On Monday 10 July, the left party déi Lénk have published their manifesto for the 2017 local elections.From left to right : Sandrine Gashonga, Joël Delvaux, Vera Dockendorf, Guy Foetz, Nathalie Oberweis, David Wagner. déi Lénk

On Monday 10 July, the left party déi Lénk have published their manifesto for the 2017 local elections.From left to right : Sandrine Gashonga, Joël Delvaux, Vera Dockendorf, Guy Foetz, Nathalie Oberweis, David Wagner. déi Lénk

Their 10 priorities are:

  • Build public housing
  • Fight against real estate speculation
  • Protect tenants
  • Support independent shops and companies
  • Improve offer of social services
  • Bring energy networks back under local ownership
  • Create more local crèches
  • Extend public transport and make it free
  • Give priority to pedestrians and cyclists
  • Build a network of local public libraries

Instead of having one or two lead candidates, the city section has decided to have a group of 10 front runners, composed of 5 men and women.

Housing

Déi Lénk support a more active policy in reconverting offices into housing. The party states that the local council should use all the current legal means it has at its disposal to free up vacant building lots included in the current urban development plan (plan d’aménagement général PAG) and to combat speculation. It wants to introduce a tax on empty lots and increase the property tax. Strengthening the rights of tenants is also an issue dear to déi Lénk’s heart; it proposes to make the committee on rents by the local authority better known to tenants, and to inform tenants of the recent law on rent subsidies. It proposes to introduce unannounced inspections of flats to inspect whether they are conform to current standards.

Déi Lénk state that the City of Luxembourg has sufficient funds to build much more social and affordable housing, as it has significant financial reserves (€470 million in reserve funds and €340 million in bonuses in 2016). Furthermore, the ministry for housing subsidises the construction of social housing by 75%.

Democratic participation

Next to distributing the minutes of council meetings to all households, déi Lénk want all information and communication to be available in the three administrative languages of the grand duchy. Simultaneous translation at all public meetings, having all administrative forms downloadable online and having all the major regulations be written in simple language are other campaign issues. The left party also wants to organise many more public meetings and consultative bodies should be included in a more effective way in the decision-making process. Gender equality and integrating non-Luxembourg residents is also a priority.

Energy and environment

Déi Lénk want the local council to take back ownership of the local energy networks, reduce energy consumption by 30% for the local authority buildings, and introduce more measures to entice people to walk instead of taking their car.

Fight inequality

The Left party wants to reinforce substantially the social office (office social de la Ville), both in terms of staff and buildings. The number of social workers is significantly below that foreseen by the law. The party also wants a better use of the funds, and to stop it accumulating reserve funds, which should instead be used to finance projects. The City council should also become a more active employer, especially for people with disabilities and long-term unemployed people, and should ensure continuous training for its employees.

Déi Lénk want to put a stop to the outsourcing of public services and to introduce an ombudsman at the local level.

Inclusive education

Déi Lénk want to create more crèches owned by the local authority, and extend childcare in schools and foyers, and to support disadvantaged children by giving them tailored tutoring. Free access to museums, a new free card for young people to attend cultural events, and enlarging the cultural offer in education are other issues which the party intends to promote.

List of candidates of déi Lénk in Luxembourg City for the local elections

Correia Da Veiga Ana, 34 years, éducatrice spécialisée, Luxembourg and Cap-Verdian

Delvaux Joël, 44 years, local councillor, trade unionist OGBL, Luxembourg

Dockendorf Vera, 29 years, German high school teacher Luxembourg

Erpelding Michel, 33 years, researcher, Luxembourg

Gashonga Sandrine, 39 years, intercultural trainer Luxembourg

Foetz Guy, 65 years, local councillor, retired economics high school teacher Luxembourg

Oberweis Nathalie, 34 years, NGO employee Luxembourg

Rolling Alain, 35 years, employee at Consumer’s union Luxembourg Luxembourg

Tileva Aneliya, 33 years, employee at a European institution Bulgarian

Wagner David, 38 years, member of parliament Luxembourg

Benayas Sonya, 53 years, administrative assistant Spanish

Berny Anne-Marie, 71 years, retired language teacher French

Delaporte Jean-François, 19 years, student Luxembourg

Galli Alessandra, 52 years, teacher, writer Italienne et Luxembourg

Heshmat Hany, 39 years, musician, Luxembourg, Belgian and Egyptian

Labroussi Catherine, 53 years, translator Greek

Redondo Jean-Laurent, 66 years, retired civil servant, Luxembourg

Schosseler Jeanne, 61 years, retired trade unionist Luxembourg

Simon Claude, 56 years, youth worker, Luxembourg

Sklias Vassilis, 65 years, retired european civil servant Greek

Stoos Guy, 67 years, cartoonist, former local councillor, Luxembourg

Tessaro lsabella, 58 years, employee at a financial company, Italian

Theis Mark, 63 years, retired arts teacher, Luxembourg

Thévenin Paul, 71 years, retired independent, Luxembourg

Thomas Guy, 69 years, lawyer, Luxembourg

Valentini Rossana, 73 years, languages high school teacher, Italian

Wolter Nicole, 68 years, retired French high school teacher Luxembourg