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.
Sharon Bowles officially became a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament on 25th May 2005, taking over from Chris Huhne who has been elected to the Westminster Parliament. As the Liberal Democrats latest addition to the European Parliament, Sharon now represents South East England alongside Emma Nicholson MEP.
The new enlarged Surrey County Council (now with 80 members) met formally for the first time on 24th May. A new chair (David Davis) and vice-chair (Angela Fraser) were elected. The previous leader Nick Skellett was re-elected and announced his new cabinet, including three new faces.
John Phillips, who was elected as the Conservative County Councillor for Frimley Green & Mytchett in 2001, has sensationally resigned from the Conservative Party. More remarkably, he has urged local voters to support Duncan Clark, the Lib Dem candidate to succeed him at the County Election to be held on 5th May.
The Liberal Democrats in Surrey have launched their manifesto for the County Council elections on May 5th. The manifesto includes the Liberal Democrat "Programme of Action" for Surrey from 2005 to 2009 and highlights their "Top Ten" priorities for action to improve services for Surrey residents.
The Lib Dem "Top Ten" Priorities for Surrey are:
Liberal Democrats welcome the single figure increase in Council Tax and the Tories allocating £1m to key worker housing and £100,000 to improve the energy efficiency of the Council's buildings in response to Liberal Democrat initiatives. However, we oppose the way this figure has been achieved because this Conservative budget is not only a missed opportunity to improve services for Surrey's residents by cutting wasted spending by the Council, but it carries hidden risks that could lead to cuts to Council services later in the year.
