East of England Regional Assembly Group News Stories (Susan Gaszczak)

Apr 30, 2010:
- Undecided voters swing to Lib Dems following final Leaders Debate
  Last night was the final of the three televised Leaders' debates. Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, debated with Gordon Brown and David Cameron about the economy. Subjects discussed included breaking up the banks, creating more jobs and reinvigorating the British economy. Most post-debate polls scored this final debate to David Cameron, but again put Nick Clegg clearly ahead of Gordon Brown. An analysis by pollsters Angus Reid of previously undecided voters who watched the debate gave Nick Clegg 37%, David Cameron 25%, Gordon Brown 22% and Not sure 16%. Angus Reid found that 32% of undecided voters say they are now more likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats after watching the final debate, with just 18% Conservative and 15% Labour. In his closing statement at the final leaders' debate, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: "Everything I've said during these three television debates is driven by my simple belief that if we do things differently this time, we can create a fairer, better Britain. "As you decide how to cast your vote, of course you'll be told by these two, that real change is dangerous, that it can't be done. "Don't let anyone scare you from following your instincts. Together next week we can change Britain for good. "Just think how many times you've been given lots of promises by these two old parties - only to discover when they get into Government that nothing really changes. "We can do so much better than that this time. "Of course I can't guarantee that every problem you face will be solved overnight. But I can guarantee that I will work tirelessly to deliver greater fairness for you. "Fairer taxes, so that you pay less but people at the top pay their fair share. "A fair start, smaller class sizes, for your children. "A different approach to the economy. "And open, decent politics which you can trust once again. "I believe all this can happen. This is your election. This is your country. "When you go to vote next week, choose the future you really want. If you believe like I do that we can do things differently this time, then together we will really change Britain. "Don't let anyone tell you it can't happen. It can. This time, you can make the difference." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Apr 23, 2010:
- Clegg Scores Second Win in Party Leaders Debate
  An average of five polls conducted immediately after the Sky TV Leaders Election debate on Thursday night put Nick Clegg as the winner, with all instant polls showing him ahead of Gordon Brown. After the Foreign Affairs-led debate from Bristol dominated by issues like Iraq, immigration and climate change, Nick Clegg won 3 of the 5 polls on the night, building on his position after the first debate. The five "instant" poll results on the night: Guardian/ICM: Clegg 33%, Cameron 29%, Brown 29% YouGov: Clegg 32%, Cameron 36%, Brown 29% ComRes: Clegg 33%, Cameron 30%, Brown 30% Angus Reid: Clegg 33%, Cameron 32%, Brown 23% Populus: Clegg 36%, Cameron 37%, Brown 26% Poll Average: Clegg 33.4%, Cameron 32.8%, Brown 27.4% The election has been thrown wide open by Nick Clegg's first debate win. A number of polls have shown that the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are neck and neck, with Labour trailing in third. BBC journalist Michael Crick said on Newsnight "The momentum is still with Clegg." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Apr 21, 2010:
- Second Party Leaders' TV debate: Foreign Affairs
  The second Party Leaders Debate is taking place this Thursday starting at 8pm on Sky News. Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will again be going head to head in a TV debate in the run up to the General Election on May 6th, this time leading on Foreign Affairs. The first half of the 90 minute Election Debate on Sky News will be devoted to Foreign Affairs, with the rest on any topic. The debate comes from Bristol, and will be chaired by Adam Boulton. Sky are inviting questions before the debate, with more information at http://news.sky.com/skynews/Election/debatequestion You can see the debate live anywhere that you usually watch Sky News: Sky Digital Channel 501, Virgin Media Channel 602 and Freeview Channel 82 and online at skynews.com Live Video Streaming. BBC 2 will also be showing the debate in full at 11.30pm after Newsnight. The third debate will take place on the BBC on 29th April at 8.30pm, focusing on the Economy. Nick Clegg is widely judged to have won the first Party Leaders debate, watched by 9.9 million people, with the ITV/ComRes poll after the debate giving Nick Clegg 43% of the vote. Over the last week, the Liberal Democrats have seen a massive surge in the opinion polls. In polls published on Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats lead in two, and polled between 34-26% of the vote in all of them: Angus Reid for PoliticalBetting: LIB DEM 33%, CON 32%, LAB 23% YouGov in The Sun: LIB DEM 34%, CON 31%, LAB 26% Populus in The Times: CON 32%, LIB DEM 31%, LAB 28% ComRes for the Independent/ITV: CON 35%, LIB DEM 26%, LAB 26% There are a number of ways you can show your support for the Liberal Democrats General Election campaign: You can download free posters to print and put in your window to support the Lib Dems at http://www.libdems.org.uk/posters.aspx You can buy an "I agree with Nick" window poster and badge at http://tinyurl.com/y3tc5hs Over the last week, thousands on new members have joined the Liberal Democrats. If you are not already a member, you too can join today online at https://www.libdems.org.uk/join_us.aspx Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Apr 16, 2010:
- Nick Clegg Storms First Ever Party Leaders Debate
  The polls following the first ever Party Leaders General Election debate on ITV are showing that Nick Clegg has won a convincing victory over David Cameron and Gordon Brown. The debate was the first ever Leaders debate during a UK General Election campaign, and the pollsters are giving it as a big victory for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. The ITV / COMRES poll held by ITV and announced shortly after the debate gave Nick Clegg as the winner by a huge margin: Nick Clegg 43% David Cameron 26% Gordon Brown 20% YouGov, Channel 4, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times and Angus Reid polls following the debate also scored Nick Clegg as the clear winner of the first Leaders debate. Angus Reid said that 42% of voters were more likely to vote for the Liberal Democrats as a result of the debate. The Daily Telegraph's headline following the debate said "Clegg's star rises in great TV showdown". The Times comment "Enter the Outsider: Nick Clegg seizes his moment in historic TV debate". Even Conservative commentator and blogger Iain Dale said "I think Nick Clegg won the day". In summing up the debate, Nick Clegg said Labour and the Tories have made the "same old mistakes over and over again. Despite all the problems and challenges we have, we can be hopeful about the future if we chose something different." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Apr 14, 2010:
- Fairness - The Liberal Democrat Manifesto Launch
  Nick Clegg has launched the Liberal Democrat General Election manifesto. The manifesto sets out four clear priorities of fair taxes, a fair chance for every child, a fair economy, and a fair deal by cleaning up politics. At the launch, Nick Clegg said: "Every manifesto needs to have an idea at its heart. The basic idea that animates this manifesto is something I have always believed. I believe every single person is extraordinary. "The tragedy is that we have a society where too many people never get to fulfil that extraordinary potential. "My view - the liberal view - is that government's job is to help them to do it. Not to tell people how to live their lives. But to make their choices possible, to release their potential, no matter who they are. "The way to do that is to take power away from those who hoard it. To challenge vested interests. To break down privilege. To clear out the bottlenecks in our society that block opportunity and block progress. And so give everyone a chance to live the life they want. "There's a simple word for those ideas, and it's a word this manifesto is built on: fairness." The Liberal Democrat manifesto outlines 4 steps to a fairer Britain: Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket The first £10,000 you earn tax-free: a tax cut of £700 for most people 3.6 million low earners and pensioners freed from income tax completely Paid for in full by closing loopholes that unfairly benefit the wealthy and polluters A fair future creating jobs by making Britain greener Break up the banks and get them lending again to protect real businesses Honesty about the tough choices needed to cut the deficit Green growth and jobs that last by investing in infrastructure A fair chance for every child Ensure children get the individual attention they need by cutting class sizes Made possible by investing £2.5 billion in schools targeted to help struggling pupils Give schools the freedom to make the right choices for their pupils A fair deal by cleaning up politics Put trust back into politics by giving you the right to sack corrupt MPs Restore and protect hard-won British civil liberties with a Freedom Bill Overhaul Westminster completely: fair votes, an elected House of Lords, all politicians to pay full British taxes You can download the Liberal Democrat manifesto at http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_manifesto.aspx along with summary documents and videos for each of the key areas, order a paper copy and find audio and easy read text versions. Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Mar 29, 2010:
- Victory Vince: Cable Wins Channel 4 Chancellors Debate
  The first ever TV debate between the three candidates to be the next Chancellor has seen Lib Dem Vince Cable win a clear victory. In a Channel 4 on-line poll carried out immediately after the debate, Vince out-polled both Alistair Darling and George Osborne. The Channel 4 vote results are at http://tinyurl.com/yza4m6a and place Vince Cable as clearly ahead of both the Labour and Conservative contenders: 36% Vince Cable 32% Alistair Darling 32% George Osborne BBC Commentator Nick Robinson said on the 10 o'clock news that "it was Vince Cable who generated the most applause." A separate Yougov / Channel 4 poll carried out on the eve of tonight's "Ask The Chancellors" debate on asked voters of all parties which of the three men would be best for the job. 26 per cent picked Mr Cable, against 17 per cent for the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, with just 12 per cent opting for the Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne. You can read more at http://tinyurl.com/yks5lza The Guardian's "Wiintour and Watt" blog at http://tinyurl.com/yl9rf3r said that "The consensus tonight, at Westminster and in the Twittersphere, is that 'King Vince' was the runaway winner of the first major televised debate of the general election campaign." You can watch Vince Cable's closing statement again online at http://j.mp/cyxywl You can join the Liberal Democrats at www.libdems.org.uk/join_us.aspx Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Mar 28, 2010:
- Ask the Chancellors: Live debate on Channel 4
  Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable will take on Alistair Darling and George Osborne in a live Channel 4 debate on 29th March At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions. From 7pm on the night, Channel 4 will be hosting a discussion of the debate. You can send questions and comment to chancellordebate@channel4.com and follow the debate and comment at http://www.channel4.com/microsites/A/askthechancellors/ You can also get involved on Twitter by "tagging" your Twitter messages "#askthechancellors". Vince Cable is the Liberal Democrats' Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor and one of the most popular current politicians. A 22/23 March poll by YouGov showed more people thought he would make the best Chancellor than either Alistair Darling or George Osborne. Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Feb 27, 2009:
- Liberal Democrats - Elderly shoulder burden of £56 million Tory cuts
  The number of day care sessions being accessed by elderly people has halved since the Conservative administration at Suffolk County Council brought in charges for day care in 2007 it has been revealed. The service, which had previously been free of charge, now costs £15 per day. The figures on numbers attending day care were requested by the Council's Liberal Democrat group as part of their investigations into the effects of £56 million cuts to social care over the last 4 years. Commenting on the figures Liberal Democrat group leader on the council, Kathy Pollard said, "This is devastating news for the welfare of our older people in Suffolk. We always suspected that the introduction of charges would stop many older people attending day care, but we didn't realise that they would have had such a catastrophic effect." Olive Kistruck, 88, attends her local day centre at Angel Court Residential Home in Hadleigh. She commented "When I first started going to the day centre two years ago there were about a dozen people there every Tuesday. Now there are only six or seven. We couldn't understand what had happened." Mrs. Kistruck does not have to pay for day care, but still has to pay for transport and meals, which have increased under this Conservative administration. Kathy Pollard added, "It is elderly and vulnerable people who are bearing the brunt of the new charges. The danger is that the substantial drop in attendance at day care centres will lead to more feelings of isolation for elderly people. Day care provides opportunities for wider social contact and gives carers some well earned time off. It seems that the Conservative cuts have had a pretty devastating effect on the elderly in Suffolk. For example whereas only 1 in 5 people had to pay for home care two years ago, now 4 out of 5 have to pay. This situation will only worsen with the number of people aged over 85 increasing by 11,000 in the next 15 years. How many of them will be able to afford to pay for day care under the current charging regime?" Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Feb 5, 2009:
- Lib Dems gain Assembly supoprt for small business rate relief
  Liberal Democrats at the East of England Regional Assembly today gained cross party support to lobby national Government in support of the automatic payment of rate relief to small businesses. Group Leader Kathy Pollard said "It is vital we do all we can to help small businesses at this time. Although measures were put in place in 2005 which entitle small businesses in England to claim up to 50% rate relief, less than half of them have applied. In 2006 the Local Government Association estimated that £400 million was left unclaimed - around £40 million for Essex alone. In Wales the payment is automatic and we are lobbying the Government to make the payment automatic in England as well." The Liberal Democrats also urged District, Borough and Unitary councils to encourage small businesses in their own areas to apply for rate relief now. Lib Dem run Colchester Borough Council has improved take up to 84% by a series of proactive measures. ends Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Nov 11, 2008:
- MORE RECYCLING MEANS NO INCINERATORS
  Recent figures release by the government, show a dramatic increase in recycling that makes the need for big waste disposal plants in Essex redundant. This undermines the county's plans for big waste disposal plants in Essex. Almost every council in the country has met or exceeded its recycling target including those in Essex. Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrats spokesman for waste and recycling, Cllr Ian Gale said: "We have been repeatedly told by the Conservative administration at Essex County Council, that massive waste disposal plants that burn waste are essential as we will continue to produce more and more waste. The government's figures, and indeed the county's own figures, show that this is nonsense. "Local residents have made a fantastic effort to recycle more of their household rubbish leaving far less for councils to have to dispose of than before. This is likely to continue as there is plenty more scope to improve recycling rates and we will produce less and less waste. "The Conservative's plan to spend an estimated £5billion pounds over a contract of 25-30 years to treat and burn waste in Essex is a waste of money. With just a fraction of that spend on more recycling, the county council can dramatically reduce the amount of waste it has to deal with, making the need for large waste plants unnecessary." ENDS Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Oct 21, 2008:
- HE SAYS YES, SHE SAYS NO - TORIES CAN'T AGREE
  There was confusion about what relief Essex residents will get from Essex County Council, after two leading members of the Conservative ruling party gave opposite views on the subject at the same meeting. At a meeting of the full council (21 October) the leader of the council agreed with a Liberal Democrats proposal to use council tax money held in reserves to help people through the current economic slowdown. However, the cabinet member for finance said that she thought the proposals were irresponsible and that reserves should remain high. Commenting, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader said: "A direct conflict of statements between two senior figures in the same party is always odd, but when it involves such an important issue as this it is truly remarkable. The council leader agreed with us that help should be given to members of our communities who are struggling financially at the present time. Following directly after him, the finance cabinet member berated the Liberal Democrats for daring to suggest such a thing. Clearly one of them has gone off message. "Unfortunately this nonsense distracted from the important issue of helping our neighbours through this difficult financial crisis which is likely to hurt many people over the coming weeks and months. "The Liberal Democrats asked for the council to look at initiatives to help those on low and middle incomes. The included returning some council tax previously paid along with schemes to help pay rent, protect jobs and housing; grants for charities and help for small businesses. This was agreed." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Oct 14, 2008:
- GIVE TAXPAYERS THEIR MONEY BACK
  Now that more people are struggling to keep up with food and fuel bills in the current economic climate, it is time for taxpayers to have some of their money back. That is the view of Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council, who will be asking the council to release some of their large reserves back into local people's pockets, at a meeting of the full council next week. Speaking about the proposal, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader, said: "The county council's Conservative administration has increased council tax by over 100% over the past few years, too much of which has ended up in reserve funds as a result of underspends of budgets. In the current economic climate, it is only right that this money is put back into the pockets of low and middle income users to ease their financial difficulties. "The very unfair council tax system - which should be abolished - penalises the most vulnerable members of our community, as people on low and middle incomes and pensioners pay a higher percentage of their income in council tax than the very wealthy. However, whilst we would like to see taxpayers money returned to residents on low and middle incomes, we would not expect that to be at the cost of cuts to basic services the council offers, particularly for the young, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. "Hardworking and vulnerable people need a break and want and deserve to have some of their money back." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Oct 9, 2008:
- TORY LEADER'S VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS CABINET
  Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, has by-passed his fellow cabinet members and given himself responsibility for education, in a reshuffle of responsibility for children's issues. In what has become a troubled portfolio, Lord Hanningfield is the fourth education cabinet member at the county council in as many years. The council's education performance was so severely criticised last year by Ofsted inspectors, that its overall star rating was downgraded from 4 to 3. Speaking about the appointment, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, leader of the county's Liberal Democrat group said: "In many ways this is an astonishing appointment. To run through three education cabinet members is careless enough, but to have to give the job to himself is hardly a vote of confidence in any of the other members of the cabinet. "It is especially odd considering the enormous workload that Lord Hanningfield already has, not just as leader of one of the largest county councils in the country, but also as a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative party in the House of Lords. His Lordship has admitted that he is taking on about 50% of the education related portfolios which is a significant extra burden. "Perhaps as Lord Hanningfield is unlikely to fire himself, this was the only way that the Conservatives could find to stop losing education cabinet members! We must hope he can deliver on the job." ENDS Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Sep 24, 2008:
- WHAT ARE OUR STREETS FOR?
  The national 'In Town, Without My Car' day passed this week (22 September) without being even acknowledged by the ruling Conservative party at Essex County Council, denying local communities any chance to participate. This annual campaign is run to remind all highway users, that our streets are shared by road and pavement users and that there are other people using the same space. Commenting on the campaign, Cllr Keith Francis, Liberal Democrats transport spokesman said: "This annual campaign is designed to make all of us think about whether we have the balance right between competing highways users. Should our high streets and residential suburbs be designed purely to get motor traffic through as a priority or should there be more emphasis on creating greater opportunity to use sustainable alternatives in a more peaceful and safe environment? How easy is it for more of us to travel to town by another means? "In terms of transport it has long been clear that the county's Conservative group regards motor traffic as their paramount focus which has meant a lack of investment in promoting walking and cycling or taking the bus. Not everyone has the use of a motor vehicle, although almost all of us are pedestrians requiring well maintained and safe footways and crossing facilities. Liberal Democrats continue to campaign for more to be spent on pavement maintenance, more cycleways and wider bus services, but this has been repeatedly rejected by the Conservatives in favour of speeding up car journeys. Surely it is time for a more even set of priorities." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Sep 22, 2008:
- RE-OPEN OUR POST OFFICE BRANCHES
  Dear Lord Hanningfield Over the past several years, Liberal Democrats and other community groups in Chelmsford and Colchester have been campaigning to stop the closure of post office branches across the town. We know how important local post offices are to members of our communities. However, despite our efforts, we have seen many local branches disappear, forcing our residents to travel further and at greater inconvenience, to reach their nearest post office. We have followed your campaign to reopen post office branches and we are delighted to see that your negotiations with Post Office Ltd to re-open branches have been successful. We note that the first post office branch was reopened in Buckhurst Hill recently and we congratulate you for this achievement. We are writing to you to ask what progress has been made to re-open post office branches here in Chelmsford and Colchester. In recent times we have lost the following post office branches in urban areas: Springfield Hill, Springfield Queens Road Trent Road Great Baddow Road, Great Baddow Kings Road North Station Road, Mile End Parsons Heath, Harwich Road Pownall Crescent, Berechurch Road Nayland Road Bergholt Road, Mile End We know that local residents in these areas and across Chelmsford and Colchester, would like to see these branches re-opened as soon as possible, so they can enjoy their post office services like they now do in Buckhurst Hill. We would ask for your assurance in the next few weeks, that negotiations are taking place so that you can re-open these post office branches for our communities and we look forward to receiving an opening date from you. In anticipation of the successful re-opening of our post office branches, Kind regards Yours sincerely Margaret Fisher Keith Francis Ian Gale Theresa Higgins Mike Mackrory Maureen Miller Tom Smith-Hughes Anne Turrell Liberal Democrat county councillors for Chelmsford and Colchester Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Sep 12, 2008:
- TORIES CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME
  Despite spending millions of pounds on road maintenance, less than half of local residents are not satisfied with the speed in which potholes are fixed or with the quality of the repairs. These are the findings of a review of the council's highways maintenance initiative from the Conservative led administration. Commenting on the report, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats leader, said: "These findings make dismal enough reading on their own, but really they are shocking considering the extra tens of millions of pounds that have been ploughed into road maintenance. Liberal Democrats have repeatedly pointed out the flaws in the Conservative's handling of road repairs and this report justifies our concerns. "The report also shows that many people are unhappy with the state of pavements. For the past several years, my group has asked the Conservatives to put more money into pavements and our request has been consistently turned down. It is blindingly obvious that our pavements are in an atrocious condition and we always get plenty of complaints from local residents who have tripped on uneven and broken pavements, fallen and injured themselves. Why the Tories have seen fit to ignore this is unfathomable. "There are other substantial failings highlighted including the state of rural roads where, again, many people still say these are in a bad condition. Pavement and rural roads are the two top areas that people say they are concerned with according to the council's own survey. "It seems absolutely clear that the Conservative policy of throwing money at highways maintenance and praying that the public will be hoodwinked into believing that large spend equals good roads, is not working. There is a limit to how much you can fool all the people all of the time and the Conservatives have reached that point." The report will be presented to the council's cabinet meeting at county hall on Tuesday 16 September. Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Sep 9, 2008:
- TORIES FORCED TO STOP RUBBISHING SCHOOL CHILDREN
  Work on this year's SATS tests in schools should be turn up and thrown away, according to Conservatives at Essex County Council. The Conservatives presented a motion to annul the results, at the meeting of the full council today, but were embarrassed into withdrawing the offending words after criticism by the Liberal Democrat group. Commenting on the motion, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats leader, said: "I am astonished at the crass insensitivity shown by the Conservatives towards the hard work done by children, their teachers and parents this year. About four months have been spent in schools, preparing for and taking SATS tests, in good faith that their work would be part of their overall year assessment. To even suggest that this has been a waste of their time is unforgiveable. "Liberal Democrats have been saying for many years that there is over-testing in schools generally and we welcome the government's proposals for less tests in the future. We particularly advocate more individual child assessments carried out by the teachers who know them best. "The Conservatives have shown consistent lack of political leadership on education, with six cabinet members in charge over the past three years. It is very disappointing that they have sought to choose to play political football with children's efforts in schools. It appears that no publicity opportunity is off limits for the Tories." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Sep 8, 2008:
- TORIES CRY WOLF OVER FINANCIAL CRISIS
  Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council have questioned Conservative claims that the budget for services for the elderly is in crisis - a claim that is not shown on the council's balance sheets. Speaking about the claims, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats leader, said: "The Conservatives have been bleating about the lack of funding for services for the elderly for some time now. There is a problem of inadequate funding by the Labour government. However, it is an astonishing fact that they have chosen not to spend the money they allocated themselves to spend on this service. "The reality is that the Tories currently have many millions of pounds that they have stashed away in reserves. However, it seems that they would rather use the money already paid by taxpayers on other more publicity rewarding headline grabbing initiatives. "It can be no coincidence that in this coming election year, these same cash strapped Conservatives, are offering to pay for services not even within the remit of the council. Local residents will have the dubious pleasure of being bribed with their own hard earned, already paid council tax." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Jul 15, 2008:
- Tory leader doesn't want the public to speak at council meetings
  Lord Hanningfield, Conservative leader of Essex County Council has today slammed a proposal by the Liberal Democrats to allow the public to speak directly to councillors at council meetings and to ask questions about the work of the council. The Leader made his comments at a debate on public participation at a meeting of the full council today (15 July). Responding to the comments, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader said: "The Leader's comments today show a level of arrogance that is almost impossible to comprehend. There are many district and borough councils across Essex that have had such a permanent and designated spot for members of the public for several years. We are only asking for something that the public is getting already from their councils locally anyway. "I'm sure the public is as fed up as me and my Liberal Democrat colleagues are, with this high-handed Conservative Leader and administration, fobbing us off with loaded questions on public consultations and passing those off as meaningful public engagement. There is no direct public involvement at the decision making level of the county council and the public is only involved when specifically invited in. "The Conservative talk of localism and devolvement of power to the people is clearly just talk. The Conservatives are simply not to be trusted on this issue." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
- Lib Dems vote against Tory plans fro massive waste plants in Essex
  Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council have voted against Tory plans to build large waste treatment plants in Essex. The vote was taken after a debate on waste at county hall today. Commenting on the vote, Cllr Ian Gale, Liberal Democrats spokesman for waste and recycling said: "We have repeatedly raised our concerns over the Conservative's plans to deal with waste in the future. We oppose the massive waste treatment plants favoured by the Tories, as these plants need constant feeding and that is likely to discourage more recycling. We believe that the recycling targets set by the administration are too timid and this view is backed up by an independent Commission that looked at the Conservative's proposals. "We also have concerns about the proposed finance arrangements of these plans. The plan is for PFI funding from central government and we have reservations about the success of this type of funding, especially as it will lock the council into inflexible 25-30 year contracts. "We had no hesitation in voting against these proposals which we do not think serve the best interests of residents." Published and promoted by East of England Regional Assembly Group, Office of Andrew Duff MEP, Orwell House, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0PP Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Susan Gaszczak

What would you like to do next?

Subscribe for updates

On a news reader website

In a desktop news reader or a website not listed above

Help out or donate

Tell us what you think

Susan Gaszczak

What would you like to do next?

Subscribe for updates

On a news reader website

In a desktop news reader or a website not listed above

Share this page

Help out or donate

Tell us what you think