NORTHUMBERLAND'S Labour Group has launched its manifesto for the upcoming elections.

Local elections are due to take place on May 6.

Subtitled 'A home, a Job, a Friend', the manifesto covers a number of topics.

Labour Group leader Susan Dungworth said: “We have listened to local people, to families and to businesses to bring this together. We are so excited about this manifesto which pledges to deliver a brighter future for the people of Northumberland.

“We all know people need a decent home and that there just aren't enough of them. In power, we would pledge to build, at least, 1,000 homes and to retrofit existing homes making them greener and cheaper to run. We know many people rent privately and we have some excellent landlords. There's no place for poor landlords in our county. We're determined to ensure everyone in our county has a decent home.

“We also know that people need jobs, and that's jobs that pay appropriately, where there are good employment conditions and opportunities to develop. No working person should have to rely on foodbanks because they don't earn enough to be able to put food on the table. Linking this to home, we're looking for local people to carry out retrofitting and building and we'll be working with schools and colleagues to ensure local people can be trained ready to do this vital work.

“When we talk about a friend, we mean that people live in thriving, supportive communities. We're looking to create new or strengthen existing community hubs to tackle isolation and loneliness.

“And we're going to scrap Advance Northumberland and replace it with the Northumberland Regeneration Trust. We're also going to support young entrepreneurs and business start ups.

“Our aim is to make our county the very best place to grow up and grow old in. These are just a few of the highlights of our manifesto.

"I would encourage everyone to read it and Vote Labour on May 6 for a brighter future for Northumberland.”

The whole manifesto is at https://northumberland.laboursites.org/labour-manifesto/