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.
Liberal Democrat county councillors are celebrating after a package of measures to support care leavers was adopted by Surrey County Council. As part of a new Charter unanimously agreed by the County Council, young care leavers will be exempted from council tax, as well as given support with continuing education, managing a household and work skills.
Liberal Democrat county councillors have called on Surrey County Council to accept the Conservative government's view that charges for residents disposing of DIY waste should be dropped. A vote on whether to drop the charges will be held at a meeting of all councillors on Tuesday 20th March. The unpopular charges were introduced at Community Recycling Centres across the county by the Conservative Cabinet in September 2016, and included charges for the diposal of tyres, as well as home and garden waste.
Liberal Democrat county councillors have called for care leavers in Surrey to be exempted from paying council tax until they are 25. The campaign was initiated by highly respected charity The Children's Society and will be discussed at County Hall on March 20th.
Liberal Democrat county councillors have raised concern over the future of Children's Centres in Surrey. Currently there are 58 centres across the county, providing services such as childcare, play and learning sessions, parenting courses, employment support and information and guidance for low-income families. Surrey County Council is currently consulting on a new model for delivering its "Early Help" services, with the aim of saving at least £9.7m.
Responding to Cllr Andrew Povey's comments on BBC Radio Surrey this morning, Cllr Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said today:
Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey have expressed their concerns over the long waiting times faced by children and young people with mental health problems in the county.
