Fulwood Liberal Democrats

Tax and spend, tax and spend, borrow your way out of trouble and don’t worry about tomorrow, that will be someone else’s problem.  Yes, folks, Labour’s back in power in Preston.  All over England, local authorities are tightening their belts and deciding it would be totally unacceptable in the present economic climate to increase Council Tax.  Not here in Preston, though, where Labour are slamming on an unbelievable 3.5% increase, despite the fact that most public sector employees face another year without salary increases.  But then it’s so much easier to increase taxes than tackle the real issues.

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That’s bad enough, but it gets worse.  They claim there is £2m committed to Preston Guild.  True, but where did it come from?  Not this year’s budget, but from a commitment made years ago, under the previous administration – and to a great extent produced from a one per cent increase in Council Tax which was set aside for the Guild Fund.  So what will happen to that one per cent after the 2012 Guild?  There should be only two possibilities – either Council Tax reduces by one per cent or, better still, we start putting it away into the 2032 Guild Fund. But Labour have come up with a third answer.  They are going to steal that one per cent off you, neither giving it you back, nor setting it aside for the next Guild, but using it to prop up their shaky finances.

Unforgiveable?  Well, yes, but that’s not the end of it.  In the consultation document which has just gone out, they say they have promised to work with the police to tackle serious crime prevention. How are they going to deliver on that promise?  Their answer is that they will continue to fund PCSOs to the tune of £55k. That is true, but it is not the whole truth. Last year, there were two separate amounts of funding for PCSOs, one of £55k, the other of £124k.  By ending the latter, which has match funding implications, they are putting the jobs of perhaps eleven local PCSOs at risk. This will be a disaster for the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour in Preston.

Can it get worse?  I’m afraid so.  They boast they are putting £50k into a large affordable housing site, for one year only.  What they don’t tell you is that they will be getting an extra £147k a year from now on from the New Homes Bonus. No question, that should all be going into new homes. But instead it will disappear into the bottomless pit of Labour’s unsustainable spending plans.  Over the four years of the budget period, they should be putting some £600k into new homes for social rent, not a measly £50k.

And look at some of the other claims.  £2.25 million committed to Preston markets?  £325k initial investment into renewable energy schemes?  Sounds good, but look at the small print.   Tucked away out of sight, on page 80 of the document with all the detail which is going to Cabinet, it says “The above schemes will only go ahead where there is a business case which results in additional income being raised by the Council to fund the capital costs”.  What that means in simple language is, there is no commitment.  The money will only be spent if they can make a profit out of it, get more money back over say five years than they spent on it. And as that is next to impossible on the market, and highly unlikely on the energy efficiency schemes, I think we can conclude they are never going to happen. It’s not a budget, it’s just wishful thinking.

Are 2 Eds better than one? I’m not sure – but the two Eds said something very interesting over the weekend: apparently they don’t have a ‘Plan B’ for the economy after all!

As I drove into the village of Haverthwaite on Saturday morning to do some residents’ surveying, I was preparing to turn the radio off and then Ed Balls popped up. I listened with amazement. In his interview he admitted not only that the programme of cuts being carried out by the Coalition government were right, but that Labour would not over turn them if they were in Government. Unfortunately however he didn’t go as far as to admit that the cause behind all the cuts – the dire economic situation – was in fact largely his fault.

You’ll have heard Simon Hughes and me over the weekend rightly calling on the two Eds to apologise. We want them to apologise to the British public for deceiving them for 18 months before finally admitting that what the Liberal Democrats have been doing in Government is broadly the right approach. However, there is one apology we didn’t call for publicly, but which they still should make – that’s an apology to you!

Last May across the country, from Lancaster to Sheffield and Manchester to Newcastle, many of you lost your council seats to undeserving Labour candidates who were fighting their elections on a false platform with dishonest messages. They stood on a platform that the Eds now admit was wrong. Shame on them – but I’m proud of you.

In addition, Nick Clegg deserves an apology. Nick has been berated and abused by the Labour leadership over the last 18 months for having the guts to stand up and work as part of the Coalition in the best interest of the country. Now Labour have admitted that their attacks were inaccurate – but there’s no hint of apology. They have gone from being in the wrong place, to all over the place.

I don’t expect the apology to come, and we definitely didn’t need Ed and Ed’s endorsement to motivate us for the next set of elections, but their cack-handed u-turn is certainly an encouragement.

This May I expect us to beat Labour in areas we couldn’t last year as their dishonesty has now been exposed (voluntarily, which is nice of them!). Of course we now have the inevitable Labour infighting as the Unions start going potty, accusing Ed and Ed of betrayal and breaking pledges (sound familiar?).

That leaves the Liberal Democrats as the only political party with the backbone to tackle the country’s problems, but with the heart to do everything to ensure that fairness, compassion and justice are written through everything we do.

As this article from The Times recognises, the Liberal Democrats are a progressive force in Government. We are the Party delivering tax cuts for working people, we are the party investing in the poorest school pupils, we are the party delivering the largest ever state pension rise and importantly, we are the party prepared to take the tough decisions needed to get this country back on track.

Anyhow, after Mr Balls had stopped not-quite-apologising on the radio last Saturday, I turned the car radio off, got out and spent 3 hours knocking on doors. The response I got, by the way, was fantastic. It struck me that just as Labour was making its U turn, the Lib Dems may have just turned the corner…

So don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology from Labour – but rest assured you are most definitely owed one!

Tim Farron MP

President of the Liberal Democrats

@timfarron (twitter)

(Cadley Councillor John Bruton)

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Your Fulwood LibDem councillors are leading the campaign to stop people grabbing publicly owned land.

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Cllr John Bruton said, “Residents in Fulwood enjoy their green spaces and we must try to protect them as much as possible. Preston and Lancashire Councils must start working together and properly enforce against people who grab land then seek retrospective planning permission.”

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At the moment doing things in the wrong way will get you rewarded. Your LibDem councillors are working to stop these unfair practices.

Cllr John Potter next to a repaired street light on the Filberts

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With darker mornings and evenings it’s very important that our street lights are all working. The high winds of the last few weeks have caused lights in several areas to stop working including on the junction of Cadley Causeway and St Anthony’s Drive as well as one on Edgehill Close. All of these have been reported.

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LibDem councillors and activist will be out doing our regular patrols but if you spot a faulty light call us on 07854221145 or Highways on: 08450530011

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Labour controlled Preston City Council has pushed ahead with a price hike in city centre car parking charges against the  wishes of Preston businesses, the local press and independent experts. By contrast the Liberal Democrats put forward an amendment that would see prices on the bus station and market car parks slashed to only £1 for 2 hours.

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Greyfriars campaigner Michael Yates said, “With the city centre already struggling it goes against all logic to raise prices for parking. We need to encourage residents, shoppers and businesses into the our town centre, not force them to out of town shopping centres.”

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Even worse, the Labour party report refuses to give a concrete guarantee to protect free disabled parking. With a majority, the Labour party voted through these short-sighted and damaging plans.

Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined a £1 billion pound Youth Contract to tackle youth unemployment. The aim is to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

• Over three years, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24 year olds into work. Starting April 2012
• Including 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.
• In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices.
• A new programme to help the most disengaged 16 and 17 year olds – getting them back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.

Councillor John Potter who wrote the motion to finally let the people of Preston have their say.

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Preston has finally joined every other council in Lancashire by allowing members of the public to make personal appearances at the city council’s planning meetings.

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The original motion calling for Preston to become more accountable was written by the LibDem Cadley Councillor John Potter in just his third full council since being elected in Fulwood.

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Councillor Potter said, “Some of the most contentious issues in Preston are from planning decisions taken at Preston council. These decisions can affect communities for decades and in the past have left residents feeling marginalised in the decision making process.”

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Cllr Potter added, “I became a councillor to try and change Preston for the better so I’m delighted that the chamber voted it through. I’m hoping the people of Preston will start benefitting from this change in the New Year.”

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3 Conservative Councillors Voted Against Public Speaking: Stephen Thompson (Greyfriars Ward), Margaret McManus (Sharoe Green Ward) and Ken Hudson (Conservative Leader)

Campaigner Michael Yates outside Harris Primary School

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Schools in the Preston area will benefit from over £1.6 million of extra money this year and it is planned to be tripled over the coming years.

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The extra funds, targeted at the pupils with the greatest need, come thanks to the Liberal Democrats in national government. The ‘Pupil Premium’, a key Liberal Democrat pledge at the election, is paid to schools based on the number of pupils they have who qualify for ‘free school meals’ or are under the care of the local council.

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Michael Yates said, “Local schools will receive £488 in extra funding for every pupil who qualifies for free school meals. This money gives them a real opportunity to combat disadvantage.”

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The extra funding is not ‘ring fenced’ so schools are free to spend it as they wish. Whether that is more one-to-one teaching, new resources or learning experiences out of the classroom it is up to the schools not politicians.

Councillor John Bruton outside the Filberts Estate

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The most vulnerable and least well off pensioners will receive an extra £120 a year to help them stay warm. Pushed for by the Liberal Democrats, the £120 is on top of the £4.50 a week pension increase in April and the regular cold weather payments.

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From October 2012 the Lib Dem ‘Green Deal’ will start Britain’s biggest ever home insulation programme that will create over 100,000 jobs and insulate millions of homes.

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Fulwood Councillor John Bruton said, “Better insulation, help for pensioners and investing in renewable energy can help us all save money, stay warm and go green.”

Don’t Risk It! Councillor John Potter at his local park in Fulwood

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Preston City Council has tough choices ahead as it has to find £2m worth of ongoing savings. The one decision the Labour cabinet absolutely cannot make is to avoid them. If that happens then the pain will be far worse and could put everything including our leisure centres and our beautiful parks at risk.
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Labour Leader Cllr Rankin was publicly challenged in Council by Liberal   Democrat Cllr John Potter to put aside any arrogance or pride and come to the table with all parties and hammer out a budget with the best of all ideas.

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Councillor Potter told council, “There will be decisions that no one here wants to make but we’ll have to make them. There’ll also be things we want to do for the people of Preston that we just can’t. But the very worst thing we could do is put off these decisions in the hope of a financial miracle. That just puts off the pain and makes it far worse later on.”

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Given the jeers and shaking of heads from the Labour benches it seems their belief that ‘this is our city and we’ll run how we please’ attitude is set to continue even if it hurts the people of Preston.