Wycombe Liberal Democrats

Last night, Conservative controlled Wycombe District Council voted to increase your Council Tax by 1.75%. What you may not know is your Liberal Democrat Opposition proposed an amendment to the budget which would have frozen the increase for this year.

Many residents have told us that they are finding things particularly hard this year. In the current tough economic climate, many people have seen their wages frozen – and in some cases even reduced. We wanted to do something to help people who are finding things tough.

Our proposal was carefully thought out – and would not have led to any cuts in services. The Conservative budget will lead to WDC having reserves of £2.15 million in the coming year. Our amendment would have cut that to £2 million exactly (which is still more than we had this year, and meets government guidelines).

Other Councils have implemented such freezes. Next time you read a Conservative leaflet promising that they are the party of lower taxes, remember how you have been treated in Wycombe. This is the second year running that Conservatives have voted through a higher Council Tax rise than that proposed by the Liberal Democrats.

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Trevor is questioning the use of Web based surveys at full council and will report the response .
There has been recent criticism of the consultations by groups and residents. There is a need for consultations to be more widely publicised! In the case of the Gypsy and Traveller consultation many residents, across the district, were not aware of the consultation. Even those living around the areas where sites were being considered!
Using the web as the main method of completing the consultation could be improved! Those unable to access PCs, lack PC skills and those that cant readily access hard copies are finding it difficult. In the case of the Gypsy and traveller consultation forms were not even on the leaflet stands in the council offices!
The structure of recent surveys has been questioned in the way they lead responses and have glaring omissions! In the case of the Holywell Mead Pool consultation no mention of reopen Holywell Mead Pool as a tick option!

Trevor is asking WDC what are the key leanings and improvements that will be adopted for future consultations?

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The consultation on Gypsy and Traveller sites has now finished. There has been concerns raised by residents about the poor communication of the consultation and the fact it was promoted as a web based consultation . Ray and Trevor send out an emergency leaflet to those most affected by the proposed Abbey Barn site to raise awareness of the consultation.
Trevor submitted a statement on behalf of residents to council “ We cannot support Abbey Barn North as a site for Gypsies and Travellers -In the Imagine the Future consultation it was recommended that the area should not be used for homes and should remain as natural area and meadow. The only area of Abbey Barn North to be utilised was for the reinstated of much needed town allotments . We expect WDC to respect this . In addition access to Abbey Barn North has been identified on numerous occasions as problematic due to the terrain and the road, which apart from being a rat run, is not fit for larger vehicles and caravans.”
We will update residents once the results are published by WDC

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“I have a confession to make: 2009 tested my belief in politics to breaking point.

I remember once looking round the House of Commons during another Punch and Judy session of Prime Ministers Questions. In the real world, youth unemployment had just reached its highest level ever, our brave soldiers were facing extraordinary dangers in Afghanistan, the bankers were still gorging themselves on bonuses, and the economy was in the middle of the worst recession in generations. And what were the politicians doing? Yelling and guffawing at each other as if the world outside didn’t exist.

So I don’t blame anyone for feeling a sense of despair about our clapped out political system. You are being taken for granted by the people in charge. Big money is hollowing out politics with some rich donors not even bothering to say whether they pay full British taxes or not. And to top it all the expenses scandals exposed some MPs as spivvy property speculators and tax evaders rather than public servants.

This whole set-up has to change. That’s what 2010 should be all about. Big, permanent change for the better.

People’s faith in politics may be dented, but I still believe in our ability to learn from the mistakes of the past, and set things on a new course.

2010 must be the year we press the political reset button.

But that will only happen if we do things differently. More of the same won’t produce anything new.
Of course both Labour and the Conservatives have learned to parrot the language of change. But where’s the proof they mean it? Despite all the hot air about fixing politics they have both voted against giving people the right to sack MPs who’ve seriously broken the rules. Both have refused to clean up the rotten system of party political funding. Both refuse to give you your say by introducing fair votes to the House of Commons. And both refuse to shake up the City of London, so that bankers can never again play Russian roulette with your savings.

Some people say, what’s the point of voting when the same old parties always win? I say: vote for what you believe in. If you like what the Liberal Democrats stand for, vote for it. If you want real change, not phoney change, vote for it. If you think things should be different, vote for it.

At the end of the day, politics should be about what you believe. What kind of Britain do you want to live in? What kind of world do we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in?
Time to hit political reset button says Clegg

In his New Year message, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has laid down a challenge to other party leaders to tell people what they really believe in, rather than what they think people want to hear.

So as the countdown to the next General Election finally begins, I have a simple question for the other party leaders: what do you believe, really believe?

People don’t want leading politicians clinging on to power for its own sake, or just telling people what they want to hear. There’s got to be more to it than that.

I have one belief above all others: a belief in fairness. Under my leadership the Liberal Democrats have been working on new ideas to make Britain the fair country I believe most people want it to be. We want to raise standards in all of our schools by giving specific help to the children most in need, and by making class sizes smaller. Soon we will be publishing new ideas to turn our economy away from its over dependence on the City of London to a new, green economy where hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created as we rebuild our transport, energy and housing infrastructure. Above all, we are now the only party with a detailed plan to make taxes fair – removing all income tax on the first £10000 you earn, paid for by asking people at the top to pay a bit more.

If we as Leaders want people to turn out to vote at all at the next General Election, we have got to show people our convictions, not just dividing lines, our beliefs, not just soundbites.

I hope in the coming months even more people will get a chance to find out what I believe in, and the beliefs of the Liberal Democrats. If enough people share our convictions, our beliefs, then 2010 really can be the beginning of something new. “

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Wycombe Liberal Democrats took to the streets in London today to support the fight against climate change.

The next parliament is likely to be the last that can stop dangerous climate change. And there is only one party that is both serious about the environment and in a position to exact real change: the Liberal Democrats.

Copenhagen is a vital staging post in the international fight to reduce carbon but the Government is not up to the task of driving through changes.

Labour has failed to cut emissions in the past and refuses to commit to what science demands in the future. We are still at the bottom of the European league table for levels of renewable energy, only above Malta and Luxembourg.

The Conservatives are a laughing stock on the international scene and their environmental policies consist merely of empty platitudes.

Conservatives in Wycombe have refused to support the 10:10 environmental campaign to reduce carbon emmisions by 10% in 2010

The Liberal Democrats are different. We are the only party in UK politics with the vision, policies, ambition and ability to kill carbon emissions.

We will make Britain carbon neutral by 2050. We will reduce emissions faster and more effectively than any other party. And we will make sure that every home is properly insulated within 10 years of taking power.

There is only a small window of opportunity to stop dangerous climate change. Only the Liberal Democrats will take it.

Watch Nick Clegg speaking at The Wave here.

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