Thank you so much to all of you supported us during the election campaign in 2005, especially our dedicated team of deliverers and canvassers, not to mention the County Council candidates who gave up their free time in the name of local democracy.
According to Henry Bolton, the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Runnymede & Weybridge, there is a real need to introduce a pension that ends means testing for the oldest pensioners and removes discrimination against women. He says, "Women should be entitled to a pension in their own right. The LibDems would address this immediately once in power."
A Unite/Mori student survey carried out in January 2004 on voting intentions gives the Lib Dems a leading share of 34%, with Labour on 28% and the Tories third on 19%. Students will have a major impact in 2005, as the elections are expected during the university year, on May 5, unlike in 2001 when the elections fell during the holiday period.
Commenting on the launch of an online map to tell homeowners about flooding risks in England and Wales, Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, said:
Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy today launched the Liberal Democrat Pre-manifesto - the first important stage in the manifesto process, which will take the Party into the General Election.
Under new Liberal Democrat proposals police chiefs would sign contracts with local communities setting out how many officers they would deploy. The "minimum policing guarantees" would set funding levels for local police for a rolling three-year period. The guarantees are part of the party's new plans to tackle crime. The plans include using money earmarked for the government's ID card plan to hire an extra 10,000 front line police and 20,000 community support officers.
The Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council opposed the Conservative administration's original proposals to cut funding to Surrey voluntary organisations to the tune of £838,000, because of its likely adverse impact on the most vulnerable Surrey residents. Subsequently, the Conservative administration has announced revised plans to make cuts of between £213,000 and £550,000.
The Liberal Democrat group on Surrey County Council rejected the Surrey Waste Plan when it was presented at a recent full council meeting. The group stood firmly by its position from last Autumn that the Waste Plan was a "flawed" document. Only the 10 Liberal Democrat councillors at the meeting voted against the recommendation that the Waste Plan - which sets out the County's position on suitable sites for waste treatment - should be sent forward for consideration by the government.
Surrey's Conservative-led County Council were today forced to admit that road repairs in the county were at an unacceptable level. The Liberal Democrat group had proposed a motion calling for urgent action to rectify the appalling state of Surrey's roads.
Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell MP has unveiled plans to protect and improve our environment with a major "green tax switch".
Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats have called on the Tory-run County Council to reassure the public, following the disclosure of details highlighting the appalling service from one of Surrey's highways contractors, Carillion.
As a result of last Thursday's local elections on Woking, the Liberal Democrats have gained an additional 3 seats and taken over as the largest party on the Council, with 18 seats out of 36 total, ahead of the Conservatives on 15 and Labour on 3. They took 8 out of the 13 seats being contested this year - and narrowly missed a further gain by just two votes!
