April has already been a busy month for Lauren Rainbow. The 33-year-old is one of two Labor candidates in Quinton looking to secure a seat on Birmingham City Council at the local elections next month.
“Every day, every single evening I’ve been out and about in Quinton on the doorstep, speaking to people on the phone, talking to as many residents as possible”, she said. “We have a really good understanding of the issues – and time and again the same things come up. It is crime, it is the cost of living, and it is making Quinton a cleaner place to live.”
Just last night, Lauren and her running mate Sam Forsyth held a residents’ meeting in Quinton with West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster and cabinet member for transport and environment Cllr Waseem Zaffar. Dangerous driving and crime were two of the major points Labor want to address should they win a seat next month.
READ MORE: ‘I’m nothing to do with the national side of the party’: The young Tory vying to join the council
Lauren, who does not live in Quinton but says she’s there “every day”, is a communications officer for Preet Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. Working closely with the MP is just one of the factors that led her to pursue a seat on the council.
She said: “I’m Birmingham born and bred, grew up in the city and worked for three years at Birmingham City Council which gave me a really good understanding of how the council works. Working as an officer at the council, I saw the LGBTQ+ protests outside Birmingham primary schools.
“I had to watch and listen to the hatred which was really upsetting and awful. As a gay woman myself, I not only want to be someone who stands with the LGBTQ+ community, but I also want to bring inclusivity and openness to the role of councillor, and I want to look out for everyone no matter who they are.
“I think that’s what really differentiates me from the Conservative campaign.” Touching on the opposition, Lauren found it hard to believe that according to Connor McCormack, her Conservative rival in Quinton, the cost of living had “not come up much” on the doorstep.
“It’s a really big issue that is affecting so many residents in Quinton. Working in Preet’s office we get so many emails and calls from local residents wondering how they’re going to pay for their next trip to work or shop at the supermarket.”
She also mentioned how Partygate could influence voters next month. “The rules were quite clear on what we couldn’t do at the time, then obviously the Prime Minister has lied about it in Parliament, and now they’ve been caught out.
“So many people find it absolutely abysmal. We’ve seen candidates around Birmingham refer to themselves as ‘Local Conservatives’, and who can blame them?
“The government is failing the people of Quinton. Local representatives need to hold their own government and Prime Minister accountable for their actions.”
Making Quinton’s streets safer is at the top of Lauren’s bill in the build-up to the election. It is the first of five pledges she and Sam Forsyth, who is a criminal barrister by trade, have set out.
Working with the local Labor MP Preet Gill, Lauren said the Labor team has already secured a dedicated police team and police sergeant for the area. She said: “We need more officers back on the streets. In recent months we’ve been working with the Police and Crime Commissioner who has managed to get extra funding for us.”
Lauren with fellow Labor candidate Sam Forsythe
“We’ll also be tackling dangerous driving by backing Birmingham Labour’s promise of trebling average speeds cameras.” Helping people through the cost of living crisis is Lauren’s third pledge saying she would vote in favor of free school meals for vulnerable families.
Labor representatives in Quinton would also back the party’s plan to support people with £600 off energy bills a year with a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers. Lauren’s fourth pledge is to tackle fly-tipping, saying there had been “a spate of fridges and mattresses” dumped around Quinton, while the fifth is to tackle rogue landlords.
When asked about Labor’s chances in Quinton next month, Lauren said: “I think they’re really strong, Sam and I make a really strong team. She’s a criminal barrister and I work for Preet, together we’ve got good experience of representing people and understanding what they are going through. I think we stand a very good chance of getting two seats.”
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