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 Lib Dem group proposed a motion at the County Council meeting on 15th June to urge the Government to retain free school transport. However, the Conservative administration at County Hall refused to debate the subject in time to respond to the Government's consultation's deadline of 25th June.
The Liberal Democrat group have called on Surrey County Council's Conservative administration to allow Local Committees to run their own local Youth Services. The Lib Dems are also demanding an explanation about the budget for the Youth Service this year.
Liberal Democrats are calling on Surrey County Council to oppose government plans to remove free school transport for children in Surrey. The Government is currently consulting Councils across the country about their plans to introduce new legislation for school transport. Liberal Democrats are concerned that the removal of free transport would be a financial blow to many families and would worsen Surrey's traffic congestion problem.
The Liberal Democrats are concerned that Conservative proposals for so-called "efficiency savings" may, in practice, mean a reduction to the Council's frontline services, such as the youth service or libraries. The Lib Dems have repeatedly asked the Conservative administration to provide adequate details about their proposals but, so far, the information provided has been vague and inadequate.
At present Surrey County Council has no coherent policy towards waste at all. There are good ideas (e.g. about joint working with the districts - which should have commenced years ago), and the previous portfolio holder produced a "vision for waste". These are interesting thoughts but there is still no policy!
Hazel Watson has been chosen as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council. Previously Hazel was deputy leader. Janet Maines, the previous Group Leader becomes deputy leader. At the same time, Dr. John Hobrough has been appointed as Group Chairman.
