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.
Liberal Democrat County Councillors tried at today's council meeting to ensure that priorities important to Surrey residents are included in the Council's formal list of priorities for the next four years. Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the County Council, said: "The Conservative administration's plans need to be clearer and more specific. Important priorities are missing from the Conservatives' plans."
Surrey County Council's poor performance in the delivery of some of its key services, compared to other councils, was highlighted today by the Liberal Democrats. Of particular concern is its poor performance in improving the condition of the roads. According to recent Government figures nearly 40% of Surrey's main roads were in need of repair last year.
The new Lib Dem team at County Hall dived straight in today, putting forward proposals to give Surrey residents the right to present petitions to the Full Council. For the first time this would allow residents direct access to its most important decision-making body. The intention was to make the County Council more democratic by bringing it into line with the many other councils across the country that already give their residents this right. The motion was proposed by Eddie Owen (Guildford East) and seconded by John Doran (Horsell). However the proposals were voted down by an alliance of Conservative and Labour councillors, so Surrey residents will continue to be denied the rights available to residents in many other parts of the country.
Following the County Council elections on 5th May, the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council re-elected Hazel Watson as Group Leader, with Ian Beardsmore as her deputy. Colin Taylor chairs the group and John Doran is treasurer.
Sharon Bowles officially became a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament on 25th May 2005, taking over from Chris Huhne who has been elected to the Westminster Parliament. As the Liberal Democrats latest addition to the European Parliament, Sharon now represents South East England alongside Emma Nicholson MEP.
The new enlarged Surrey County Council (now with 80 members) met formally for the first time on 24th May. A new chair (David Davis) and vice-chair (Angela Fraser) were elected. The previous leader Nick Skellett was re-elected and announced his new cabinet, including three new faces.
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.