HASIB HIKMAT (independent)

BETHNAL GREEN & BOW

HASIB HIKMAT (independent)

Economy

THE nationalised banks should now remain in the public sector and provide interest-free loans to university students and equity loans to first-time house buyers to be repaid when the house is sold. This will help many people in Tower Hamlets who do not have enough income to get on the property ladder and go some way to reduce pressure on social housing. Tower Hamlets council must come clean about the number of employees it has earning above �100,000 and that cuts should be made their first before cutting budgets of front line services such as language courses for those with English as a Second Language.

Crime

We are calling for a dual approach to reducing crime. Firstly to introduce 'zero-tolerance' policing and replace PCSOs (police Community Support officers) and THEOs (Tower Hamlets Environment officers) with more police officers on patrol. Second, toughen the laws that protect children from violence and pornography in films and computer games. Children should not be exposed to material that glamorises drug culture, violence or exploitation of women. We are calling for more social workers to work with dysfunctional families to prevent children slipping into crime.

Public Safety

Millions are being spent on non-Government organisations to prevent terrorism. Is it making a difference? Is it not better to spend this money to combat drugs and gangs?

Health

We want to reduce the 'fried chicken' culture among our children. Fried chicken shops must act responsibly and serve more balanced meals. We want to see an end to billions being wasted on NHS IT projects and hospital managers with money going instead on front line services.

Education

Reduce the number of senior managers in schools and use the money instead to recruit more classroom teachers and more teaching assistants. Develop a morally-responsible sex education curriculum that promotes marriage and family to tackle problems with teenage pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections.

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Hasib Hikmat (independent)