News Editor
Benjamin Denton-Cardew’s manifesto pledges are well-meaning on the grand scale of things, but fail to address more local problems relating to his target area of Govan in Glasgow South West.
He intends, if elected, to investigate adding an extra 1p onto council tax to aid the NHS exclusively as well as tackle rogue landlords and improve tenancy laws in Parliament. In addition to this, he hopes to commission a study into linking the stations of Mosspark and Dumbreck with Cardonald. He also places considerable emphasis on the poor condition of the area due to dog fouling and intends to deal with this by doubling the current fine.
Govan arguably faces bigger issues than dog fouling, which Denton-Cardew stressed during his interview with The Glasgow Guardian and was considered pressing enough to make one of his five manifesto pledges. Denton-Cardew stays in Govan himself and has obviously noticed a problem with dog fouling. If the issue is so detrimental to the community perhaps the wider concern of general littering in the area should be addressed and not simply one specific form.
While it is reassuring to hear that he intends to tackle rogue landlords, the lack of clarity on how Denton-Cardew intends to deal with the issue locally is disheartening.
Aiding the NHS is obviously a hot topic nationwide and Denton-Cardew’s intention to investigate the feasibility of adding to council tax to assist the NHS before doing so is reassuring.
Denton-Cardew displays an obvious desire for Govan to improve as a whole alongside his ambitions to impact other areas across the UK in parliamentary decisions. However, his area-specific manifesto pledges are perhaps not strong enough to fix the various problems facing Govan, which go beyond dog fouling and a new transport link.
