Report back on car insurance survey
Posted December 18, 2011 * Comments(0)

John and Gillina sorting the car insurance surveys

Windhill & Wrose residents have given massive support to David Ward MP’s campaign for affordable car insurance.
David’s research, helped by everyone who responded to the survey in the last Focus , shows that most people thought that high premiums were caused by uninsured drivers, fraudulent claims and ‘ no win no fee’ companies.
Your suggested solutions were tougher penalties for uninsured drivers, banning ‘ no win no fee’ claims and more resources for the police.
The campaign has already forced the Government to ban referral fees in personal injury cases and set up a dedicate police team to tackle uninsured drivers in the district.
David has also won the backing of the powerful Transport Select Committee in Parliament who re-opened their enquiry into car insurance costs.

£126,000 for local schools
Posted December 18, 2011 * Comments(0)

Schools in Windhill & Wrose are getting a massive £125,900 extra this year thanks to the Lib Dems in the Coalition Government.
Called the Pupil Premium, this cash is allocated schools to help pupils from low income families. In the first year of the Coalition Government, Pupil Premium paid out £625m. By 2015, this will rise to £2.5bn.
That’s £600 extra for every child from a low income family.
Gillian Thorne, a local resident, whose grandchildren go to a local primary school said,
“ A good education is vital for every child if they are to succeed and do their best. The Liberal Democrats on the Council have always made education their top priority and in Government, they are doing the same.”

Local campaigners Gillian Thorne and Cllr John Hall welcome the extra money for local schools.

£1 Billion to tackle youth unemployment
Friday, November 25th, 2011 by aldcadmin

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.
610 Bus campaign
Posted September 26, 2011 * Comments(0)

Cllr John Hall  has contacted Metro about his campaign to keep the 610 bus running round West Royd. 

 He said,

 “ Metro want to divert the 610 bus onto Leeds Road and replace it with the 660 bus.  The 660 only runs once an hour and not in the evening or at weekends.  I have had an excellent response from local residents to a survey I conducted and will now be sending this information on to Metro.   It only takes a few minutes for the 610 to go round the loop but axing it will inconvenience many residents.”

Nick Clegg’s speech to Liberal Democrat Conference 2011
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 by aldcadmin

Deputy Prime Minister addresses the Party Conference in Birmingham. You can read the full text of the speech here.

In Government, on your side
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 by aldcadmin

rally chris lucas 1
Thousands of Liberal Democrats gathered for their annual conference in Birmingham this week. They discussed what has been achieved in the first 500 days of Government and policies for the future. Highlights include:

Lib Dems: Cut taxes for ordinary people, not the richest
Thursday, September 8th, 2011 by aldcadmin

The Lib Dems are opposing calls for an immediate cut in the 50% tax rate paid by higher rate taxpayers.

Nick Clegg’s party instead wants to give more help to those on middle and low incomes who need it the most.

NIck Clegg: We need fairer taxes to help ordinary people, not tax cuts for the richest

Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said, “At a time when the whole country faces serious financial challenges, the priority needs to be people on low and middle incomes.”

A key part of the coalition agreement was the Lib Dem commitment to making taxes fairer. The Lib Dems are well on their way to delivering on their pledge that no one should pay tax on the first £10,000 they earn.

Nearly a million low paid workers are no longer paying income tax thanks to this. All basic rate tax payers are paying £200 less in income tax.

Each year more and more people on low and middle incomes will gain more thanks to the Lib Dem fairer tax plan.

Danny Alexander said, “Fairer taxes is our goal. I don’t see why, in the next parliament, we shouldn’t be trying to get to a situation where people in a full-time job on the minimum wage are paying no income tax at all.”

This would mean that no one would pay tax on the first £12,500 they earn.

Fighting for a better NHS
Thursday, September 1st, 2011 by aldcadmin

Nick Clegg: NHS reforms must deliver for patients

The Lib Dems are continuing to work in Parliament to ensure NHS reforms deliver a better deal for patients.

Nick Clegg’s party won major changes to the reforms earlier this summer.

These included measures to ensure there will be no privatisation of the NHS and no special favours for the private sector.

Nick Clegg said, “With the Lib Dems, the NHS will always be free at the point of use and will deliver top quality treatment for patients. We want to deliver a better NHS that can cope with the increasing demand and rising health costs.”

The NHS reforms will cut waste and bureaucracy that costs billions of pounds. They will help the NHS cope with the costs of Britain’s steadily ageing population and the rising cost of many treatments.

By making the NHS more efficient and by protecting the NHS budget from cuts, more money can be spent on improving care for patients.

NHS faced disaster with Labour
Had Labour won the last election, the NHS would have faced deep spending cuts. That along with Labour’s refusal to tackle waste and inefficiency would have been a disaster for our health services.

Labour rigged the market in favour of the private sector by giving contracts that were unfair for the taxpayer and for patients.

Over £250million of taxpayers’ money was handed over by the last Labour government to private providers for operations they didn’t even perform.

The Liberal Democrats have made sure that this kind of favouritism towards the private sector will now be illegal.

What did Nick Clegg do wrong?
Posted August 31, 2011 * Comments(0)

 

1)  Coalition with the Tories

Lib-Dems had to prove serious about governing  – curtailing Tory excesses while benefitting pensioners through our policies; the low paid; (poor) pupils; the environment and protecting treasures like the NHS.  A minority Tory government would have trashed us and Labour   – calling fresh elections when a landslide win was predicted, (on the usual 30 – 40% of votes cast).

After initial promising talks, Labour decided against coalition.  Numbers were problematical, (also requiring Nationalist/Irish support).  Why take flak for the cuts they also proposed, (as well as flak for having presided over the mess)?

There was an offer that could not be refused. To do so would have alienated as many voters who have been by the coalition.

       2)  Tuition Fees                

-         Introduced by Labour outside Scotland.  Lib-Dems promised not to increase these, but some/most MPs felt obliged to vote with coalition partners due to huge debts facing the country, (debts which did not even include hidden PFI debts for   schools, hospitals etc, totalling another £34 Billion!)In many ways repayments are fairer than under Labour’s tuition fees:-

-         * only starting on earnings over £21,000 pa.

-         *  no up-front fees

-         *  lower monthly repayments

-         *  low-earning graduates repay less than borrowed

-         *  high earners repay more

-         *  remaining debt erased after 30 years

-         *  more grants and periods of grace for poorer students

Wrose Library – volunteers wanted
Posted August 24, 2011 * Comments(0)

Volunteers are still needed to staff Wrose library to prevent it closing. The Parish Council and Community Association are planning to fund the library on a three year lease but this won’t work unless more volunteers can be found.

If you would be willing to help – training will be provided – please contact John urgently on 01274 598648

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