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 local Lib Dems created a petition calling on Surrey County Council to increase the opening times and allow pedestrian access at the Community Recycling Centres in Caterham and Warlingham.
Lib Dem Councillors on Surrey's Police and Crime Panel have criticised the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner for appointing a £53,550 a year Deputy against the views of the cross-party Police and Crime Panel.
The local Lib Dems have called on Surrey County Council to stand up to the Government over its failure to deliver the previously promised reform of the social care system.
This Carers Week, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide emergency funding to give carers a break from dramatically increased caring responsibilities during the Covid pandemic.
Schools across Surrey are set to lose £1.1 million in funding for the most disadvantaged pupils in the county following the Government's decision to alter the method of calculating pupil premium funding.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for all EU citizens in the UK to be given the automatic right to stay, as new figures reveal that 3,580 living in Surrey are still waiting for the Home Office to process their applications - with just five weeks to go before the Government's deadline.
