{"id":28657,"date":"2021-04-27T16:46:32","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T15:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=28657"},"modified":"2021-04-27T16:46:33","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T15:46:33","slug":"wheres-the-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=28657","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Where\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the hope?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

From Portsmouth to Leicester where City Councillor Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Ross Willmott hopes to become the East Midlands new Police and Crime Commissioner. Hajera Blagg <\/strong>reports<\/p>\n

Labour councillor Ross Willmott, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s standing as a Labour candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, has been a trade union member for most of his life \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in fact even before he was 18.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI joined a union when I had my first job in a supermarket at 16,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ross told UNITElive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a strong history of trade unionism in my family – my father was an engineer and his father was a printer on Fleet Street and a shop steward, or chapel father, as they used to call them in those days. They were all involved in politics.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

This family tradition of trade unionism and Labour politics would become for Ross a driving force throughout his whole career \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in his first job after finishing university, he was a trainee officer for ASTMS, one of the many unions which eventually merged with Unite. He then returned to university to study Industrial Relations at Warwick University, and at only 26 years old, he was elected as councillor for Leicestershire County Council.<\/p>\n

In 1996, he became a city councillor, a position which he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s held ever since, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also served as Leader of Leicester City Council for ten years.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll of this time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve either been a trade union member or working for one,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ross explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m especially proud to be a Unite member because Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s political position is one that aligns perfectly with mine. I think support of the Labour Party is so important.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

As councillor, Ross has made it his mission to foster stronger links between trade union members and local politicians like him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI set up informal links between the Labour group and the trade unions. Obviously there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the formal machinery that exists but I think informal links can help to strengthen that relationship. I had an open door policy as leader of the council with the trade unions \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so important for trade union members to get their voices heard directly by political leaders.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Ross has also taken part in Unite training sessions where he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spoken to members about becoming a councillor and what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to be a councillor.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI try to encourage trade union members to become more involved in politics \u00e2\u20ac\u201c after all, trade unions set up the Labour Party in the first place to forward the aims of working people,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted.<\/p>\n

Ross believes that standing as a candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is a natural continuation of the decades of service he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s given to his local community.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBecause of my long involvement in local politics I felt that we should have somebody who runs the police who is more accountable to the people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not someone who is just in charge of the police but has that very important link between communities in the city, in the county and the police.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Strong crime prevention agenda <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If elected, Ross says he would commit to a strong prevention agenda on crime.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEffective policing isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about catching villains,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about what we can do working with the budgets that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got, which are considerable – \u00c2\u0141200m altogether \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and working with other agencies and partners to stop people being drawn into crime in the first place. This is far more effective than simply locking people up. We know that people are led into crime because of poverty, deprivation, lack of work and so on \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m interested in tackling the causes of criminality.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Ross criticised the approach taken to crime by prime minister Boris Johnson, who has previously pledged \u00c2\u01412bn to build more prisons.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is entirely the wrong approach,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe should be investing that \u00c2\u01412bn in measures that for example, stop young people carrying knives; that promote restorative justice, and support people in getting decent jobs.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMeanwhile, my Conservative opponent believes we should give the police more tasers and bullet-proof vests,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ross added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the hope in that? There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no hope there. The hope lies in measures which support people into good employment and somewhere decent to live so that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not drawn into crime in the first place.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Ross said that if he is elected, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll build on the good work that the current Labour PCC has already done by investing in more police officers on the beat. While the Tories had slashed police numbers in the area by over 500 in the last decade, under the current Labour PCC, nearly 300 police officers were added.<\/p>\n

Labour makes a real difference <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith Labour in control of the PCC we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made a real difference,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ross noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd I think now we need to double that number \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my ambition if elected. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith more police in our communities we establish trust between the police and communities and this leads to more effective policing, which helps to stop crime in the first place. If we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got more police on the ground, then criminals such as car thieves and house burglars are less opportunistic.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

If elected as PCC, Ross also hopes to tackle a type of criminal activity that often gets overlooked \u00e2\u20ac\u201c workplace exploitation.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn Leicester this is an especially entrenched problem \u00e2\u20ac\u201c issues around modern slavery, exploitation at work, employers that are failing to paying the minimum wage. To me this is criminal activity and many of the victims are often women and children. PCCs should be given the powers to investigate sweat shops and other forms of exploitation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we should have a brief to be doing that. This would involve working closely with trade unions to get such places workplaces unionised.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Above all, Ross says he is committed to imbuing his trade unionism in every aspect of his work if elected as PCC \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a commitment that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already demonstrated for decades.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI will continue to uphold my trade union values \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Unite values \u00e2\u20ac\u201c respecting people and their communities and advocating for workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rights,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ross said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs PCC you have a platform to speak not just on policing but on other issues as well and that is my intention. As a councillor, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never been someone who confines himself just to being with the council. I will happily lend my support to Unite members who are in dispute or need help.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI believe if you have a position of authority or influence then you can use it for a greater good. I see myself as a strong democrat, a trade unionist, someone who speaks up for ordinary people and represents their interests.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

GET INVOLVED<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you live in the East Midlands and want to help Ross you can find out more about Cllr Ross Willmott on his website here.<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 You can also contact the\u00c2\u00a0Unite East Midlands regional office\u00c2\u00a0<\/a>and ask to speak to the regional political officer.<\/p>\n

Wherever you live if would like to help Unite candidates in your area or to find out more\u00c2\u00a0see here<\/a><\/p>\n

By Hajera Blagg <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stayed tuned to UNITElive for the latest on our Unite candidates<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Labour councillor Ross Willmott, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s standing as a Labour candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, has been a trade union member for most of his life \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in fact even before he was 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1621],"tags":[838,1608,1631],"wps_subtitle":"Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Ross Willmott believes the Tory policy of giving the police more tasers and bullet proof vests will not reduce crime \u00e2\u20ac\u201c whereas giving people good job opportunities and decent homes is the way forward","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28657"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28657"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28660,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28657\/revisions\/28660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}