntary organisations and even political parties!