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 former leader of the Conservative MEPs, Edward McMillan-Scott, the Conservatives' most senior MEP, has joined the Liberal Democrats, it was announced at the Liberal Democrats' Spring Conference in Birmingham.
The President of the European Parliament has used new powers to dock the allowances of UKIP MEP Nigel Farage, who refused to apologise for gratuitously insulting the new President of the European Council, thanks to an initiative taken in the last parliament by Lib Dem MEP Graham Watson to ensure that such powers existed.
"Ken Clarke's legendary hush puppies made no sound this week as they padded their way to EU Commission President Barroso's office. The Daily Telegraph got wind of the story, but there was no further media comment, no photographic evidence and not so much as a press release to mark the Shadow Business Secretary's visit", writes Lib Dem MEP for the South East, Catherine Bearder.
The Surrey Police Authority is to hold a widespread public consultation on their plans to expand their force by about 200 new constables over the next 3 years, paid for by cutting about 50 senior officers and relocating Police Stations to council offices and supermarkets. About 100 of the new officers would join the neighbourhood police teams of "Bobbies on the Beat". This initiative has been supported by the Lib Dem members of the Surrey Police Authority.
The new Conservative administration, following David Cameron's lead, has now proudly proclaimed a conversion to "localism" (the devolution of decision making to the lowest level) which is a complete reversal of the policies of the last Conservative government. However the first test of the new approach revealed that not much had changed.
Throughout Surrey there was a failure to fill and top-up grit bins during the periods of heavy snow in December and January resulting in many justified complaints from residents. Just how chaotic the situation was has been revealed following questions from County Cllr Stephen Cooksey.
