I support
the view of the Christian Democrats, that a good life starts close by. In the
council I will cooperate with the XL group to promote common goals. Below you
will find some specific points of interest, that I will actively take on:
Realising local democracy – Looking for ways to activate people
to improve their own area both by organising volunteer work as well as the
possibility to stay in contact with the planners and decision makers, who are
capable of affecting the larger projects in the way indicated by the locals.
Support of immigrants – Making immigrants at home in this
country requires creating possibilities for them to be employed and otherwise
involved in the society. Active involvement improves the language skills,
networking, and self-deployment of immigrants and makes them feel to be a part of
this society.
Developing the role of elderly people in the
society – Elderly
people can be a valuable asset in the society – also after their working
life. They can still offer their wisdom and experience in many facets of life.
In addition to local activities, they can also be involved at schools to help
with activities for which currently no resources are available. Naturally also
taking care of the quality of life of elderly people and improving the services
are important.
Ensuring the wellbeing of children through
hobbies – Hobbies
play an important role in the lives of children. Hobbies like different sports
and cultural hobbies are not just a nice pastime, but also of vital importance
to develop the children’s social skills and feeling of responsibility. Children
of disadvantaged families are in danger of being left out because of high fees
of clubs. The city should support children’s hobbies in such a way, that everyone can
afford to participate.
Development of public transport – For the durable and ecological
development of the city it is of prime importance that the public transport
operates well and affordably. In addition to the mainly centre-oriented bus
traffic, also bus routes connecting the outskirts of the city are needed. Rail transport is
to be developed in an economically responsible way. Public transport should
also be less expensive, so that it is a real alternative for using the car. For
the less well-off like elderly, unemployed, students and children, public
transport could even be free.
Improving recycling – Separating waste should be improved.
Biological and energy waste collection should be encouraged and the use of
energy waste should be improved.
Improving the conditions for new and small
companies – In a
changing and globalising market the importance of creating new innovative
companies is evident. They are likely to develop to be the employers of the
future and the economical foundation of the society.
Developing the
societal involvement of companies – Companies should become more aware of their
position in the society – both as provider – e.g. employer, tax payer, buyer of
services – as well as receiver – infrastructure user, buyer of manpower and
user of natural resources. It is important to develop models how companies
could take better care of their societal responsibilities. Particularly large
companies and the public sector could together with the city develop ways to
employ people who have for various reasons been without employment.
Many other valuable matters are left unmentioned,
like improving the availability of health services, providing sufficient
resources to school personnel, supporting the use of durable energy sources,
etc. I will look for solutions for those issues with other members of the Christian Democrats (KD)
and XL group parties. The above list indicates in which issues I expect to take
initiative.
