Bury Liberal Democrats launch General Election campaign

Bury Liberal Democrats have launched their campaign for the General Election on 6th May.

Long-serving local Councillor Vic D’Albert will be the party’s candidate in Bury South. Vic has been a Prestwich resident all his adult life, and has served as a Bury Councillor for Holyrood ward since 1991.

In Bury North, Cllr Richard Baum will be the Lib Dem candidate in the General Election. Richard represents St Mary’s ward on Bury Council and is the only candidate in the election to already be serving the people of Bury on the Council.

There are also local elections on May 6th, with the Liberal Democrats hoping for gains with candidates in every ward in Bury.

The Lib Dems promise fairer taxes by making the first £10,000 you earn free of income tax. We promise a fair start for children with a £2.5bn investment in schools. And we want to clean up politics with a new voting system and a reduction in the number of MPs.

If you’d like to get involved in helping the Lib Dem election campaign in Bury, please get in touch using the contact details on this website.

Bury Lib Dems Quiz Night this Friday

The Bury Liberal Democrats will be holding a fun quiz night on Friday 26th February.

The Grant Arms Hotel in Ramsbottom will be hosting us as we test to see if your brain has managed to defrost after the freezing winter! Entry cost is £15 per team,(max 6 per team) but if you can’t form a team, bring yourself along and we’ll make up some groupings on the night.

Start time is 7:30pm. 

We really hope to see you there – if you’d like more details, please get in touch.

Childrens Play at risk from dog mess

Children’s Outdoor play groups in the area are warning that dog fouling is threatening their future, making it unsafe for children to play outside. Local Liberal Democrat Councillors in Prestwich have called for the Council to fine offending dog owners and ask dog owners to be more responsible.
 
Cllr Andrew Garner, Sedgley ward Councillor, said “At a recent surgery we were told that a popular local children’s play group at St Mary’s Park is considering its future because the dog mess problem is so bad. Not only is it obviously unsightly, but it is a health hazard and children’s health are being put at risk. It’s very disappointing that beautiful parks are being spoiled like this, and that our children are suffering as a result.”
 
Local Councillors are calling on dog owners to take care that their pets don’t foul footpaths and park areas, and to clean up when this happens. There is growing anger that the Council are not doing enough to help residents with the problem and growing anger against selfish dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets.


A long-standing campaigner for Prestwich is Liberal Democrat Councillor for St Mary’s ward Donal O’Hanlon. He said “The Council have to do more to help us. Recently we discovered that Prestwich has significantly fewer dog waste bins than any other part of Bury. The Conservatives who run the town hall are neglecting Prestwich and it has to change. Where are our dog bins? Where are the dog wardens? Where are the clean up teams? This neglect of Prestwich from the Conservatives who run the Council is just not good enough, and now it’s harming our children.”

ENDS

Lib Dems in fairer tax pledge

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today pledged to put fair taxes at the heart of the party’s message to the British people.The party’s new tax plans will see tax cuts for millions of people, paid for by closing tax loopholes, making polluters pay and introducing a ‘mansion tax’ on homes worth over £2m.

Nick Clegg said:

“If you want to know how committed a government is to fairness then look at its tax system.

“Gordon Brown has created a tax regime that forces some of the lowest earners in society to pay hundreds of pounds in tax they can’t afford, while polluters and rich  tax dodgers avoid paying their fair share.  

“Meanwhile the Conservatives want tax cuts for millionaires, but say there might be tax rises for everyone else.

“Under our plans people won’t pay a penny on the first ten thousand pounds they earn. That would put £700 back in the pockets of the vast majority of tax payers, and take millions of people on low pay out of paying income tax altogether.

“Our plans represent the most radical, far reaching tax reform in a generation.

“They embody everything the Liberal Democrats stand for: fairness, protecting the environment, rewarding hard work.

“It is right to ask those with the broadest shoulders to bear a little more of the burden so that millions of people on normal earnings get the break they desperately need.”

Lib Dems fight for better child care

Lib Dems across the country are coming together to fight for free childcare for every family.

We all understand that juggling work and family life can be a struggle for parents. Current Government provisions make it difficult to raise young children and go back to work full or even part-time and the economic crisis means families are even harder pressed than before.

Liberal Democrats believe that things need to change and parents should be entitled to 20 hours of free, high quality childcare for each child from 18 months to when they start school. 

Bury Liberal Democrats are calling for everyone who supports this cause to sign our petition calling for the Government to bring in the extra childcare. You can find the petition here

Anyone interested in joining a Facebook group in support of this campaign can do so here 

Or you can follow us on Twitter

Please spread the word with an email to five of your friends. Just click here 

Dole Queues in bury continue to grow

Bury’s dole queues have lengthened by over three quarters this year to over 4,000.

Now Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Vic D’Albert says the Government must act fast to halt the rise in job losses and home repossessions in the borough.

There are now 4,230 people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in Bury, an increase of 78.9% compared to this time last year, and an increase of 41.7% in the last three months.

Unemployment in the borough is now at a higher level than before Labour came to power in 1997, after the ravages of 18 years of Tory government.

Commenting, Vic D’Albert said: “Despite some sterling work by local businesses, these figures show that the recession is continuing to hit Bury hard as more jobs and homes are being lost. It is clear to me that the Labour government has failed Bury, and that the Tory Council isn’t doing anything like enough to help.

“It is vital that the Government offers help to the millions who are struggling to keep their heads above water. Income tax should be cut, and the banks must pass on the cuts in interest rates to reduce the cost of borrowing and keep people in their homes, and businesses open.

“The Prime Minister promised to abolish boom and bust, yet for the people of Bury it’s unemployment that’s booming, and their businesses that are going bust. At the same time, the Tories at the Town Hall are dithering over Lib Dem proposals like our “Park Free After 3” idea which would be a big boost to jobs.

“The banks have had their bail-out, how much longer must ordinary people wait for theirs?”

Lib Dems slam Tories after CCTV pledge broken

Liberal Democrats in Bury have accused the Conservatives of breaking an election pledge after it was revealed that no new CCTV camera is being installed in the borough this year, despite the Tories promising an increase.

Figures obtained by the Lib Dems show that since coming to power in May 2007, no new public safety cameras have been introduced across the borough. The only increase planned for this year is a single additional camera aimed at catching motorists parking illegally on Silver Street.

Commenting on the news, Liberal Democrat Councillor Steve Wright said “The Conservative election manifesto made a specific commitment to improving community safety by investing in CCTV cameras. The Tories have broken that promise and have not given Bury a single new camera.

“I am very disappointed that whilst the Police and the Bury Safe Partnership continue to work so hard to make Bury Town centre and the wider Borough a safer place, the Tories at the town hall aren’t pulling their weight. They have broken their promise, and the only CCTV camera they have bothered to install is more about fining motorists than making the town safer.”

Cllr Wright pointed out the recent initiatives in Lib Dem-run Oldham to make the town centre safer at night. “In Oldham there are innovative schemes in place to make town safer. Here in Bury we are hamstrung by ineffective Tories who have neglected our borough and seem happy to make promises which they just don’t deliver on.”

Bulky waste collections slump after Tories introduce charges

The amount of bulky waste sent for recycling in Bury has slumped since the Conservative Council introduced charges for collection, say local Liberal Democrats.

Information gathered by the Lib Dems shows that over 800 tonnes of bulky waste (excluding fridges) was collected in 2007/8. In 2008/9, the first year during which charges were fully operational, that figure almost halved to 468 tonnes, and in the first quarter of this year only 72 tonnes was collected.

Commenting on the figures, Lib Dem Councillor for St Mary’s ward Cllr Donal O’Hanlon said “These are truly shocking figures. At a time when we should be encouraging recycling, this Tory policy does exactly the opposite. Since introducing the charges, we’ve seen the amount of waste collected almost halve. Now it’s falling even more. More bulky waste will be illegally dumped, and less will be recycled. The Tories have put money before doing the right thing.”

Lib Dems back shopkeepers in Besses parking row

Local Liberal Democrats have backed shopkeepers’ calls for the removal of new
parking charges at the Bay Horse pub in Unsworth.

Businesses and shoppers nearby have complained after brewers Joseph Holt
introduced a £2 per day flat rate parking charge on land used by shoppers for
free for years.

Julie Baum, Liberal Democrat campaigner for Besses ward, which includes the
affected shops, said “I have been shopping at these shops for over 30 years and
I’ve never had to pay. It’s a shame that the brewery have installed this car
parking charge. It won’t make them much money but it’s certainly enough to deter
people from using these local businesses.”

Lib Dems reject the brewers’ claims that parking has caused a problem for the
pub. Julie Baum continued “In all the time I have used shopped here, I have
never seen the car park full, so it simply isn’t right to say that shoppers are
stopping pub-users getting into the car park. And besides, it’s obvious that
drinkers shouldn’t be driving to the pub.”

Support has also been given the shopkeepers’ view that the charges are damaging
business during the recession. Mrs Baum said “The first time I came here after
the charges were brought in, the car park was absolutely empty. It is clear that
less people are shopping here because of the new fees, which could be disastrous
for local businesses. I will campaign hard to have the brewery remove these
silly charges.”