Ed Balls for Labour https://edballs4labour.org/ A strong local voice for working people en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 14:18:24 GMT More Than Books: The Digital Inclusion Guarantee Our Towns Need https://edballs4labour.org/digital-inclusion-guarantee-libraries-2026/ https://edballs4labour.org/digital-inclusion-guarantee-libraries-2026/ For many residents, the library desk is the only place to claim Universal Credit, apply for a job or access NHS services. A practical digital-inclusion deal in 2026 should treat that desk as essential infrastructure. Ed Balls for Labour Campaign and Policy Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:19:31 GMT The Walk Home Should Not Be a Gamble: A Street-Lighting Deal for 2026 https://edballs4labour.org/walk-home-street-lighting-deal-2026/ https://edballs4labour.org/walk-home-street-lighting-deal-2026/ Dark and broken streets are not a minor inconvenience; they decide who can work, study and care for others after sunset. This is a constituency-focused case for a practical street-lighting, crossing and transport-stop campaign in 2026. Ed Balls for Labour Transport and Local Services Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:19:31 GMT A Ladder, Not a Leaflet: Giving Young People in Our Towns a Real Route into Work https://edballs4labour.org/a-ladder-not-a-leaflet-real-route-into-work/ https://edballs4labour.org/a-ladder-not-a-leaflet-real-route-into-work/ Youth unemployment and skills shortages are holding back local economies in 2026, yet Westminster still offers slogans rather than routes into work. A genuine apprenticeship guarantee must start with small employers, honest careers advice and the bus fare that makes training reachable. Ed Balls for Labour Campaign and Policy Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:19:01 GMT Beyond the Thank-You: A Practical Deal for the Carers Who Hold Our Towns Together https://edballs4labour.org/beyond-the-thank-you-a-practical-deal-for-carers/ https://edballs4labour.org/beyond-the-thank-you-a-practical-deal-for-carers/ Unpaid carers keep families and local services going, yet the benefits system still punishes them at the first extra hour of work and respite support is rationed. In 2026, a fair deal means tapering support, funding breaks and giving carers real rights at work. Ed Balls for Labour NHS and Social Care Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:19:01 GMT Not Nostalgia, a Blueprint: Rebuilding the High Street Around Its Workers https://edballs4labour.org/not-nostalgia-blueprint-high-street-rescue-2026/ https://edballs4labour.org/not-nostalgia-blueprint-high-street-rescue-2026/ Empty windows and insecure retail jobs are not a weather event — they are the result of choices about rates, rents and rules. A hopeful but hard-edged look at what a Labour local voice should actually do to bring our town centres back to life in 2026. Ed Balls for Labour Transport and Local Services Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:21:28 GMT Priced Out of Work: The Childcare Settlement Our Towns Cannot Wait For https://edballs4labour.org/priced-out-of-work-childcare-settlement-2026/ https://edballs4labour.org/priced-out-of-work-childcare-settlement-2026/ Childcare is not a private worry to be solved family by family — it is infrastructure, as essential as the road to the depot or the bus to the hospital. This piece sets out why the cost of care is now a fairness test for our economy, and what a practical Labour plan would change in towns like ours this year. Ed Balls for Labour Campaign and Policy Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:21:28 GMT Warm Homes, Fair Bills: A Winter Deal That Reaches Every Street https://edballs4labour.org/warm-homes-fair-bills-winter-deal-every-street/ https://edballs4labour.org/warm-homes-fair-bills-winter-deal-every-street/ Cold weather exposes the choices governments make. This winter, Labour's Warm Home Guarantee would insulate homes, restrain energy bills and fund local warm hubs — practical help for pensioners and families, not another round of emergency press releases. Ed Balls for Labour Campaign and Policy Sun, 08 Nov 2026 00:20:55 GMT Missed Connections: Why Reliable Buses Are a Fairness Test for Our Towns https://edballs4labour.org/missed-connections-reliable-buses-fairness-test/ https://edballs4labour.org/missed-connections-reliable-buses-fairness-test/ Cancelled routes and unreliable timetables are not minor inconveniences. They cut people off from work, care and community. Labour's plan for bus franchising, rural services and real accountability would put local passengers back in charge. Ed Balls for Labour Transport and Local Services Sun, 08 Nov 2026 00:20:55 GMT No More Waiting in the Dark: A Practical NHS Recovery Plan for Our Towns https://edballs4labour.org/no-more-waiting-nhs-recovery-plan-our-towns/ https://edballs4labour.org/no-more-waiting-nhs-recovery-plan-our-towns/ Ed Balls sets out a local NHS recovery plan built around diagnostic hubs, community care funding and a fair deal for staff. He argues that waiting lists are a political choice, not an unavoidable fact of life. Ed Balls for Labour NHS and Social Care Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:21:18 GMT A Fair Deal, Not Fine Words: Five Labour Pledges for Working People This Year https://edballs4labour.org/fair-deal-five-labour-pledges-working-people-2026/ https://edballs4labour.org/fair-deal-five-labour-pledges-working-people-2026/ From pay packets to bus routes, Ed Balls outlines five practical commitments Labour is making for working people in 2026 – and why the Conservative record falls short. Ed Balls for Labour Campaign and Policy Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:21:18 GMT