17 Jun 2024
Following ongoing controversy over Labour’s plans to add VAT to school fees, the party’s candidate for the new constituency of Harpenden and Berkhamsted has entered the fray.
Asked for her views on Kier Starmer’s plans, which opponents claim will result in increased class sizes in public schools as a result, Zara Layne told the St Albans Times that the issue was about providing high quality education for all children.
She said: “I fully appreciate that Harpenden and Berkhamsted has a large number of successful, high quality independent schools in the constituency, many of whom will be doing much to work with, and support, the wider communities in which they are based.
“However, I value education for all children in the constituency and believe we have a national responsibility to ensure that everyone should have access to a high quality, engaging education.”
Quizzed about another issue which has polarised opinions, the need to build housing on sections of the Green Belt to meet demand, she said Labour would initially only target poor-quality land.
“Under the Tories, Britain faces a housing emergency that has left millions unable to plan their lives, start families, or build a future for themselves and their kids. Labour will not build on genuine nature spots and will set tough conditions for releasing Green Belt land for house building so that building more homes and protecting nature go hand-in-hand.
“Labour is committed to prioritise building on brownfield land first, but we can’t build the homes that Britain needs without also releasing some Green Belt, including poor-quality land, car parks and wastelands currently classed as Green Belt.
“We will make improvements to existing green spaces, making them accessible to the public, with new woodland, parks and playing fields.”
Zara, who is a councillor for Harpur ward on Bedford Borough Council, also works as a research officer for Mohammad Yasin, currently standing for re-election in Bedford and Kempston.
Asked what she perceived as the key electoral issues affecting Harpenden and Berkhamsted, she said: “People in Harpenden and Berkhamsted want change. They have had a government ignore them for too long. Our housing isn’t affordable, our rivers are poulluted, and our transport infrastructure is dire.
“It’s time for us to turn the page, stop this Tory chaos, and rebuild Britain with Labour.”
Perhaps one of the most surprising election issues in Harpenden and Redbourn has been the row surrounding the district council’s plans to scrap free parking, which Tory candidate Nigel Gardner jumped on early in his campaign.
Zara was less opinionated on where she stood on the proposals: “Local authority funding has been decimated over the last 14 years, meaning councils across the country are facing really difficult choices about spending priorities and income generation. However, I would hope services for the most in need are prioritised by the council.”
Recent visits by high-profile Conservatives to the constituency, including Home Secretary James Cleverly, have seen the Tories suggesting the seat is a two-horse race between them and Labour, dismissing any threat posed by the Liberal Democrats.
Zara added: “Labour doesn’t take a single vote for granted, and I’m sure the Lib Dems wouldn’t either. There is, however, only way to deliver a Labour government and that is by electing Labour MPs.”
