Next month, members of the United Nations meet in Copenhagen for vital talks on securing a new worldwide response to climate change.
On the Saturday beforehand, December 5, thousands of people will march in London to demand the Government goes further in cutting carbon emissions.
Nick Clegg and Simon Hughes will be leading Liberal Democrats on the march. All Lib Dems are urged to join them. Here’s why:
We are the party that has the courage to tackle climate change in Britain. We will go furthest on cutting carbon emissions. Go furthest in generating renewable energy. And go furthest in insulating homes.
But climate change can only be tackled by global action – and that is why the Copenhagen conference is so important. It could prove to be the most important in our lifetimes.
The march on December 5 is a chance for us to show the Government how strongly people in Britain feel. We can’t let this opportunity pass. And a strong Liberal Democrat presence on the march will send a clear message to the nation that we are the only party with the ambition and policies to reverse climate change.
Please let us know that you are going to be able to take part in the day of action in December 5th by signing up here.
Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats has launched this message for anyone who’s ever voted for the Green Party, or is thinking about doing so at the next general election. He’s asking you to lend your vote to the Liberal Democrats in 2010, to stop climate change.
Nick says: “This election is our best chance – it’s probably our last chance – to get a government that acts to cut carbon emissions and protect our planet for our children. This is not a time for people who care about the environment to quarrel between ourselves. This is a time for unity.
I understand completely why people are drawn to the Green Party. Lots of people tell me they know the Greens can’t win, but they want to send a message that the environment matters. I understand that.
But the time for sending messages is over. Climate scientists tell us the next government will be the last one that can stop dangerous climate change. So it’s time for action. Only a party that has real power and influence at the heart of government will be able to make it happen.
There has been too much hot air from Labour and the Conservatives. If either of them is given a free rein in the next Parliament, they will fall short of what’s needed. They will kow-tow to business interests and political pressure. We cannot afford to let that happen.
That’s where the Liberal Democrats come in. We can make the difference.
Already, there are 150 Liberal Democrats MPs and peers in Parliament. Our votes in Parliament got a “feed in tariff” put into law to encourage renewable energy. Our votes forced the government to commit to smart meters in every household. Our votes forced companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions. We are a force for real green change, not just green words.
Just imagine what we could achieve in the next Parliament, with your help. We will demand 10% cuts in emissions in 2010, like the brilliant 10-10 campaign is fighting for. We will demand a real commitment to renewable energy. We will demand Britain be set on course to a zero carbon future. And if – with your help – our voice is strong enough, we will succeed.
Many people vote for the Green Party for good reasons. But time is running out, and a vote for a party that probably won’t win a single MP is a wasted vote. The best bet for all environmentalists is to unite under the banner of the only green party that’s actually got power in Parliament. With your support, the Liberal Democrats will be bigger and stronger than ever, and we will force through the change you want – the change our planet needs.
The clock is ticking. Climate change is worsening. We have one planet, and no second chances. So let us have one voice, too. Lend your vote to the Liberal Democrats, and stop climate change before it is too late.”
“Overcrowding on Greater Manchester’s Trains could get worse,” says Transport Chief Keith Whitmore
Overcrowing on Greater Manchester’s trains could get worse if Department of Transport (DFT) rules lead to five trains, currently used betweeen Oldham and Manchester, being mothballed next month,” says Cllr Keith Whitmore – the first-ever Liberal Democrat Chairman of the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA).
Cllr Whitmore said:
“Due to Transport Authority activities in Greater Manchester, we will next month begin conversion of a train line from Oldham to Manchester to carry Trams. When this happens, five trains will become available. We believe that the DFT’s super profits, raised from North West rail companies, should be used to allow those five trains to continue operating in Greater Manchester, where they will be invaluable in relieving some of the chronic overcrowding we experience.”
“The DFT has refused to make any funding available and have instead decided that these trains will be put into cold storage, very likely never to see the light of day again in our area. This is frankly scandalous.”
LIBERAL Democrats in Bury have slammed as ‘totally inadequate’ a government scheme supposed to help families facing the loss of their homes.
The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was announced in November last year by the Government following an alarming rise in the number of people having their homes repossessed by mortgage lenders. But Labour ministers have restricted the scheme to only 6,000 homes across the whole of England.
That means only one in 25 households facing repossession claims in the courts – the first part of a process mortgage lenders have to go through to repossess a home – will get help under the scheme. 713 repossession claims were issued in Bury in 2008, and many more are expected in 2009. But only 29 are likely to have their homes saved under this scheme.
Vic D’Albert, Parliamentary candidate for Bury South said, “The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was launched with a great fanfare by the Government in the autumn. But it is totally inadequate for the tidal wave of repossessions that local residents are facing.
“The idea behind the scheme is something Liberal Democrats have long been pushing – giving councils and housing associations the opportunity to help residents in mortgage arrears by buying a share in the equity of the home, or even buying it outright. The householders would then rent back their home, therefore avoiding eviction.
“But Labour have taken a good idea and then failed to make it a reality. Only 29 families in Bury out of 713 facing repossession will get help. This is totally inadequate. “Labour are behaving like King Canute sitting on the beach hoping they can order the repossession tidal wave to roll back into the sea. At the same time, families are being engulfed in repossession orders and homes are being swept away.
“Repossession is a terrifying reality for too many people in Bury. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme needs to be expanded urgently or else residents will face being thrown onto the streets.This failing Labour Government is failing people in their hour of need”
Vic D’Albert is Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Bury South. Keep up to date with all his activities at www.vicdalbert.net
PLANS by the Liberal Democrats to massively increase the energy efficiency of all homes will lead to big savings in energy bills, say Bury Liberal Democrats.
In a message to local residents, Parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South, Vic D’Albert has backed the plans to raise the standard of home energy efficiency.
“The energy efficiency standards of 99 out of every 100 homes fall well below what they should be,” said Vic D’Albert. “Nearly every one of us is spending money on bills to heat the great outdoors as so much energy escapes from our homes.
“We want to bring home energy efficiency up to the highest level possible. In the past year, fuel bills have gone through the roof. But too often, our heat is escaping through the roof as well. Our plans will put an end to that.
”By cutting energy waste, we are also cutting the damage we do to the environment. It’s a win-win situation: lower fuel bills and fewer emissions that are leading to climate change that has given us extreme weather.”
The Liberal Democrats’ plans include requiring energy companies to use some of the £9 billion profit they have made from emissions trading to insulate the homes of the poorest residents.
They will also set up a National Green Loans scheme which will pay for a complete overhaul of the energy efficiency of people’s homes. Repayments will be added to energy bills with the loan paid off from the savings in energy use. Loan repayments will not be allowed to be more than the savings.
“This is a great idea for helping people to cut their energy bills and help us save the planet,” said Vic D’Albert.
PROPOSALS from the Liberal Democrats for big improvements to schools and teaching will see around £11 million of extra cash for schools in Bury to boost the education and life chances of thousands of children say local party members.
The plans were launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg and Shadow Secretary of State for Schools, David Laws MP. They call for raising standards in all local schools; closing the gap between children from rich and poor families and ending the era of Government meddling in education.
Speaking about the proposals to a meeting of members and residents, Councillor Tim Pickstone, who leads the Lib Dems in Bury said:
“There are a number of radical ideas to ensure all young people get the best start in life. The extra cash will make a real difference in our local schools.
“I am particularly pleased that funding is proposed to cut infant class sizes to private school levels of 15.
“We will also introduce a £2.5bn Pupil Premium, to ensure that extra funding goes to the pupils with the highest needs, whichever school they are in. And some of that extra money will pay for after school and Saturday classes, and extended school days.
“We will also get central government off the back of schools, teachers and pupils. The days of ministers in Whitehall stifling schools and interfering with everything that happens in the classroom must end.
“Schools here in Bury need to be freed to teach children rather than spend their time obeying ministerial orders and trying to achieve government targets.
“The schools proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrats will go a long way to ensuring that the many thousands of local children who go to local schools have at least as good a start in life as the small number who are educated privately.”
The proposals will be debated at the party’s spring conference in Harrogate in March.
Liberal Democrats in Bury have elected local Councillor Richard Baum as the party’s general election candidate for the Bury North constituency. He was unanimously elected at a special meeting of local party members in Elton on November 10th.
Richard, 27 and a mental health services manager is a life-long Bury resident and has been a Councillor for St Mary’s ward in the Borough since May 2007. Richard said “I am absolutely delighted to have been elected to stand for Parliament in my home town and for a party that I believe in. It really is an honour.”
Bury Lib Dem’s new Chair Nissa Finney congratulating our new Parliamenary Candidate for Bury North Richard Baum
Richard is the Liberal Democrats’ Resource spokesman on Bury Council, and has been active in many local campaigns in recent years. As well as campaigning to save local post offices and schools, Richard has led the local anti-Congestion Charge campaign, and just last week secured unanimous Council backing after Lib Dem calls for Council action against the Credit Crunch. Richard continued “I look forward to working hard on behalf of the people of Bury North on the issues that affect us all, and where the Lib Dems offer real and sensible alternatives, like the economy, crime, education and the NHS. I know that I will be part of a strong Lib Dem team in Bury North, and I am very excited about the next election when we can take the fight to Labour and the Conservatives.”
With Greater Manchester’s transport referendum three weeks away, a new survey reveals one in three Bury households would pay the congestion charge regularly.
Details of the congestion charge element of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid were explained to 500 Bury residents, they were then asked whether their household expected to pay regularly, 33% said yes.
The results directly challenge repeated advertising claims that nine out of ten people won’t pay the charge.
The survey was carried out for the Stop the Charge coalition of MPs, council leaders and 260 businesses by independent polling company Populus.
Bury Lib Dem Leader Councillor Tim Pickstone is a part of the Stop the Charge coalition”This survey makes it absolutely clear one in three households will be hit by the congestion charge. It is common sense that many will pay twice, if more than one person drives at peak times. One in 10 Greater Manchester residents will also pay the full charge of £1,200 a year.
“Hard working families will have to find up to £1,200 a year, that’s 8% of average take home pay for people in Great Manchester. Even paying £3 to cross the outer ring will be £700 a year, equating to 5% of the average salary – this would require a huge pay rise just to break even. This will also clearly have a strong knock on effect for our whole economy, leaving a lot less money in people’s pockets.
“Liberal Democrats in Bury are steadfastly committed to improvements to public transport and to tackling environmental damage. But this charge of working families is simply not a fair way to achive what needs to be done. I urge everyone to vote no in the referendum.”
Bury South MP Ivan Lewis and Bury North MP David Chaytor have been attacked by local Liberal Democrats for helping to vote down proposals for external auditing of all MPs’ expenses.
148 Labour MPs, 21 Conservative MPs and UKIP’s only MP united on Thursday night [3rd July] to vote down the proposal for an independent audit of all MPs’ expenses claims.
No Liberal Democrat MP voted against the audit plans.
Commenting, Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South said:
“This decision by MPs is foolish and wrong. It is a disaster for anyone who believes in cleaning up our politics and improving Parliament’s reputation. The House of Commons had the chance to vote for proper auditing of everything MPs do with public money, but an unholy coalition of Labour and Conservative MPs prevented it.
“I am deeply disappointed that both Ivan Lewis and David Chaytor voted against allowing all MPs’ allowances to be externally audited. 52 of their Labour colleagues joined the Liberal Democrats and some Conservatives in voting for independent auditing. Ivan Lewis and David Chaytor must tell us – why did they vote to water down the proposals?
“Rarely a week seems to pass without a story in the press about MPs apparently fiddling their finances. The vast majority of MPs are not corrupt. But so long as they resist having their expenses and allowances subject to robust, external audit, the public can be forgiven for wondering what they have got to hide.”
Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Bury South welcomed the announcement by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg that his party is committing to unilaterally introduce proposals rejected by Parliament yesterday, including independent spot checks of the expenses of the party’s MPs:
“It is good to see Liberal Democrat MPs setting an example and showing that they have nothing to fear from open, independent scrutiny of their expenses.
“I hope that the Labour and Conservative leaderships will follow Nick Clegg’s lead in implementing these measures, and we can begin to restore public confidence in politicians.”
Details of how MPs voted can be found here:
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-07-03&number=253&display=allpossible&sort=name
A referendum on the issue of an elected Mayor took place on July 3rd, when local people were asked whether they wished to change the way the Council is run. The option to replace the current system with an elected Mayor was defeated.
Commenting on the result, leader of Bury Liberal Democrats, Cllr Tim Pickstone said, “The Lib Dems in Bury campaigned hard for a “No” vote in the referendum, and I am glad that the idea of an elected Mayor has been rejected by local people.”
The “Yes” campaign suggested that the voting for a Mayor would help defeat plans for a congestion charge. Cllr Pickstone rejected this view,: “The idea that a Mayor could stop the congestion charge was always false, and I always thought that local people wouldn’t believe it. Bury Lib Dems continue to oppose the congestion charge, and the Council is now free to carry on working hard to get improved public transport for Bury without this additional tax.”
Cllr Pickstone added, “The issue of the Mayor was always about more than the congestion charge. A Mayor would have meant a less democratic system for local people, and would have cost a small fortune every year. Liberal Democrats believe that decisions should be taken in local communities, not by one person at the Town Hall. We also believe that tax payers money should be spent on better services and lower taxes, not on a big car and a big office for an elected Mayor. The rejection of the Mayor gives us the best chance to continue fighting for real power for local people, and better local services for everyone.”
