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 Lib Dem group at County Hall has pressed the Conservative administration to be more open and transparent by publishing more information and by making decisions more openly.
The Conservative administration at County Hall has stated its ambition for the Council to be World Class but has not provided any definition of this term. However, it is clear that Surrey residents believe that the County Council has room for considerable improvement.
The Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have called for the council to fund the reduced speed limit schemes already approved by the council's local committees.
Lib Dem party membership grew by a remarkable 14% in the first half of this year, according to official figures released by the party in England. Thousands of new members have joined the party since the election and the coalition agreement was reached, with the party also having greater success in retaining current members than in previous years.
MEPs have taken an axe to the illegal logging trade by banning the sale of illegal timber in Europe and setting up strict penalties for those caught doing so. Illegal logging is estimated to represent 20-40% of global industrial wood production, and contributes heavily to carbon emissions and the destruction of biodiversity.
The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament has approved plans to reduce the number of animals used in scientific experiments. These plans are expected to be endorsed by the European Parliament and the European Council in September.
