Harlow Liberal Democrats News

Let the public speak at County Council meetings

2008-07-07T12:13:00.003+01:00

Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council have put forward plans for members of the public to take part in open council meetings at County Hall. A motion submitted by the group proposes a 'public questions' spot at meetings of the full council, where any member of the public can put a question directly to the administration. Speaking about the idea, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council, said:

"It is about time that local residents and taxpayers were given an opportunity to take an active role in how their council works, what their council tax is used for and why decisions are made. It is not enough to talk the localism talk, residents must be included in the democratic process in a real and meaningful way.

As Liberal Democrats, we are fundamentally committed to sharing decision making powers with members of the community and that must start with a formal and permanent place for the public at open council meetings, similar to other authorities. In addition, we are also calling for an investigation to be carried out into further and innovative ways of opening up the council's meetings and processes to the public."

The motion will be debated at the next full meeting of Essex County Council on 15 July.

Labour side with phone giants against local communities

2008-07-06T16:28:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrats in Harlow have launched a stinging attack on Bill Rammell, Labour MP for Harlow, for siding with phone company giants rather than residents in a row over the power of communities to stop inappropriately sited phone masts.

Currently, fewer restrictions govern planning applications for phone masts up to 15 metres in height, often making it difficult for councils like Harlow to refuse permission for controversial proposals.

Liberal Democrats in Parliament recently moved an amendment to the Planning Bill which would have meant applications for phone masts would have required full planning permission and therefore be considered in the same way as applications for new buildings or change of use of existing ones.

But Labour MPs, including Mr Rammell, voted against the call - and Conservative MPs did not bother voting at all. Local Liberal Democrat planning spokesman Cllr Lorna Spenceley says:

"Bill Rammell had the opportunity to side with local communities or with giant phone companies. It is extremely disappointing so see that he decided to back the latter - and that the Conservatives just sat on their hands.

The change the Liberal Democrats proposed in the House of Commons would have given residents a fighting chance to stop inappropriately sited phone masts. It would have meant the phone companies would have had to apply for full planning permission in the same way that any other business would need to."

Audit of MPs' expenses

2008-07-04T23:09:00.000+01:00

Local leader Cllr Chris Millington has welcomed the announcement by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg that his party is committing to unilaterally introduce proposals rejected by Parliament yesterday on the audit of MPs' expenses. These include independent spot checks of the expenses of the party's MPs. Chris said:

"It is good to see Liberal Democrat MPs setting an example and showing that they have nothing to fear from open, independent scrutiny of their expenses.

I hope that the Labour and Conservative leaderships will follow Nick Clegg's lead in implementing these measures, and we can begin to restore public confidence in politicians."

Harlow Labour MP Bill Rammell was absent from the vote in parliament on external audit of MPs' expenses. No Liberal Democrat MP voted against the proposals for independent external audit.

Councils must be set free from Whitehall

2008-07-03T22:20:00.003+01:00

Councils should be set free from depending on Whitehall funding by raising three-quarters of their money locally, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said today in a speech to the Local Government Association Conference in Bournemouth.

Explaining the Liberal Democrats' position as the only party willing to properly devolve power and money away from central government by re-localising business rates and scrapping the council tax, Nick accused the Government and the Tories of only 'talking the talk' about empowering communities. Nick also labelled the regional ministerial posts introduced a year ago by Gordon Brown as 'pointless gimmicks' and call for them to be scrapped. Nick said:

"Centralised government simply doesn't work to deliver the change I want for Britain. It doesn't improve services fast enough. And it certainly doesn't deliver fairer outcomes - where everybody gets opportunities no matter what their background is.

If the New Labour decade has taught us anything - this is surely it. The great experiment of trying to improve our public services for everyone by pouring money in through a tight funnel in Number 10 Downing Street has failed."

Speaking about radically reforming how local government is funded, he said:

"The Liberal Democrats are committed to scrapping Council Tax. It's Britain's unfairest tax. Based on property values nearly twenty years ago, instead of what people can afford to pay.

But our commitment to Local Income Tax isn't just about fairness. It's about localising power, too. Because with a local income tax in place, we can decentralise our tax system. Transferring tax-raising powers from national to local government.

My ambition is to switch from a regime where councils raise just a quarter of the money they spend, and get the rest in handouts from the centre. To a regime where they get a grant for just a quarter of the money they spend - and get the rest from local taxes, decided by local people."

Calling for regional ministers to be scrapped, Nick said:

"It's time to scrap regional ministers and spend the money on something useful. Devolving power isn't about having a national minister 'advocating' national policy in the regions. It's about letting the regions - and below them, councils, communities and people - make decisions for themselves.

I've looked into this - and by the time of the next general election we taxpayers will have spent well over two million pounds on this futile project. In fact, it's not clear what these pointless gimmicks spend their time doing. Except costing us a lot of money."

Harlow has not benefited from Brown's first year as Prime Minister

2008-06-27T22:30:00.001+01:00

Harlow has not benefited from Gordon Brown's leadership, claim local Liberal Democrats in a message to residents.

Labour MPs unanimously made Mr Brown party leader last year - but local Liberal Democrats are unhappy about Mr Brown's leadership and have argued strongly that Harlow has failed to benefit from his year as Prime Minister. Local Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chris Millington said:

"Gordon Brown has been in office for a year and I am still looking for any significant improvements here in Harlow.

Instead of the strong leadership claims Labour spun last year, we have endured months of dithering, indecision and a chaotic government under Prime Minister Brown. He seems more like a rabbit frozen in the headlights rather than a person giving leadership to the country.

Meanwhile, thousands of local residents on low incomes continue to be worse off under Gordon Brown's 10p tax grab, despite the panic concessions last month.

Thousands are being forced to pay more council tax and many local residents are forced to live in overcrowded conditions because of the credit crunch and the failure of Labour to build sufficient affordable homes.

As I go around Harlow speaking to residents, I find more and more anger as things get worse under Gordon Brown rather than better."

Monument to Sir Frederick Gibberd

2008-06-21T20:01:00.003+01:00

Harlow Liberal Democrats Chairman David Wright was at the Civic Centre for the unveiling of a plaque to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Harlow's master planner, Sir Frederick Gibberd. David says:

"A hundred years after Sir Frederick Gibberd's birth, and sixty years after the foundation of the new town he designed, it's right that we reflect on his contribution to the shape of the Harlow we live in today - and ensure that the principles he set out continue to guide the development of the town in the future."

Are Tories banking an election fund with your money?

2008-06-18T17:05:00.002+01:00

Conservatives at Essex County Council are underspending on services and banking up millions of pounds in reserve funds, according to a new report. The report, on the council's finances for 2007/08, was discussed and approved at a meeting of the council's cabinet at County Hall. Speaking about the report, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council, said:

"Underspending on the council's budget and services, and building up reserve funds, is something that I have been questioning for some time with the council's administration. I'm really not sure how taking council tax from hard-working people and squirreling it away in reserve funds is of benefit to the taxpayer.

As there are county council elections next year, can it be that the Conservatives are banking up an 'election fund' which they can use to announce a low council tax rise and to spend on some eye-catching, but hollow, electorally pleasing gimmicks? The council's latest stunt to offer a job to the runner-up of television's The Apprentice spectacularly backfired when the council admitted they had no intention of offering a job at all.

It is galling enough for council tax payers in Essex that our council tax has risen by 120% over the past 10 years. To then find out that hard earned cash is not being spent on the things I and my constituents would like, such as filling in potholes and providing facilities for young people, but to bolster up excessive reserves for electoral purposes is an outrage."

Liberal Democrats unveil their Harlow Council teams

2008-06-17T23:11:00.000+01:00

The Liberal Democrats on Harlow Council have nominated their representatives to the various council committees.

Newly-elected councillor Manny Doku joins group leader Chris Millington on the council's main Policy & Resources Committee. Eleanor Macy remains the group's lead on the Environment & Community Committee, joined by last year's council chairman Lorna Spenceley. Lesley Rideout continues as the party's Housing spokesman, assisted by leader Chris Millington.

Lorna Spenceley and Chris Millington are the Liberal Democrats' Planning team, while the Licensing Committee's Liberal Democrat representatives are Manny Doku, Linda Pailing, Lesley Rideout and Robert Thurston.

Newly re-elected councillor Nick Macy joins Lorna Spenceley on the Audit & Improvement Committee. Nick also joins the Scrutiny Committee, which is to be chaired by Linda Pailing.

The Standards Committee has three Liberal Democrat representatives - Manny Doku, Eleanor Macy and Lesley Rideout.

Local Government Conference

2008-06-14T22:45:00.001+01:00

Harlow councillors Linda Pailing and Lorna Spenceley, and local party chairman David Wright, joined hundreds of other party members for a day of debate and information-sharing at the Liberal Democrats' Local Government Conference in Birmingham.

Key speakers included shadow environment secretary Steve Webb MP, who briefed the conference about the climate change campaign and the hard work being done by Liberal Democrats in parliament to force Labour to strengthen the Climate Change Bill and raise the target for reducing CO2 emissions from 60% to 80%. And shadow home secretary Chris Huhne MP updated the conference on the recent '42 days' debate and the battle against Labour's proposals to extend the length of time people can be held without charge.

Liberal Democrats almost double vote in Harlow Common by-election

2008-06-13T09:53:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrat council candidate James Rideout almost doubled the party's vote in the Harlow Common by-election on Thursday 12 June.

The Liberal Democrat vote rose from just 234 last year, to 419 on Thursday. The Liberal Democrats also saw the largest increase in their share of the vote - up 9%, while the Conservatives increased their share by just 3% and Labour collapsed by a massive 14%. Local Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chris Millington says:

"This is a terrific achievement for our young candidate James Rideout. It is further evidence that the Liberal Democrats are emerging as the real opposition to the Conservatives on Harlow Council, while support for Labour is continuing to evaporate."

Harlow Common by-election campaign kicks off

2008-05-14T08:15:00.004+01:00

James Rideout is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the council by-election in Harlow Common on 12 June. The by-election is caused by the sad death of former councillor Greg Peck. Greg was completely committed to Harlow Common and as Harlow Common's new councillor James has pledged to continue that commitment.

James and the team have been out and about meeting residents across the ward. James says:

"In Harlow's elections on 1 May, every single Labour candidate was defeated. Labour now have only six councillors left in Harlow, and are the third party, behind the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives locally and nationally.

It's clear that Harlow residents want to send the Government a strong message. They're fed up with spin over substance. The abolition of the 10p tax rate without a thought for those on low incomes. The crisis in housing without a thought for young people, first-time buyers and low-income tenants. The pressure on local councils towards high council tax without a thought for those who cannot afford it - especially among the elderly and those on fixed incomes.

The Conservatives have no answers. They didn't oppose the Government in scrapping the 10p tax rate, though the Liberal Democrats did. They backed Blair's war in Iraq. Their record on our local schools and roads is appalling.

It's the Liberal Democrats who make the difference - locally and nationally. We've championed the environment. When Labour would have signed away council homes under regeneration schemes like the ones in Prentice Place and Clifton Hatch, it was the Liberal Democrats who got the council to look again. A Liberal Democrat government would replace council tax with a fair system based on ability to pay.

This by-election can't change who runs the council. But as a resident of Harlow Common, your vote can send a strong message on Thursday 12 June. Your vote for the Liberal Democrats will say how badly Labour have let us down, locally and nationally.
It will also say you're not prepared to let the Conservatives damage Harlow Council services in the same way that they've damaged Essex County Council services. It's the Conservatives who are closing Brays Grove School, risked the future of The Square and let our roads and paving crumble.

If you elect me on 12 June, I will be part of a strong team listening to, and working for, local people. Unlike other parties, the Liberal Democrats aren't funded by big business or the trade unions. So we're free to put YOU first."

East of England Plan - development needs to be sustainable, say Liberal Democrats

2008-05-13T22:33:00.000+01:00

Harlow's Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chris Millington has given an initial welcome to the publication of the latest revision of the East of England Plan. The Plan sets out the future location of housing, employment and infrastructure such as transport for the East of England region, including Harlow. Chris Millington says:

"The Plan is stronger in a number of key areas that we have long argued for - protection of the green wedges, decisions to be taken locally, the critical need for affordable housing and a more coherent approach to tackling the town's transport problems. I also welcome the understanding by the Government that any development needs to be sustainable and deliver greater opportunities for Harlow people."

The latest version of the Plan emphasises the need for Harlow, Epping Forest and East Hertfordshire councils to work together to agree where development will take place around the town. A joint statement on the Plan has been issued by Harlow's political leaders.

Liberal Democrats elect leadership team

2008-05-06T23:50:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrats on Harlow Council have re-elected Cllr Chris Millington as their Group Leader, and Cllr Robert Thurston as Deputy Group Leader, at their first meeting since the 1 May elections.

Cllr Eleanor Macy was elected Group Chairman, and Cllr Lorna Spenceley Group Secretary. Speaking to the meeting, Cllr Chris Millington said:

"It is important that as we embark on our new role as official opposition, we should reflect on the successes of our six years of influence on Harlow Council. These include the council's improved financial control and stability; the massive increase in the recycling rate from the 4 per cent we inherited from Labour; the significant improvements to the council's housing service; and the joint venture with Kier Harlow.

With Labour now in third place across the town, the Liberal Democrats must seize the opportunity to be the real opposition to the Conservatives on Harlow Council."

Harlow Council elections: Lib Dems gain two seats in Labour meltdown

2008-05-02T06:40:00.001+01:00

Harlow's Liberal Democrats gained two seats from Labour, following a spectacular meltdown by Labour in the May local elections. Manny Doku won in Bush Fair, increasing the Liberal Democrat majority there to over 200. And Nick Macy returns to the council in Mark Hall, unseating Labour's Sean Folan and again increasing the Liberal Democrat majority.

Labour, who were defending four seats this year, came away with nothing - leaving them in third place on the council with only six seats, their smallest ever group in the town. Harlow Liberal Democrat leader Chris Millington said:

"This is a spectacular meltdown by the Labour party, reducing them to last place on the council and demonstrating just how badly Labour has let down local people."

The Conservatives, with 18 seats - including gains in Little Parndon & Hare Street, Netteswell, Staple Tye and Toddbrook - now have outright control of Harlow Council. The Liberal Democrats, with eight councillors, are now the official opposition. Cllr Millington said:

"We intend to be a vociferous opposition and will hold the Conservative council vigorously to account."

Full results are available on Harlow Council's web site.

Bus tickets: incorrect tickets even more widespread than at first thought

2008-04-01T12:02:00.002+01:00

On the day that free off-peak bus travel for pensioners is extended so that they can travel anywhere in England, Liberal Democrat councillors Lesley Rideout and Robert Thurston reveal that they are still receiving letters from pensioners who have been given tickets for longer journeys than those they have taken.

Senior citizens have been sending Lesley samples of their tickets, together with details of their actual journeys and comments.

"My ticket is always wrong, I would say that it has been for the whole year."

"I feel very ashamed now that I haven't reported this earlier, but I thought it was normal."

"Many times the drivers have the tickets in their hands without even knowing what the destination is."

"This has been a con ever since we had the free bus passes."

Cllr Rideout said:

"The evidence we are gathering shows that the practice of issuing wrongly extended tickets to pensioners is even more widespread than we first thought. It's certainly not the isolated example that Arriva are claiming. We're seeking a meeting with Arriva, Essex County Council and consultants MCL to discuss the evidence we have been sent and what they propose to do about it."

Cllr Robert Thurston added:

"The council has to pay the bus companies a high percentage of the cost of journeys undertaken using a bus pass. That cost has been going through the roof recently - leading to higher bills for the council, redundancies and reductions in other services. I'm furious that so many tickets appear to be for much longer journeys than actually happened, and I'm determined to put a stop to it."

Cllrs Rideout and Thurston are calling for the compulsory installation and use of smart-card readers on all buses, and for the Government to fully fund the increased costs of concessionary bus travel under the new England-wide scheme.

Residents receiving incorrect tickets are encouraged to continue sending them to Cllr Lesley Rideout.

Bigger potholes are good for you, say Conservatives

2008-03-25T21:47:00.002Z

Conservatives at Essex County Council insist it is good practice to allow potholes to get more than double their present depth before they will be fixed. The Tories rejected a claim by the Liberal Democrat group on the county council, that roads are likely to deteriorate under the new strategy. The Lib Dems pushed for a formal meeting to discuss the issue, but the group was eventually voted down by the Conservative members. Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council, said:

"We are disappointed that the Conservatives have decided to go ahead with this new strategy, which we think will lead to a deterioration in road surfaces rather than an improvement. We have particular concerns that this strategy is aimed at motorists and leaves other road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists and all pavement users vulnerable to accidents.

We are convinced that this change of strategy is designed more to see off claims made by people involved in accidents from tripping over potholes, than it is in making people safer. Almost all of us routinely use roads and pavements that are strewn with potholes, splits and other defects and we know that it can be a challenge to get along some stretches of road. With even bigger holes and defects allowed, our local roads are going to become more like assault courses only accessible with 4x4s."

The new highways maintenance strategy changes the depth of potholes allowed before being fixed from 20mm to 50mm on roads and 15mm to 20mm on pavements.

Lib Dems in Harlow call on Rammell to apologise for Iraq vote

2008-03-20T15:27:00.002Z

On the fifth anniversary of the start of the invasion of Iraq, Liberal Democrats in Harlow have called on Bill Rammell MP to apologise for his support for the invasion of Iraq. Local Lib Dem leader Cllr Chris Millington said:

"Five years ago, the Labour Government led Britain into the war in Iraq. The Conservatives were the cheerleaders for military action. And MPs from both parties attacked the Liberal Democrats for our opposition to the invasion.

It is now clear that the war in Iraq and the occupation of the country were the worst decisions taken by Britain in foreign policy in living memory. And Bill Rammell backed this decision. He voted for the war in 2003.

Five years on from the start of the invasion, 175 British troops have lost their lives, £7 billion of our money has been lost on this appalling venture and, according to some estimates, 600,000 Iraqis are dead as a result.

Bill Rammell should apologise to the people of Harlow for his part in authorising this disastrous military venture.

This was a war that we were told was meant to make the world safer. We were told it was to get rid of weapons of mass destruction, weapons which turned out not to exist. We were told this was a war to end terrorism, but the threat from terrorism has gone up, not down.

The remaining British troops in Iraq are not serving a useful purpose. The Government are asking our brave men and women to put their lives at risk for no gain for either our country or the world at large. Despite assurances by Gordon Brown that our troops will be coming home, they are still in Iraq.

I am calling on Bill Rammell to join the Liberal Democrats in urging the Government to set a timetable for the full withdrawal of the remaining UK troops from Iraq.

Next week there will be a vote in Parliament calling for a full inquiry into the origins and conduct of the Iraq war. I urge Bill Rammell to join the Liberal Democrats in voting to hold this inquiry. Lessons must be learnt so the mistakes of Iraq are never made again."

Bus pass furore

2008-03-20T10:17:00.001Z

Harlow Council could be being overcharged for pensioners' bus journeys using their bus passes, local Liberal Democrats can reveal.

Mark Hall councillors Lesley Rideout and Robert Thurston have been shown tickets given to local pensioners which show journeys considerably longer than those that have been taken.

A trip from The Stow to Old Harlow Post Office was shown as being from Harlow Bus Terminus to the Leventhorpe School in Sawbridgeworth. Another, from The Stow to the town centre, was recorded as being from The Phoenix pub at Bush Fair to the Pinnacles.

Because pensioners are entitled to free local bus travel their tickets do not include a price, but journey details are recorded so bus firms can claim the cost of the concessionary fare from Harlow Council.

The cost of bus travel to the council - which from 1 April will be extended to cover journeys anywhere in England - has been rising rapidly and uncontrollably, contributing to the council's cash problems.

The incorrect tickets were collected by four Mark Hall pensioners who contacted Liberal Democrat councillors Lesley Rideout and Robert Thurston. Robert Thurston says:

"We've just had to make quite a few staff redundant, largely because of the cost of funding bus travel. Now it looks like we've been paying well over the odds.

That extra money could have saved someone's job or helped us avoid a service reduction somewhere."

Pensioners receiving incorrect tickets are encouraged to send them to Cllr Lesley Rideout, with details of the actual journey undertaken.

Cafe Youth

2008-03-12T20:35:00.004Z

Liberal Democrat council leader Chris Millington and Staple Tye councillor Lorna Spenceley joined youth councillors, council staff and funders for a special VIP preview evening at the new Cafe Youth.

Cafe Youth is a new cafe created by young people for young people, with a chill-out zone with comfy chairs and coffee; a video game and sports zone with the latest video machines, a pool table and computers; and a healthy eating zone where all products are sold at pocket money prices. Chris Millington says:

"What's really great about Cafe Youth is that it's something the young people themselves have made. The Harlow Council of the old days would have done everything itself for the young people - by contrast, we've enabled the young people to develop their own premises in their own way, attracting funding and bringing partners together to make it work."

Conveniently situated at 21 Westgate - the former bookmakers' - Cafe Youth will be opening its doors in earnest for the first time on Friday 28 March. The hours will be Fridays 4-8pm, Saturdays 4-9pm, and Sundays 2-6pm. School holiday opening information will be available in due course on Harlow Council's web site.

For more information, call 446012 or email Harlow Youth Council.

Minister visits to find out about council improvement

2008-03-11T13:30:00.001Z

Lib Dem council leader Chris Millington and Cllr Lorna Spenceley were on hand to meet government minister John Healey MP yesterday, when he came to Harlow to see at first hand the story of Harlow Council's improvement.

Mr Healey, minister for local government at the Department of Communities & Local Government, toured Harlow and met councillors, officers and partner organisations at the Civic Centre for a presentation on how the council moved straight from being a Poor council to a Good one - a step taken by only four other district councils in the country. Cllr Millington says:

"The improvement demonstrated by Harlow Council is clearly of interest well beyond our boundaries. It's great news that ministers are keen to visit us to find out how we achieved it, and to hear about our ambitious plans for the future and the regeneration of Harlow."

Planning applications

2008-03-10T22:46:00.000Z

Some interesting planning applications have been submitted to Harlow Council's planning department.

BT want to halve the numbers of payphones in various parts of the town centre, and replacing the remaining kiosks with new ones - at Marks & Spencers, The Rows, Westgate, Nationwide, and Adams House (ref HW/PL/08/00062 to 0066).

There's an application by the Scouts for fencing at the scout hut on School Lane (ref HW/PL/08/00068).

A revised application has been submitted for a two-storey day care centre at Goldsmiths (ref HW/PL/08/00070).

And there's an application for a new builders' merchants' warehouse at Dukes Park industrial estate on Edinburgh Way (ref HW/PL/08/00071).

Don't forget you can look up planning applications on Harlow Council's planning pages.

Conference a success - Harlow Liberal Democrats

2008-03-10T21:47:00.000Z

Liberal Democrats in Harlow have returned from their spring conference in Liverpool in an upbeat mood. The conference, which meets twice a year, had a record number of people attending it. Five members attended from Harlow. Lib Dem deputy council leader Cllr Robert Thurston says:

"The Liberal Democrats had a successful conference. We had important debates about putting people back in control of the NHS and ensuring there are enough affordable homes for all who need them.

Vince Cable MP, our Shadow Chancellor, gave an excellent speech which highlighted just how unfair the tax system had become under Labour, with too many people on low and middle income paying too much tax. And party leader Nick Clegg MP really hit the nail on the head when he said that we need a 'new type of politics' to clean up Parliament.

Many people in Harlow feel that Parliament is too remote and out of touch. So I was very pleased to hear Nick Clegg talk about Liberal Democrat demands for big reforms to the way government works. Nick's plan to allow the people to sack their MP if they abuse their position or expenses is a great one and I hope that it is put into action soon.

Now that we are back from conference, we are stepping up our campaigning here in Harlow. Councillors and campaigners are out on local doorsteps and we are getting a good response."

Liberal Democrat Conference backs plans to build 1.3 million new social houses

2008-03-09T18:05:00.002Z

The Liberal Democrat Spring Conference today backed measures to build 1.3 million new social homes over the next ten years. The plans aim to greatly reduce the waiting list for social housing which currently stands at over 1.6 million, up nearly 60 per cent since 1997. Other main proposals include:

Invest all the proceeds from council house sales in building more social homes

End the system of 'negative subsidy' where council tenants subsidise maintenance costs in other parts of the country

Support Government-backed equity mortgages to help first time buyers get on the housing ladder

Pilot Community Land Auctions to ensure that local people get the benefits of new development through improved infrastructure.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister Lembit Opik said:

"We must build faster and better with at least one million new affordable homes in the next ten years to solve Britain's housing crisis.

Successive governments have let social housing crumble. There are almost one million fewer social houses available now than during the last housing market crash. Without this crucial safety net, what will happen to the 45,000 families expected to have their homes repossessed this year?

The Liberal Democrat proposals will help families into homes that they can afford in communities that are sustainable."

Liberal Democrats back plans to protect legal aid

2008-03-08T22:10:00.000Z

The Liberal Democrat Spring Conference today called on ministers to ensure that legal aid reforms do not restrict access to justice for the most vulnerable groups in society.

The Government's proposed reforms do not take into account factors like location, translation services and the level of legal expertise required, all of which could result in poor families losing access to free high quality advice. The Liberal Democrats would:

Suspend further Carter reforms until a full assessment of their impact on the most vulnerable clients has been carried out

Reject the imposition of flat-rate fees, which restrict access to justice

Introduce a new framework for legal aid, recognising the needs of vulnerable clients and the complexity of cases

Subject all new arrangements to pilot schemes so that the costs and benefits can be judged in practice.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"Justice for all is one of the cornerstones of a free and liberal society and a fundamental human right. In its botched legal aid reforms, the Government has failed to protect one of the most important pillars of the welfare state.

Legal aid does not fit easily into a rigid market structure and fixed fees do not take into account geography or the need for special expertise. The reforms have not been researched properly. Competitive tendering must be piloted before these changes are taken any further."

Liberal Democrat spring conference backs radical plans for the health service

2008-03-08T21:59:00.003Z

The Liberal Democrat Spring Conference has backed plans to radically transform the NHS into a 'people's health service' by empowering individuals and decentralising control to local communities.

The measures will set the NHS free from central government control, make it accountable to the people it serves through elected health boards and deliver high quality services to all guaranteed in a 'Patient's Contract'. Plans contained in the policy paper Empowerment, Fairness and Quality in Healthcare include:

Guaranteeing every citizen access to a high standard of core healthcare entitlements within maximum waiting times in a 'Patient's Contract'. To make sure that the NHS delivers, patients would have the right to receive private treatment, paid for by the NHS, if the waiting time was not met.

Introducing a 'Care Guarantee' by spending £2 billion on personal care payments for all elderly people requiring care, based on need and not their ability to pay.

Directly electing the majority of members of local Health Boards instead of unaccountable Primary Care Trusts, putting people in charge of decisions about their local health services.

Rolling out the use of direct payments and individual budgets for people with chronic, long-term conditions and mental health services.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb said:

"I am thrilled by this result; it is a very significant vote for the Liberal Democrats. The Government's obsession with targets has distorted clinical priorities without giving specific rights to patients.

Entitling patients to be treated in a private hospital if their wait breached a defined period would provide a real incentive for local health boards to ensure that hospitals deliver that treatment on time."