Meet Your Local Lib Dem Candidate for Ottershaw
Hello! I'm Ronan McCaughey, and like many of you, I fell in love with our wonderful Ottershaw community when I moved here 10 years ago.
Hello! I'm Ronan McCaughey, and like many of you, I fell in love with our wonderful Ottershaw community when I moved here 10 years ago.
This week’s vote on the Bill to remove the remaining 92 hereditary peers from the House of Lords is a step in the right direction. But we need to go further.
Virginia Water Councillor Karin Rowsell is expressing support for the Rose and Olive Branch to continue as a pub after its current tenants finish trading this Christmas.
The Liberal Democrats are pleased to report that the lifts at Virginia Water station are finally operational again after a four-month period of restricted service that caused significant hardship for disabled and elderly residents.
The Liberal Democrats have welcomed changes to Carer's Allowance earnings limits in yesterday's Budget, while emphasising that more action is needed to improve local healthcare services including GP and dental appointments, and cancer care waiting times.
Runnymede Liberal Democrats have criticised Ben Spencer’s decision not to support a motion that would have seen the Government rescue community healthcare and end the carer's repayment scandal.
The Liberal Democrat Group on Surrey County Council has called for greater clarity from the Conservative-run Executive after the Council announced its proposed plans to close 18 youth centres county-wide were being "revised". The Lib Dems had been opposed to the closures ever since they were first proposed in the Business Delivery Review, designed to cut £50 million from the Council's budget. Together with voluntary and community groups, the Lib Dems have been urging the Council to rethink the proposals.
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, Cllr Hazel Watson, has welcomed the abandonment of plans to close four libraries in Surrey. She said: "I am pleased that proposals to close the libraries in Hersham, Caterham Hill, Ewell Court and New Haw are to be abandoned. However, it is regrettable that the libraries in Bagshot and Virginia Water are still under threat."
Head Teachers and educationalists were appalled by Surrey County Council's intention to remove 14 posts and make all four Surrey Local Education Officer teams redundant as part of the Business Delivery Review.
The Liberal Democrat Group on Surrey County Council is calling on the Conservative-run Executive to reconsider its plans to close six of Surrey's libraries. Diana Smith, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Schools and Communities, said that over the years a lack of investment by the Tories in one of the county's key resources had left it unable to grow to meet modern needs, with the number of people using libraries falling. "In an increasingly 24 hour society it's no wonder people aren't using the libraries, when opening hours are so limited. And when they get there, often the choice of books is restricted and there isn't room for the range of computers that a modern information centre needs."
Conservative-run Surrey County Council today refused to maintain current funding to the county's voluntary sector, choosing instead to oppose a Liberal Democrat motion which had called for an end to the proposed £838,000 cut in funding. Fiona White, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Adults and Community Care, said after the meeting that the Tory amendment to the motion was "woolly" and had no funding substance to it on which the voluntary organisations could rely.
This Motion to Council is not an attempt to ignore the financial situation in which we find ourselves. Rather, it is a recognition of that situation and the need to get the best possible returns for the investment of the Council's money. Let me ask councillors a question. What sort of return do you think we get for every one pound given in grant to a voluntary organisation? Is it three pounds, six pounds, ten pounds? The information which I have gleaned leads me to believe that it is ten pounds or above; if so, the effect of the cuts will be more than £8 million in service provision. I think that any business would be delighted to have such a return on their investment and within a very short space of time.
The Liberal Democrats have long championed proportional representation, advocating for a voting system where every vote truly counts. We believe that reforming our electoral system is crucial for a fairer democracy and better governance.
We believe everyone deserves high-quality healthcare, accessible when and where it’s needed and free at the point of use.
The Liberal Democrats have laid out a bold and ambitious plan to restore the UK’s natural environment and ensure that everyone can access a clean, healthy, and thriving green space.