Launch of UKIP Local Elections Campaign 2016

UKIP is today launching its 2016 Local Elections campaign with a national day of action across the English council areas up for election on May 5th. Also being launched today is UKIP’s Local Elections Manifesto as well as the Party’s first Local Elections Party Election Broadcast which goes out across ITV at 18:25 (excluding ITV London) and BBC One at 18:55 (excluding BBC One London) this evening.

You can find both the Manifesto and the Broadcast at our 2016 Local Elections hub: http://www.ukip.org/local2016

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage: "UKIP is the only party showing real growth in local Government, while the other parties are trying to hang on to what they have. This is because local government is under pressure and services are stretched due to the government’s open door policy combined with reduced funding. UKIP will change this, put people first and stop mass uncontrolled immigration which is pushing our infrastructure to breaking point.

Nigel Farage responds to Government pro-EU leaflets

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage responding to the new pro-EU campaign leaflet said: "Why is the government spending £10 million of our money telling us what we should think and what we should do?

"This is very much like what happened in 1975, legally it is questionable and morally it is wrong. It was wrong in 1975 and it is wrong now.

"This government scam confirms my view that this referendum will be defined by the battle of the people versus the political class.

"Furthermore, the document is jammed full of lies and inaccuracies including the claim that we currently control our borders. We don't. It is outrageous to suggest otherwise."

Now even the EU admit open borders are a threat

UKIP Defence Spokesman Mike Hookem has welcomed the report from the EU border agency FRONTEX which admits that the migration crisis has made it easier for terrorists to enter the EU saying "the truth about our safety and security is more important than protecting the feelings of the political establishment."

Mr Hookem, who was attacked for pointing out that the terror attacks in Brussels were a consequence of free movement and lax security checks, said the report by the agency into the Paris attacks, carried out by groups linked to the Brussels killers, "Was yet more proof that we are safer off outside the European Union."

"Those who immediately pointed out that the EU's open borders were a security threat faced abuse from all sides in a knee jerk reaction by detractors despite the causes of this hideous attack being quite obvious from the outset," the MEP said.

New poll backs UKIP policy on referenda for large scale developments

When asked which planning applications they would like to be consulted on, 60% of Londoners believe people across the city should have a say if a tall building is proposed in a historically important place. But currently it is usually only those in immediate surrounding areas who are consulted on proposals for buildings that may be so tall they affect views and settings for miles around. The polling also shows that more than half do not know how to make their voice heard. The results come from a new poll published today by YouGov on behalf of Historic England.

Today, Historic England has said that limits around who is consulted on tall building proposals need to be reviewed. They have also called for wider public involvement in the way London develops, in the run-up to the next London Plan, so Londoners are better informed about the changes gathering pace in the city,

Welcoming the results of the poll UKIP’s London Mayoral candidate Peter Whittle said, “The results of this poll clearly underlines the fact that Londoners increasingly feel powerless over their built environment. This is why throughout this campaign I have been consistently calling for binding referenda, held by local authorities, on any new large developments. This would require 5% of local people to call for a referendum on such developments.

Councils must name failing schools

Councils should not be allowed to refuse to identify failing schools, says UKIP Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall. His declaration comes after Croydon Council turned down a Freedom of Information request from the Croydon Advertiser newspaper asking for the schools’ names. The schools - said to require “rapid improvement” - claimed they should not be identified because doing so would affect admissions and, as a result, damage them financially.

Mr Nuttall, MEP for the North West and UKIP Education Spokesman, said: “It’s always a worry when a publicly-funded body like a council rates secrecy over transparency. Choosing which school your child will attend is one of the most important decisions a parent will ever have to make. It is literally planning for your child’s future.