Volunteers needed!

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We’re looking for volunteers to join the Focus delivery team in St Mary’s and Holyrood wards.

Getting our message out there to voters is really important. One way we do this is by delivering regular mailings to residents to make sure they are kept up to date with our campaigns.

If you can spare some time (as little as an hour a month) on a regular basis to help expand our delivery team it would be greatly appreciated and would make a huge difference to our campaign effort! You can help by delivering in your local area or further afield if you wish – it’s completely up to you.

As well as having regular delivery rounds available we also have group deliveries each week and take part in action days every fortnight. Action days are where we get together as a team to do delivery or canvassing. They can be great fun and make campaigning more social!

Our next action day will be on Saturday 21st January. More details will be sent closer to the date via email. You can also keep up to date with campaign events by joining our Facebook group.

If you have any further questions about taking on a regular delivery round or taking part in an action day then please get in touch with Louise at organiser@burylibdems.net

 

 

Green Belt Consultation Extended, Walk-In Centre Decision Delayed

Two massive decisions affecting our local area are to see delays over the Christmas period.

Bury CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) have decided to defer a decision on the future of Prestwich and Bury Walk-In Centres to it’s January meeting (15th January 2017).  Hopefully this will give it time to consider the massive public opposition to the closure…..

Greater Manchester Strategic Framework Consultation Extended

In addition the deadline in the consultation on the Greater Manchester Strategic Framework (the plan to destroy 20% of Bury’s ‘green belt land’ (nearly 50% in Whitefield, Unsworth and Prestwich) has been extended to the new year.

The deadline for comments in the consultation is now A23.59 on 16 January 2017.

You can submit your comments online via the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework via email: GMSF@agma.gov.uk

If you have not already done so, please do sign the ‘Hands Off Bury’s Green Belt’ petition – the more signatures we get the better.

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AGM and Committee 2017

Thank you to everyone who came to the AGM last night where we had an excellent presentation from the Liberal Democrat Greater Manchester Mayoral candidate Jane Brophy.

2017 Executive Committee
President – Stephen Stokes
Chair – Wilf Davison
Vice-Chair – Samantha Stretch
Secretary – Michael Powell
Treasurer – Jacob Royde
Membership Development Officer and Data Officer – Gavin Warnes
Ordinary Members – Steve Middleton, Laura Stoker, Felipe Fazenza
Council Group representative (appointed by Council Group) – Tim Pickstone

The next members meeting is on Tuesday 10 January 2017, 7.00pm – more information to follow.

Figures show full scale of Bury’s Green Belt Betrayal

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrat Councillors on Bury Council have revealed to what extent Bury has been betrayed in the proposals to remove ‘Green Belt’ land in the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

Across Greater Manchester, just 8.2% of Green Belt land is proposed to be destroyed.

However, Bury Council’s Labour-leadership have signed-up to the proposals mean that 20% of Bury’s green belt will be lost, significantly higher than elsewhere in Greater Manchester. Together with the other nine Council Leaders, Bury’s Labour Leader voted in favour of the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.

Yet it is in the Prestwich and Whitefield/Unsworth areas that have been most heavily let down: 

  • In Prestwich a shocking 46.7% of green belt land will be lost – that is everything on the Eastern side of Prestwich
  • In the Whitefield/Unsworth area 49.1% of green belt land will be lost, mostly on the eastern side of Whitefield and Unsworth.

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The full figures are:
3.6% in Ramsbotton, Tottington and North Manor Township;
23.4% in Bury West Township;
0.7% in Bury East Township;
21% in Radcliffe Township;
49.1% in Whitefield and Unsworth Township;
and 46.7% in Prestwich Township.

The Labour Party in Bury made a very clear commitment in it’s Local Government Manifesto:
“Bury Labour Group will defend the greenbelt and do all we can to stop development of this precious resource.” 

The Lib Dems in Bury are totally opposed to this wholesale destruction of our Green Belt land. We DO need more homes, but we should use brownfield sites, empty houses and existing unbuilt planning permissions FIRST without destroying our precious country side.

The deadline for consultation on the Draft GMSF is 23 December 2016:

1 – Sign the petition to Save Bury’s Green Belt

2 – Respond to the Consultation yourself and let Greater Manchester Council Leaders know your views.

 

 

Help the team in Sleaford & North Hykeham

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Hot off the heels of our success in Richmond Park comes another by-election! This Thursday is polling day in Sleaford & North Hykeham.

Our candidate Ross Pepper and the team on the ground have been working hard over the past few weeks to ensure a positive result.

Ross has the advantage of being the only candidate who voted for Remain in the referendum & now opposes a hard Brexit.

But it’s not just about Remain and Leave. Many people are alarmed by what has happened since the Referendum, how the Tories are pushing us towards a hard Brexit and how Labour are failing to provide much needed opposition.

We really need as many people as possible to hit the phones and speak to voters before polling day. If you can help, then ALDC are running a phone bank on Thursday 8th December from 5pm at 23 New Mount Street in Manchester.

If you can’t make it in person then you can also help by making calls from home. If you are a Connect user you can log in and visit the Virtual Phone Bank page for the latest Sleaford phone bank. If you need setting up with a Connect account then please email Louise at louise.bowe@aldc.org – full help and support on how to start calling will be provided!

 

 

Welcome to Britain’s Newest MP

Last week Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney sent a strong message to Government when she overturned Zac Goldsmith’s 23,000 majority to become the new MP for Richmond Park in London.

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The Lib Dem campaign in Richmond focussed on two issues, which clearly rang true with voters:

  • the underfunding by Government of NHS services, which is leading to severe problems for care services for elderly and other vulnerable residents
  • worry about a Government heading for a so-called ‘Hard Brexit’, without free trade with the rest of Europe, with huge concerns on what this means for people’s jobs and livelihood.

Many traditional Conservative and Labour voters, including many ‘Leave’ supporters backed the Liberal Democrats because of our strong positive messages on the NHS and ‘Brexit’.

Find out more and how you can get involved here.

 

 

Help us to win in Richmond Park

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Tomorrow is polling day in the Richmond Park by-election, and we need your help in the final stages of the campaign!

We have a real chance to change the course of British politics tomorrow, so if you can help by making a few phone calls it could make a huge difference.

There will be a special phone bank running in the ALDC office, 23 New Mount Street M4 4DE this Thursday (1st) from 2-10pm. All are welcome to attend. If you haven’t made calls before full help and training will be provided to get you up and running.

If you can’t make it along to the office in person but would like to call from home then please contact Louise at louise.bowe@aldc.org for help with setup and instructions – all you need is a computer and a phone.

Remember: every single vote in this by-election counts. A Lib Dem win would send a strong message to Theresa May about her hard Brexit agenda, so please do get involved and let’s get Sarah elected!

 

1 December World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is held across the world on 1 December.

Over 100,000 people are living with HIV in the UK. Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

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Today, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. Despite this, each year in the UK around 6,000 people are diagnosed with HIV, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the condition.

World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

In Manchester City Centre there is a Candlelit Vigil and Procession – all welcome – Thursday 1st December 7pm, Sackville Gardens, Sackville Street, M1 3HB.

Find out more about you can get involved locally here.
Find out more about national campaigns here.

Liberal Democrats in Bury were successful in backing a motion which was agreed by our national Party Conference in support the campaign for a relatively new HIV preventative treatment ‘Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis” or ‘PrEP’ to be made available on the NHS. At present the Government and the NHS are refusing to make this drug, which is 99% effective, available. Find out more about the ‘I Want Prep Now’ campaign here.

Tim Farron – Hard Brexit would be a disaster for Britain

Britain's Liberal Democrat party leader, Tim Farron, waves after making his keynote speech on the final day of the party's conference in Bournemouth, Britain September 23, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron is determined to push for a further referendum on the terms of any exit Brexit deal.

Speaking in the New European, he said:

“I am absolutely clear – I will not allow a deal to be imposed on the British people that no-one has voted for.

This process started in June with democracy and it must not end with a Government stitch-up that leaves us in a far worse situation for the British people, their jobs and our economy.

It has been extremely disappointing to see the lengths to which the Government has gone to avoid scrutiny on the most pressing issue facing our country for generations.”

Autumn Statement – time to provide confidence and reassurance to health services, workers and business

This Autumn Statement comes at a time when our economy is in turmoil, our public services are in crisis and people and businesses are struggling to keep afloat.

Liberal Democrats want to see a statement that seeks to provide confidence and reassurance- to our health services, to workers and to businesses. The Government needs to show it will support these vital institutions, not leave them high and dry in its drive for a hard Brexit.

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Find out more here.