Richmond's ruling Lib-Dem party has unveiled its manifesto to hold on to the Council for another four years at the elections on May 5.

Against the background of a Conservative party in crisis at national level, the Liberal-Democrats appear strong favourites to maintain their position.

The current Council is made up of 39 Lib-Dems, 11 Conservatives, 3 from the Green Party and 1 Independent Liberal.

The party's manifesto is built around the pledge 'Making Richmond Fair, Green and Safe'.

As the country wrestles with coming out of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, Council Tax bills are going up by 3.21%, taking the figure for a Band D property over £2,000 for the first time.

The element of the charge that is raised by Richmond Borough Council is rising by 1.94% - with 1% of this associated with extra funding for Adult Social Care. The rest of the increase goes to the Greater London Authority and to fund the Police, Transport for London and the Fire Brigade.

The manifesto lists five key priorities:

* Cash boosts for high streets and parks. This includes a £2m investment fund, pushing ahead with the Twickenham Riverside development and proposals for a new library and cultural centre in Richmond.

* Plant a record number of trees, insulate more buildings and improve air quality. This includes cycle route improvements in Twickenham high street and alongside the A316, extending the school streets programme, more pedestrian crossings and benches, and more electric car charging points.

* Crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour. This includes an action plan to improve safety of women and girls; work with the police to tackle anti-social behaviour hotspots; and a focus on graffiti and fly-tipping.

* Invest more in youth services. This includes more youth workers, additional facilities such as tech hubs at youth centres, playgrounds; and extra support for the emotional health service.

* More affordable homes for key workers and families in need. These include plans for 1,000 more affordable homes, and buying properties for social rent in a £12m programme.

Other manifesto highlights include a new Local Plan, which is designed to create so-called '20 minute neighbourhoods', where people can easily reach key services without the need to drive; a pledge to continue to collect bins weekly 'unless residents tell us otherwise'; the introduction of a Richmond App, to provide better access to services; improvements to Pools on the Park and Whitton Community Centre.

Against increases in inflation and bills, the party says: 'We'll continue to seek efficiencies in council operations that can be delivered without cutting services.'

Under this heading, it says it will reduce the amount of council office space and sell or rent out spare buildings

Unveiling the manifesto, Council Leader, Gareth Roberts, said: 'The past two years have been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic. We prioritised providing support to the residents and businesses who needed it the most.

'We now have a clear plan to help the borough bounce back from the pandemic and to contiue our work to make Richmond Fair, Green and Safe.'

More information is available here - https://www.trlibdems.org.uk/manifesto22