witney liberal democrats

CLEGG CALLS FOR SUMMIT ON MPs' EXPENSES

2009-03-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has written to Gordon Brown and David Cameron seeking an urgent meeting to reform the system of MPs’ expenses.

In his letter he calls for the three parties to work together to agree an urgent overhaul of MPs’ expenses as recent scandals make it clear the current system cannot continue any longer.

The upcoming inquiry by the Committee on Standards in Public Life will not report this side of a general election. Nick Clegg said the parties owe it to the citizens of this country to ensure a fair deal for taxpayers before then.

Mr Clegg said recent changes were welcome but further reforms are needed to rebuild public confidence. In the name of transparency, every penny of public money claimed by MPs should only be reimbursed on production of a receipt: taxpayers have the right to know how their money is being spent. Also, the present rules on second homes are incomprehensible to millions of people who have to commute each day: no London MP should be able to claim for a second home.

Clegg told the other leaders that they needed to show political leadership, and act as party leaders to clean up the expenses regime once and for all. This is not a matter for party political point scoring.

Plan for affordable homes backed in West Oxfordshire

2009-03-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

Liberal Democrats in West Oxfordshire have welcomed plans to boost affordable housing and avoid home repossession. The plans, launched by the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP and Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Teather MP, include:

* providing refurbishment loans for owners of empty homes if the homes are leased to housing associations,
* boosting the amount of private housing for rent including using empty commercial property temporarily as housing,
* bringing in a new type of secure mortgage to help boost lending to house buyers,
* letting councils and housing associations buy up unsold private houses and allowing them access to funds to bring them homes up to social housing standards,
* making sure the courts allow repossession only as a last resort.

Many people in our area are struggling to get their own home or are facing repossession because of the recession. We must do all we can to help residents through these bad times. Many homes built recently lie empty, often because the banks are not lending to people who want to buy them, yet many people need a place to live. We want to unblock the system and our plans will help to do that.

Giving housing associations and councils the opportunity to buy up empty homes that builders cannot sell will mean hundreds of local families will be able to rent a place of their own. Many privately owned homes stand empty so leasing them to housing associations means people can move into homes that would otherwise remain unused.

And making sure that the courts only allow homes to be repossessed as an absolute last resort will save many families in West Oxfordshire from the terrible situation of having their home taken away from them.

"Tories right for Direction but woefully lacking in substance"

2009-02-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

The Leader of the Liberal Democrats in local government, Cllr Richard Kemp has welcomed the direction of the Tory proposals for local government, but has cited four major concerns. "This is a wholesale repudiation of the Thatcher and Major governments which stripped councils of their power and finance and made them into puppets of central government, but the plans lack substance in 4 areas".

1. They do nothing to correct the imbalance between central and local funding. Whilst central government supplies up to 80% of the money spent by local government they will continue to call the tune asserting national priorities over local ones. They have similarly chickened out of tackling the way we raise money locally by keeping in place the grossly unfair Council Tax whilst we would propose a fair local income tax.

2. They have learned nothing about local mayors. Some Mayors, and of course our own in Watford, have been successful. And where people decide that they want a mayor they already have the right to elect one. But of the 12 elected mayoral systems in England two are in deep trouble with Stoke already voting to end their mayoral system. If the same proportion of councils generally were in trouble there would be aid teams outside 38 Town Halls today.

3. They have learned nothing about regionalism. They are, of course, right to rail against the bureaucracies of unelected regional government. But to suggest that employment, housing, transport and planning matters stop at the boundary of each council is ludicrous. Councils must and do work together and should be empowered themselves to develop sub regional and regional frameworks.

4. Proposals for elected commissioners for the Police are deeply scary. Most people believe that the head of the Police should be a serving and experienced police officer. Although the green paper does not define what an elected commissioner would do there would be no point in having such a position if that person were unable to radically change policing policy and operational policing activity.

Cllr Kemp added: "In these proposals the Tory MPs are clearly not listening to their own councillors who would support many of these points especially the one about police commissioners. In particular they have shown that they know little about urban government with many major urban councils like Liverpool. Sheffield and Newcastle being entirely Tory Free Zones."

WITNEY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS BACK BILL TO END FUEL POVERTY

2009-01-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Liberal Democrats in Witney have expressed their support for Liberal Democrat MP David Heath's proposal to bring forward a parliamentary bill aimed at ending fuel poverty.

The Fuel Poverty Bill will bring in two measures:
* A major energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to the current energy efficiency levels enjoyed by modern homes.
* Social tariffs to limit vulnerable households’ exposure to high-energy bills.

These proposals will be good for the environment whilst also making a real difference to pensioners and others struggling to pay energy bills. It will make a real difference to around five million households faced with the terrible choice between heating and eating this winter.

The bill would also provide a much-needed boost to the local construction industry struggling in the recession. These proposals deserve the support of politicians from all parties.

The measures in the bill have received the backing of many major charities and campaign groups, including Help the Aged, Friends of the Earth, Consumer Focus and the Association for the Conservation of Energy.

GREEN PLANS WILL BOOST JOBS AND HOMES IN WEST OXFORDSHIRE

2009-01-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

Liberal Democrats in West Oxfordshire have given their backing to plans for investment in green schemes that will make homes warmer, cut energy bills and improve public transport. The plans, called the 'Green Road out of Recession', were announced in December by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP.

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the government's tiny VAT cut. The vast majority of the money could be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away.

Green Road out of the Recession proposals include:

* A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year
* Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more
* Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses
* Buying 700 new train carriages
* Reopening old railway lines and stations, opening new ones, electrifying the Great Western and Midland mainlines and beginning the Liverpool light rail network
* Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years

The plans proposed by Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats will give an immediate boost to the economy in Witney and across the country and by insulating people’s homes, it will help thousands of residents whose heating bills have gone through the roof in the past year.

Whilst the Conservatives are quietly dropping serious interest in tackling climate change and damage to the environment, Liberal Democrats believe that moving forward with green action on homes and transport will create jobs, cut energy bills, put money back into people’s pockets and protect the environment.

ANGER AS FLOODING ACTION ABANDONED IN QUEEN’S SPEECH

2008-12-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Liberal Democrats were dismayed to see that a proposed bill to address flooding across the country was removed from the Queen’s Speech today, throwing fresh doubt on action needed to ensure that future flooding in the district could be reduced.

The government had pledged to introduce a bill to implement the findings of the Pitt Review into the devastating floods of 2007, which hit communities across the country and which affected hundreds of properties in West Oxfordshire. The review carried out by Lord Pitt and published in June 2008 made clear that the risk of flooding continues to grow and to threaten more communities. He recommended a series of actions, 80% of which he said would not cost anything to implement.

The draft bill which the government had planned to announce today would have included:

- tighter building rules in flood-prone areas
- overall strategic control of flood planning given to the Environment Agency.
- a new responsibility for local authorities to produce local surface water management plans and powers to lead on surface water flooding and drainage locally (eg by serving notices on landowners to maintain drains)
- a new ‘opt-out’ telephone flood warning system for all properties at risk

This is a slap in the face to the people who had their lives ruined by the floods last year. The government promised action and everyone thought the Pitt Review was a clear sign of the government’s genuine intentions.

Urgent action is needed across England. Scotland already has a flood risk bill in progress but the UK government is dragging its feet with real action on flooding in England. We may not see any progress before the next General Election in 2010, which is not good enough for residents in West Oxfordshire.

In particular we need landscape-scale planning for water, drainage and flooding with strong environmental priorities, a presumption against any development on floodplains – which the Vale already abides by – and protection for insurance customers against unreasonable conditions, excesses and exclusions. Above all we need action now.

Darling’s £5bn tax hike will hit low earners and business - Cable

2008-12-03T13:34:00.001-08:00

Commenting on the Pre-Budget Report, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: “The Government acknowledges that the UK tax system is inherently unfair, but then announces that it will hit those struggling to make ends meet with yet higher tax bills by increasing National Insurance. Everyone earning over £19,000 will be hit.

“The new 45p Income Tax rate is nothing more than a fig leaf to cover a £5bn tax hike which will hit millions of low earners and businesses.

“The Government has missed a golden opportunity to make the tax system permanently fairer which it could have done by cutting income taxes for those on low and middle incomes, paid for by getting rid of tax loopholes for the wealthy.

“Instead of increasing investment in sustainable capital projects which benefit the country tomorrow as well as today, the Government has opted for a temporary cut in VAT which will benefit big spenders the most and not give the economy the boost it needs.

“At a time of economic emergency, Gordon Brown has once again failed those who need help the most.”

ANGER AT INFLATION BUSTING RAIL FARE INCREASES

2008-12-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

Liberal Democrats in West Oxfordshire have demanded that First Great Western abandons its plans to impose a 6% in the price of regulated fares, season tickets and saver tickets. The increase in ticket prices not regulated by the government is to be an even steeper 6.6%.

The inflation-busting fares hike were announced on 21st November.

Train passengers in West Oxfordshire are being hit for six by these increases. At a time when people are struggling with the recession, train companies are adding to people’s difficulties.

These rises could make the recession worse and could lead to more congestion and pollution as people abandon public transport for their car instead.

The government must step in and use the power they have over regulated fares to impose a freeze on ticket prices for a year. This could be paid for from within the Government’s road-widening budget. Just as the Government stepped in to freeze fuel duty for motorists because of the recession, they should change their mind and stop these price increases going ahead.

Rail passengers will rightly feel that they are being taken for a ride by First Great Western. They have every right to feel angry with this price hike and with the Government for letting it happen.

The Government has agreed that the ticket price increases can come into effect on 2nd January 2009.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS PROMISE ACTION FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

2008-11-18T15:11:00.001-08:00

In a speech to the CPRE on 14th November, Liberal Democrt Leader Nick Clegg set out the Liberal Democrat plan to make rural communities accessible, vibrant and green.

He announced that the Liberal Democrats would scrap regional planning targets for new homes from Whitehall, as well as national targets. He explained that regional housing targets aren't delivering the housing people need, and that we want to let local authorities, in consultation with local people, decide on the housing their communities need.

Rural communities need more affordable housing, more social housing, he said and added that villages risk becoming gated communities for the rich and the retired, unless local housing needs are met.

He warned that the recession will create two-tier rural communities, making the current crisis wore for rural housing and services unless we take immediate action. Recession means tougher times for rural communities and tougher decisions on how we use land.
Liberal Democrats ant to make rural communities -

Accessible: Empowering local authorities to build more social housing and scrapping national targets to tackle the rural housing crisis. Rural communities should be accessible. The most stunning parts of our country should not be the enclaves of the rich and retired. They should be communities for everyone.

Vibrant: Fulfilling the economic potential of rural areas by encouraging communities to support local produce. Our countryside should be vibrant. Villages and towns should not be denied vital services. Rural enterprise, jobs and prosperity should be encouraged to flourish.

Green: Strengthening his commitment to the environment based on the premise that land is intrinsically valuable. Our plans for land must always be green. Fixing the economy must never come at the expense of protecting the environment. The two must go hand in hand.

KEY MESSAGES ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY

2008-11-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

1. Cutting taxes for struggling families so you’ve got more money in your pocket.
The Liberal Democrats will cut taxes for people on low and middle incomes, raising them for the richest so the tax cuts are affordable. We will fund this by ending upper rate tax relief on pensions, clamping down on tax avoidance, harmonising income and capital gains taxes, increasing green taxation and trimming overall central public spending. These proposals would not increase the government fiscal deficit; that means they are affordable now. This tax cut is now urgent to get money to people who are struggling the most, helping them to pay for essentials and keep spending money in the high street.

2. Lowering energy bills so you can afford to keep warm this winter.
As wholesale fuel prices fall – they have dropped 28% since August – utility companies must lower people’s bills too. Millions of people face a winter unable to heat their homes: 4 out of 5 single pensioners will be in fuel poverty this winter. Energy companies must pass on wholesale price cuts. We’ll also change billing rules so the first units of energy you use are no longer the most expensive. Essential energy should be the cheapest, while bigger users pay more. This is fairer, and will help the environment. Finally, those energy companies that received a £9bn subsidy from the European Emissions Trading Scheme must invest in lower tariffs for vulnerable customers and providing comprehensive insulation for everyone.

3. Keeping people in their homes, so you don’t need to fear unfair repossessions.
We must ensure that banks only ever repossess people’s homes as a last resort. Liberal Democrats will instruct the courts to make sure banks don’t repossess unless they’ve already offered free independent financial advice, and pursued all alternatives like renegotiating the terms of the mortgage and offering a shared equity agreement.

We already have nearly two million families on housing waiting lists. We can help those families and prevent a homelessness crisis by allowing councils and housing associations to buy up unsold properties and land from building companies. This will replenish our social housing stock, stimulate the house building industry and provide homes now for people who need them.

4. Lower mortgage payments and cheaper business loans through big interest rate cuts.
People and businesses need help paying off their mortgages and loans, so we need substantially lower interest rates. The UK still has higher official interest rates than the EU (4.5% compared to 3.75%) and dramatically higher rates than the US (1.5%). This makes it much harder for people to pay their mortgages, makes it harder for business to survive and slows the economy down. The Bank of England must remain independent, but at this time of emergency its remit must be changed to make interest rates fall dramatically and swiftly. This should be part of international action to cut rates across all major economies.

SMALL BUSINESSES ACTION PLAN

2008-11-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

LIBERAL Democrats in Witney have backed plans to help small businesses survive the looming recession. The plan by the party to boost businesses was launched by leader Nick Clegg and the party’s Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable. The plan includes:

1. A substantial cut in interest rates to lower the cost of loans and investment;

2. Immediately overhauling the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme to improve government support for business loans;

3. Banks which receive government financial assistance adopting a new code of conduct on rearranging business credit and overdrafts;

3. Developing with energy companies an assistance package for small businesses struggling with high energy bills

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy in Witney. It is vital that we give them a fighting chance to get through the recession. The government has given a massive bailout to the banks but ministers must now look at the bigger economy. Small businesses here and throughout the country generally, are suffering from the downturn. Profits are being squeezed and jobs are at risk.

A big cut in interest rates will be a big boost to many local businesses and could mean the difference between staying open or closing down. Nick Clegg and Vince Cable have taken the lead with their plan to help businesses.

Liberal Democrats propose Economic Recovery Plan

2008-11-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Gordon Brown’s proposals to deal with the economic slowdown are too little too late. The Liberal Democrats have published their own package of proposals designed to help people left struggling by the credit crunch. The measures include tax cuts for low and middle income households, stopping unnecessary repossessions, action to cut energy bills and moves to stop reckless banks jeopardising economic security.

Key points of the Lib Dem Fairer Future Economic Recovery Plan

1. Put more money in people’s pockets - tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes

2. Stop unnecessary home repossessions and provide more affordable housing

3. Make energy companies reinvest their windfall profits in cutting bills

4. Extra help for people in debt or who lose their jobs

5. Tough new rules to limit the excesses of the City

COUNCIL TAX - IT IS BROKE AND WE MUST FIX IT - LGA LIB DEMS

2008-10-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

Commenting on Conservative plans on Council Tax, Cllr Richard Kemp, Lib Dem Group Leader at the LGA, said:

"The council tax system is flawed and the Tories' plan doesn't address the long term problems. The only way to get local government finance on a stable footing would be root and branch reform of how councils are funded so that they are less reliant on money from the Government. We believe that the only fair way of doing this is a Local Income Tax, which fairly reflects people's ability to pay.

"Councils are now the most efficient part of the public sector. Town halls are making savings of almost £100 million a month and will continue to make almost £5bn more savings over the next few years.

"The struggle to keep council tax down has become an annual battle for town halls because funding from central Government has failed to keep pace with the extra pressures placed on local services. "

Vince Cable MP, Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, accusing his Tory counterpart George Osborne of “playing a hopeless game of catch up” over the proposal to freeze council tax, and added:

“Rather than making tough economic choices over tax and spending, George Osborne is simply passing the buck to local councils, expecting them to make arbitrary cuts.

“This false promise of freezing council tax will be entirely dependent on individual councils being able to cut their budgets, which is likely to leave the poorest areas with continuing council tax rises.”

Dr Cable also criticised Mr Osborne’s “vague aspiration of national tax cuts at some point in the future”.

He added: “This country needs a party that is willing to take the tough choices today to reduce the tax burden for people on low and middle incomes hit hardest by the financial crisis.”

CHALLENGE TO THE CONSERVATIVES ON THE ECONOMY

2008-09-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Residents in West Oxfordshire need answers to key questions about the economy. With the credit crunch biting hard, residents have a right to know what the Conservatives would do to restore the economy to health.

The credit crunch started last year but so far, the Conservatives have said a lot about how badly the economy is going and very little about how they want the economy restored to health.

If the Conservatives want people to vote for them, they should tell them what they are letting themselves in for. The Conservatives are either clueless about how to solve the economic problems or have policies that they want to keep hidden. We need to know where the Conservatives stand on the big issues facing local residents.

Will the Conservatives make the richest pay their fair share of tax?
The only tax proposals announced by the Conservatives are to cut Inheritance Tax for millionaires, abolish Stamp Duty on shares and introduce a marriage-based tax system which would penalise widows, those escaping domestic violence and anyone else who is not married.

Will the Conservatives continue to defend the behaviour of City fat-cat speculators?
The Conservatives have refused to criticise the City hedge funds, which have significantly worsened the recent financial crisis.

What do the Conservatives mean by sharing the proceeds of growth, and how will they do it in a recession?

Why have the Conservatives nothing to say about council and other social housing?
The Conservatives brought council house building effectively to an end when they were last in government. Now council housing is badly needed but the Conservatives have been silent about this.

Do the Conservatives now admit they got it wrong on Northern Rock?
The Conservatives failed to see the Northern Rock fiasco coming. When it did arrive they kept changing their position on how to deal with it. Now that other banks are facing difficulties will they continue to oppose state ownership on ideological grounds?

Why did the Conservatives ignore the dangerous boom in lending and house prices?
Whilst the Government let the boom in credit get out of control, the Conservatives sat idly by. Now that the housing bubble has burst, the Conservatives are happy to make political capital. Their frontbencher Andrew Mitchell MP said that the economic problems besetting the country have created ‘an incredibly good moment’ for the Conservatives. How can taxpayers believe they will do anything to tackle the problem were they in government? (Source: ePolitix.com 26/9/08)

What is their view of house prices?
High house prices mean many people are unable to get their foot on the first rung of the property ladder. However, the Conservatives have so far failed to accept that prices needs to be more realistic. They were the first to propose a Stamp Duty holiday to get first time buyers into the market. Yet that same policy completely failed when they introduced it the last time they were in office. People did not want to buy homes which a few months later would be worth a great deal less than they paid for it.

Why do the Conservatives still support Council Tax?
The last Conservative Government introduced the unfair Council Tax in the wake of the disastrous Poll Tax. 15 years on and after it has doubled under the current Government, the Tories have still failed to tackle this flawed tax, which disproportionately hits pensioners and poor families.

So far the Conservatives have failed to tackle any of the big issues facing families today. Their empty words have got them through until now, but they are no substitute for actual proposals when it comes to tackling the serious problems facing our economy. The Conservatives must stop dodging the tough choices if he really wants to establish any economic credibility with voters.

NICK CLEGG'S CONFERENCE SPEECH

2008-09-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

LD leader gave a rousing speech to the conference which ended on September 17th. These are the main points:

Labour cannot help people – they are a 'zombie government', stumbling around with no idea what to do.

The Conservatives won't help people - they are a say everything, do nothing party, avoiding any tough policy decisions.

Nick announced the Liberal Democrat Fairer Future economic recovery plan – four steps to a better economic future -

1) Action to stop unjust repossessions

2) New approach to regulating the City - limiting the excesses of the market

3) Put in place the building blocks for future economic stability - interest rates that take house price changes into account, and independent monitoring of our fiscal rules
4) Tax cuts for families who are struggling

The Liberal Democrats are now the only party that can deliver social justice, and the only choice for anyone who wants a fairer Britain.

We will put money back in the pockets of ordinary families - tax is a means to an end and government should not take a penny more than it needs

We will make Britain the first truly green economy in the world - a huge expansion of renewable energy, and energy independence within the EU

We will change politics so that every person counts - with fair votes, an end to big donations and a stronger Parliament

We will make government ‘people shaped’, with benefits shaped around the needs of people and families, not bureaucrats.

Patients should have far more control over the care they get. So people with long term conditions get to be part of designing the care they need.

Children struggling, or falling behind, should be helped with extra support – one-to-one tuition or catch up classes, funded by a “pupil premium” which targets extra cash at deprived children.

Lib Dems launch proposals to tackle fuel poverty

2008-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Energy companies should be compelled to use the money from a £9bn European windfall to help protect some of the most vulnerable people from the effects of fuel poverty, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said today.

The call comes as the Liberal Democrats publish their document Tackling Fuel Poverty, which sets out measures designed to help people struggling from rising energy costs.

The energy firms received the multi-billion-pound windfall thanks to the giveaway of free permits to emit Carbon Dioxide under the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. Previous estimates have put the proceeds of that windfall at £9bn, although a recent letter to Nick Clegg from Ofgem estimates the true figure could be even higher.

Proposals in Tackling Fuel Poverty include:

· Making energy companies invest £500m a year into a rolling programme to make sure homes are properly insulated

· Requiring energy companies to roll out social tariffs to over two million vulnerable customers

· Installing smart meters in homes, which display real time consumption costs

WITNEY LIB DEMS WELCOME RURAL HOUSING REPORT

2008-07-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Witney Liberal Democrats have welcomed a new report setting out how more can be done to provide affordable homes and a vibrant economy in the English countryside.

The report, ‘Living Working Countryside’, was commissioned by the Government and produced by Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor, who has been a prominent campaigner on rural housing issues for many years.

There is a real shortage of affordable housing across the country, but the shortage is at its worst in rural areas like West Oxfordshire. Houses in rural areas are more expensive than in bigger towns and cities but average salaries are lower. This means it is particularly difficult for first-time buyers to get their foot on the first rung of the housing ladder here. Young local families are being priced out of their own communities.

There is a real problem with second homes dominating some parts of the country. We should look at requiring planning permission for second homes in areas where this is a particular problem.

The Taylor Review is right to look at how we can create more jobs in rural areas. Without jobs more and more of our countryside will become a zone of just second homes and retirement cottages. Small businesses should be encouraged in the countryside and we should make the planning system more flexible to enable this - particularly when it comes to work-based extensions to homes. The report is also right to propose that housing associations should end their ban on people setting up home-based businesses in their properties.

There is a lot more the Government could do to deliver more affordable rural housing. Unused land owned by the Government and other public sector bodies should be used for building affordable housing. And we need much more action from the Government to bring empty homes back into use.

This is an important report. But there has been no shortage of excellent reports on housing issues over the last few years. What we need now is government action.

LIB DEMS PROMISE TAX CUTS AND SENSIBLE POLICIES TO HELP FAMILIES IN WITNEY

2008-07-20T13:02:00.001-07:00

Liberal Democrats in Witney have welcomed the launch of the Liberal Democrats’ vision for Britain by Party Leader Nick Clegg MP. Called ‘Make it Happen’, the paper will be debated at the party’s conference in Bournemouth in September.

In ‘Make it Happen’ the Liberal Democrats say:

They will cut taxes for ordinary families
If your local hospital can't see you on time, they will pay for treatment elsewhere
They will switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green
To improve standards in education, they will fund extra help for those who need it most
They will put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world
They will stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy
They will change the voting system so everyone's voice counts
They will bring communities together with local people in charge
They will give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes

'Make it Happen’ sets out how the Liberal Democrats will run Britain. No resident of Witney has escaped the rising cost of food and fuel. The credit crunch is biting hard and local people are feeling the pinch.

Nick Clegg has set out how we can help ordinary people through cutting taxes on those on low and middle incomes. Thousands of people in Witney will benefit from this.

TACKLING YOUTH CRIME: MORE ACTION, LESS TALK

2008-07-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Liberal Democrats have today outlined radical plans to tackle youth crime.

The dual approach aims to stop young people committing crimes in the first place by enabling them to play a full role in society through increased training and volunteering, as well as stopping criminal behaviour early by making young offenders face up to their crimes.

The main proposals contained in the paper A Life Away From Crime include:
The creation of a Youth Volunteer Force, to engage with young people, involve them in community projects and give them skills to benefit them in later life
Establish Community Justice Panels across the country, where offenders admit their guilt to the community and agree on a Positive Behaviour Order as a course of action
Create a dedicated PCSO youth officer within every Safer Neighbourhood Team to identify and work with teenagers most at risk of offending
10,000 more police on the streets by scrapping the ID cards scheme
Intelligence-led stop and search and ‘hot spot policing’ targeted at gun and knife crime
Restorative justice programs to be run in every community, specifically targeted at early intervention with widespread use in schools and care homes

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Affairs Secretary, Chris Huhne said:
"This Government has spent 10 years trying to sound tough while failing to cut youth crime. In fact, ministers have embarked on the mass criminalisation of a generation of young people. By dragging more and more young people through the criminal justice system, they have reduced the fear of a criminal record and contributed to the problem. Instead of shock tactics to grab headlines, we need practical measures that are proven to work. Only the Liberal Democrats propose a dual approach to stop kids from getting involved in crime in the first place, and measures to make them face up to the consequences of their actions if they do.”

CAMERON'S CONSERVATIVES WALK AWAY FROM PHONE MAST BATTLE

2008-07-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Liberal Democrats in Witney have attacked the Conservatives for refusing to support calls to tighten up planning rules on mobile phone masts.

Currently, fewer restrictions govern planning applications for phone masts up to 15 metres in height, often making it difficult for councils 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 voted against the call and Conservative MPs did not bother voting at all.

Communities can sometimes be powerless to stop inappropriately sited phone masts going ahead because the planning system has fewer restrictions on them than for many other planning applications. This gives phone companies an advantage which is not enjoyed by other individuals and businesses applying for planning permission.

The Liberal Democrat amendment would have made the system fairer but the Conservatives did not bother to vote for this change. They simply sat on their hands, despite telling everyone at the general election that they support this policy.

'SET COUNCILS FREE FROM WHITEHALL' - Clegg

2008-07-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

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 will say:

"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."

One million still losing out despite Chancellor’s by-election budget – Cable

2008-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Commenting on the Chancellor’s plans to compensate low paid workers who lost out when the 10p income tax rate was abolished, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“This Government’s tax policy has descended into a complete farce.

“The abolition of the 10p rate was designed to help Labour win the election that never was. Now this by-election budget is designed to help them cling on to Crewe in next week’s vote.

“The Chancellor is desperately trying to backtrack from the disastrous decisions of the Prime Minister but has still hasn’t managed to get it right. This u-turn leaves 1.1 million of the lowest paid workers losing up to £100 each.

“We can have no confidence in either a Prime Minister or a Chancellor who continue to make tax policy on the hoof, while still leaving the poorest out in the cold.”

10p tax: promise of jam tomorrow is not enough

2008-05-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Liberal Democrats in west Oxfordshire have attacked Government offers to compensate low income earners losing out under tax changes as “vague promises of jam tomorrow”.

The doubling of the 10p income tax starter rate was announced last year but was put into operation at the start of April after Labour MPs voted for it in March. Since then, Labour MPs have suffered a backlash from low income people whose tax rates were doubled by Gordon Brown.

Thousands of residents in West Oxfordshire have been hit hard by Labour’s decision to double the 10p income tax starter rate. Labour MPs, having only just voted to put this tax rise into operation, suddenly started shouting about how terrible it was.

It is disappointing that they caved in and agreed to back the Government’s last minute offer of vague promises of compensation. All that is on offer is jam tomorrow. There are no details of how the compensation scheme will work. Having previously been told there was no money in the kitty to reverse the tax rise, the Government has failed to explain how they will pay for the compensation scheme.

Those on low incomes in continue to lose out whilst Gordon Brown’s tax rises bite into pay packets and pensions.

It is staggering that in the same week as vague concessions for some of the lowest paid people in the country were dragged out of the Government, Gordon Brown’s door to Downing Street was wide open for bankers to visit him and successfully argue for £50 billion bailout from the taxpayer to keep the banking system afloat. There is something seriously wrong when a Labour Government turns its back on ordinary people.