Liberal Democrats : Communities News Feed

]> Liberal Democrats : Communities News Feed http://www.libdems.org.uk/community RSS News provided by Liberal Democrats en-gb Fri, 4 Jul 2008 02:13:21 +0100 Copyright Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats In house Eco-towns are just greenwash - pik http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14576 Commenting on the Local Government Association’s report into eco-towns, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Öpik said: "This is a prime example of this Government’s obsessive centralising tendencies. "Instead of ensuring all our towns and cities are sustainable, the Government proposal uses the green facade of eco-towns to bypass the planning system and ignore local communities. "Despite being presented as eco-friendly, we now know that these homes will only have to meet moderate environmental standards. It shows the whole concept is just greenwash." Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government failing to walk the walk on community empowerment - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14566 Commenting on the latest results of the Government’s Citizenship Survey, which found that fewer people feel they can influence decisions locally and nationally than in 2001, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "Thanks to this Government’s obsession with centralisation, people are feeling even less empowered. "Despite their efforts to talk the talk on community empowerment, today’s results show that they are failing to walk the walk. <DIR> <DIR> </DIR></DIR> "Communities must be given real powers to make decisions that affect their area. How can we expect people to engage with democratic structures if they don’t believe it will make any difference?" Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Councils could be bullied into accepting a mayor - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14539 Commenting on the New Local Government Network publication ‘Directly Elected, Direct Results’, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "Elected mayors could help to increase engagement with local democracy but the underlying problem is the Government’s unwillingness to let go of power. "A mayor must not become a bargaining chip in the fight for devolution to local communities. Councils could be bullied into accepting a mayor in return for small concessions on health and police powers. "Central imposition defies the whole purpose of an elected mayor. We need to see clear and demonstrable demand from local people first." Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government migration policies stoke community tensions - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14461 Commenting on today’s announcement by Hazel Blears on the Government’s new strategy on migration, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "Given its poor record on abandoning exit checks, it’s unbelievable that the Government is now attempting to champion its migration policies. "There needs to be a much more sophisticated approach to modelling migration, including not just migration from outside the UK but within the country as well. "Internal migration can have a massive impact on communities, yet the Government is simply not taking this into account. "Government policies are stoking up community tensions by labelling groups as having a potential for ‘violent extremism’, rather than giving all communities the freedom and funding to become sustainable and cohesive." Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 70,000 homes affected by stealth council tax rise - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14402 Over 70,000 households are paying almost £200 in extra council tax after the Government revalued their homes by stealth, Liberal Democrat research has uncovered. Despite Government claims that they are not carrying out revaluation, information uncovered by a Parliamentary Question shows that: <DIR> <DIR> · 390,440 homes have been assessed for revaluation at the point of sale since 1997. · 70,010 of these homes were then moved up to a higher council tax band. · With average council tax levels (per dwelling) at £1146 this year revaluation to a higher band could cost affected households an average of £195 per year.</DIR></DIR> Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "With almost 400,000 homes facing revaluation, Labour’s lie of putting off Council Tax revaluation is clearly exposed. "It’s time that the Government comes clean and either admits that a programme of stealth revaluation is occurring or recognises that council tax is not working. "Until they ditch this unfair and unpopular tax, families will continue to face unaffordable council tax bills, based not on the ability to pay but simply on the value of their home." Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Dangerous dogs law simply isn't working - Lamb http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14397 Commenting on today's publication of a Defra leaflet which provides information regarding the law on dangerous dogs, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "The Dangerous Dogs Act has been consistently criticised as a piece of flawed legislation, which was rushed in by the previous Tory government. Yet ministers are responding to the massive rise in attacks with just a leaflet. "This is a pathetic response to a dramatically increasing problem in this country. Current legislation doesn't even deal adequately with the problem of dangerous dogs in private homes. "Irresponsible owners are more likely to make a dog 'dangerous' than it being born a particular breed.  There is a worrying trend in some areas of using dangerous dogs as fashion accessories or, worse still, as weapons. "The current law simply isn't working, and the Government needs to do far more than produce a leaflet to deal with it." Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government has no plan to save post offices - Teather http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14383 Commenting on today’s select committee report that reveals the Government-owned Post Office Ltd cannot guarantee that the post office network will not undergo further cuts, Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary, Sarah Teather said: "This Government has no plan to save the post office network. "It has presided over the managed decline of out post office system, with 2,500 post offices in Britain currently facing closure. "Post office cuts weigh heavily on the elderly, the poor and the vulnerable members of our society. Further cuts to this valuable social asset are a betrayal of the very people who voted for a Labour Government in 1997." Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government not taking flood risk seriously - Opik http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14366 Commenting today’s land use statistics that reveal that 10% of new dwellings were built within areas of high flood risk, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Öpik said: "With 10% of new homes still being built in flood risk areas, the Government is clearly failing to take flooding seriously. "Flooding causes devastation to families and communities and to continue to build so many homes in these areas leaves people with unprotected and uninsurable homes. "Meanwhile, the number of empty homes has risen in the last year. Surely bringing these properties back into use is a better bet than building on the flood plains." Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Penny drops for ministers after 12,000 ASBOs - Huhne http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14313 Commenting on Jacqui Smith's speech, in which she called for early intervention to tackle the first signs of problem behaviour, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "The penny has finally dropped with evidence-immune ministers that ASBOs should only be used as a last resort. They are far more costly and less effective than alternatives such as Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, pioneered by Liberal Democrat councils. "It has taken ten years and more than 12,000 ASBOs for ministers to recognise their mistake." <DIV>Notes</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> 1. New ASBOs fell from 4,123 in 2005 to 2,706 in 2006, a drop of 35%. Wider anti-social behaviour tools such as Acceptable Behaviour Contracts were up 258% from 2003-4 to 2006-7. 2. Only last month, in the run up to the 2008 local elections, Labour campaigned on the fact that 'Labour-controlled Manchester [Council] issued over twice as many [ASBOs] as nearby Lib Dem Liverpool.' <A href="http://www.labour.org.uk/safer_cleaner_streets">http://www.labour.org.uk/safer_cleaner_streets</A></DIV> Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Post office closures deeply disappointing for Londoners - Teather http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14325 Commenting on the Government's announcement that only seven out of the 169 London post offices earmarked for closure have been saved, Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary, Sarah Teather said:   "Many people who fought hard against the Government's closure plans will be desperately disappointed to hear that their local post office is still set to be axed.   "There are already far fewer post offices per person in London than the rest of the country, yet the Government is pressing on with its unpopular closure plan regardless.   "The Government should be helping local post offices to develop their business rather than forcing more and more of them to go to the wall." Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Supermarkets must not be allowed to squeeze out small shops - Teather http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14271 Commenting on today's Competition Commission report into supermarkets, Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary, Sarah Teather said: "The beefed up supermarket code of conduct is welcome. But we will have to wait and see whether it really does stop the exploitation of suppliers. "The key to whether new supermarkets are allowed in a particular area should not be about competition between different chains but about how large out of town supermarkets affect small high-street shops. "At a time when land is at a premium, land banking by supermarket chains to stop competition is simply unacceptable." Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100 700,000 pensioners let down by failing social care system - Clegg http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14263 Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today branded the Government's treatment of older people as 'a stain on the moral conscience of this country'. In a speech this morning to the Resolution Foundation in central London about the crisis in social care for older people, Nick Clegg set out his party's plan for a Personal Care Payment based on need, not the ability to pay. As the only major political party to set out plans on how to reform social care, the Liberal Democrats are calling for a cross-party consensus on the difficult choices that have to be made to ensure that all those who need social care have access to it. Nick Clegg said: "Gordon Brown's moral compass is supposed to guide him towards helping the vulnerable. But the treatment of elderly people is growing steadily worse, and it is a stain on the moral conscience of this country. "A total of 700,000 older people in England are not getting the care packages they really need. "In 2007 Help the Aged reported that half a million elderly people in the UK are suffering some form of abuse or neglect. Physical, emotional, sexual or financial mistreatment. "The largest proportion of abusers are related to their victim and 64% of abuse occurs in the older person's own home." Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Labour broke promise over services for the elderly - Clegg http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14209 The Liberal Democrats have highlighted evidence that the Government has reneged on its promise to consult on increasing the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) for more than 250,000 care home residents. Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, alongside a number of his Front Bench colleagues, has signed a motion against the regulations introducing the insufficient increase. Commenting, Nick Clegg said: "The Government has acted shamefully in promising a review of Personal Expense Allowances (PEA) and then not delivering. "Many older people are already forced to sell their homes to pay for care home places, leaving them with little left over for everyday living. With the spiralling costs of basic groceries, they will have very little for other things vital to an independent life. "This Government has presided over a collapse of services for the elderly. Ministers have responded to the chronic warnings of a looming crisis with criminal under-funding. "We must have an immediate review of the level of PEA, taking into account the real and rising cost of living. "Only Liberal Democrat proposals for a personal care payment would ensure a fair deal for all elderly people who needed personal care and would put an end to the criminal injustice of poverty in old age experienced by so many." Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Failing council tax system costs councils 130m - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14167 Commenting on the announcement that more than £130m of unpaid council tax was written off by councils in 2006/2007, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "With such a tight budget settlement this year, writing off £130m is only going to make the financial squeeze on council services even worse. "When councils are already taking extreme measures to collect unpaid council tax, such as using bailiffs and even making people file for bankruptcy, it’s clear that the council tax system is failing. "This is an unfair tax that overstretched families are struggling to pay and councils are spending huge amounts of money and time trying to collect. It’s time that it was abolished and replaced with a local income tax based on the ability to pay, and not property prices." Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100 First time buyer scheme is tokenism of the worst kind - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/community/story.html?id=14151 New plans to assist first time buyers with small grants is tokenism of the worst kind, the Liberal Democrats claimed today, following the Government’s announcement of a new scheme for first time buyers. The Liberal Democrats accused the Government of ignoring the real problems of the credit crunch, and instead focussing on schemes such as the £350m First Time Buyers Initiative, which has only helped 700 households since its launch in April 2006. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "The Government has already spent £350m on a scheme that has helped just 700 families and now Gordon Brown is proposing that these new grants will be enough to help families into new homes. "This new scheme is tokenism of the worst kind. The credit crunch is preventing many people from getting a mortgage they can afford, not the worry about solicitors’ fees. "With the credit crunch starting to bite, the Government should ensure that everyone has access to independent advice to prevent overstretched families finding themselves in severe financial difficulties." Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100