NEWS
News archive
Find out the latest news from the Liberal Democrats in Witney and West Oxfordshire.
All our news stories are archived here in date order.
LIb Dems challenge budget overruns at West Oxon  Lib Dem Leader Cllr Stuart Brooks spoke on the subject of West Oxfordshire’s management of its properties at the Council meeting in June. The Elmfield project in Witney involved the conversion and extension of an old building into new offices for council staff. During construction several modifications to the specification were requested and unforeseen problems with modifying an old structure were encountered. However it came as a total surprise to the council, especially to its Cabinet, when it was discovered close to the end of the project that its contractors had spent £400,000 of council money without the formal approval of the council. | |
| Action on Chippy hospital West Oxon Liberal Democrats are 100% behind the 'No Cuts' campaign run by the Chipping Norton Hospital Action Group. | |
| Stop the vandalism Increased vandalism and burglary are an ugly feature of life in our towns today. In recent months we have seen smashed shop windows in Witney; a vandalised war memorial in Chipping Norton; and cars burned out in Eynsham. We are constantly promised that minor - but still frightening - street crime will be tackled. | |
| Does the Tory record on the NHS bear close attention? AT the Conservative conference, David Cameron MP said the NHS is safe his hands. Mr Cameron accused Labour of mismanaging the health service and said he would be taking to the streets with a campaign to stop the cuts. | |
| LABOUR MPs REJECT 'GREEN TAX SWITCH' - TORIES SIT ON HANDS Labour MPs last night voted down a Liberal Democrat call for a greener tax system, with the Conservatives abstaining, despite David Cameron's claims that the environment is a priority for him. Yesterday's Lib Dem opposition day motion called on the Government "to increase green taxes on new high-emission cars and on aviation while using revenue generated to cut direct taxes, particularly on low earners, so that there is no overall rise in the burden of taxation." | |
| POST OFFICES: GOVERNMENT 'COMPLACENT' AS LIB DEM MOTION IS REJECTED A Liberal Democrat motion expressing concern over the vulnerability of local post offices and calling on the Government to end the 'paralysis in decision-making' over the Post Office network and Royal Mail was rejected by the Government last night. MPs from all main parties criticised the Government during yesterday's opposition day debate over the planned withdrawal of the post office card account and other issues, and called on the Government to bring forward plans for the future of the post office network urgently. | |
| FIRST TIME BUYERS IGNORED AS TORIES PROPOSE TAX CUT FOR SHARES The first tax cut by an incoming Conservative government will be the abolition of stamp duty on shares. The Tories’ tax reform commission will put the abolition of the duty at the heart of measures to improve the UK's international competitiveness. The Tories claim it will give an immediate £150 billion boost to the stock market and help repair the damage caused by Gordon Brown's "pensions stealth tax". | |
| FIGHT TO SAVE RURAL POST OFFICES GOES TO LONDON The Liberal Democrats have welcomed a nationwide campaign to save Britain's Post Office network, following the Government's failure to take the tough decisions necessary to save our Post Office and Royal Mail services. It comes as the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) will lobby Parliament and deliver to Downing Street a record petition in support of the Post Office Network, signed by four million people. | |
| TORY PACKAGE OF £21 BN TAX CUTS ‘CONFUSED AND IRRESPONSIBLE’ The Conservative Tax Reform Commission has reported, recommending £21 billion of tax cuts. The Commission proposes cutting the basic income tax rate, raising the earnings threshold for income tax, cuts in business tax and the abolition of inheritance tax. | |
| 300,000 EMPTY HOMES IN THE COUNTRY Halifax has found that nearly 300,000 homes have been empty for more than 6 months. Liberal Democrat Housing spokesperson Dan Rogerson said: “It is shocking that so many homes are lying empty and unwanted while hard-working families are priced out of the housing market. Labour has failed when it comes to housing the nation.” | |
| PATIENT CARE IN DANGER AS FEWER NURSES LEAD TO HIGHER DEATH RATES Nursing shortages are linked to an increase in patient death rates, a study of English hospitals has found. The study, published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, showed mortality was 26% higher for the hospitals with the worst staffing levels compared with those with more nurses per patient. | |
| WHITE PAPER ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY, SAY LIB DEMS The Government today released its local government white paper. Key measures included: reduce the amount of targets set by central government; increase the number of elected mayors; councils to create bylaws with without needing central government approval; council committees to have more power to review actions of public bodies, such as police and hospitals; opportunity for more councils to become unitary authorities, and good parish councils to get power to promote social, economic and environmental improvements. | |
| LIB DEMS ARE THE MOST TRUSTED ON THE NHS A Guardian/ICM poll survey on 25th October found the Lib Dems the most trusted party to run the NHS. The net party ratings were: Lib Dem +36, Lab +31, Con +30 | |
| CAMPBELL SETS OUT AGENDA FOR FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES In a speech to the National Family and Parenting Institute today, Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Menzies Campbell said policies can only be family friendly when they put support, care and value for individuals at their heart, describing this as the Ethic of Care. He outlined Liberal Democrat policies that put ethic of care into practice by: helping to strengthen family relationships; coping with family breakdown; and raising the standard of childcare. | |
| BRITAIN IS 'SLEEPWALKING' INTO A SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY, GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG SAYS The information commissioner has voiced concern over the increasing level of surveillance in society. | |
| REPORT MAKES CLEAR BLAIR HAS FAILED: TEENAGERS REGARD ASBOs AS 'BADGE OF HONOUR' Anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) have become a "badge of honour" among young people, says an official study. | |
| LIB DEMS PUBLISH PROPOSALS FOR A DEMOCRATIC AND REPRESENTATIVE UPPER HOUSE The Liberal Democrats today published their proposals to create a democratically accountable upper house, which better reflects the views of the British people. | |
| ARMED FORCES 'UNDERSTAFFED' The Armed Forces are operating with at least 5,000 fewer men and women than are needed to meet Britain's defence commitments around the world, the government spending watchdog has revealed. | |
| LORD CHANCELLOR ADMITS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS IN GENERAL CHAOS Parts of the criminal justice system are in “general chaos”, the Lord Chancellor admitted at during a panel discussion at the Bar’s annual conference this weekend. | |
| RAIL FRANCHISES SHOULD BE MADE LONGER AS MPs WARN SYSTEM IS A ‘MUDDLE’ The UK's rail franchising system is a complex, fragmented and "costly muddle", for which passengers will end up paying the price, MPs have warned. The Commons transport select committee said in its new report that the system was fundamentally flawed and "past its sell-by date". | |
| TORY CLAIMS ON SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES UNSUSTAINABLE Commenting on claims made today by the Conservatives that David Cameron has published a new Sustainable Communities Bill, Lib Dem Shadow Local Government Secretary, Andrew Stunell said:“ It’s a bit rich for David Cameron to claim that he has published a new bill when MPs from other parties have been campaigning on this for some time. Empowering local communities to reverse the decline of vibrant town centres is a vital issue, yet it was Tory MPs who were instrumental in talking out the last Sustainable Communities Bill. David Cameron may offer his verbal support but this is in contrast to his party’s dire voting record.” | |
| NEW PLANNING PROPOSALS SHOW GOVERNMENT'S SHALLOW LOCALISM The Commons communities and local government select committee has given a guarded welcome to the idea of a new levy on developers to help pay for local infrastructure. | |
| LIB DEMS SAYS IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED TO MEET CARBON EMISSIONS TARGETS The initial report on the Review of the Sustainability of Existing Buildings, whose conclusions will feed in to the forthcoming Energy White Paper, was released today. The report makes recommendations as to how energy and water efficiency in homes can be improved to meet carbon emissions targets. | |
| FURTHER DELAYS TO SINGLE FARM PAYMENTS AS DEFRA HANDS OUT £4.3M IN STAFF BONUSES Farmers in England face further delays in getting their share of EU cash, the Government has confirmed. The admission comes as it emerged that Defra officials received more than £7m in bonuses in the last two years despite the financial crisis in British farming. | |
| POST OFFICE CLOSURES COULD COST UP TO £400m, LIB DEM RESEARCH SHOWS Research undertaken by the Liberal Democrats shows that the cost of potential cuts to the Post Office network could be at least £400m. | |
| ON POVERTY CAMERON IS NOT CREDIBLE David Cameron claims there has been a "big change" in the way the Conservatives think about poverty. | |
| PERMANENT REVOLUTION IN THE NHS IS NOT IN PATIENTS' INTERESTS, Further reform to the NHS will be carried out, Tony Blair said today. Speaking to NHS managers and doctors at the NHS Confederation, Blair said there will be changes to the access to A&E services, and more concentration on specialist centres. | |
| FAIRER AND SIMPLER SYSTEM IS NEEDED AS GOVERNMENT CASH IN ON STAMP DUTY Revenue from inheritance tax and the higher rates of stamp duty on homes soared to a record £6.7 billion in the last financial year, according to new research. | |
| RISING FUEL BILLS IS AN UNJUSTIFIED ENERGY POLL TAX Average household energy bills could rise by as much as £14 next year, after the energy regulator ruled that consumers should pay for improving Britain's ageing gas and electricity distribution networks. |
