Times They Are A Changin'

In order to better promote what your local Liberal Democrats are doing for you we took the very difficult decision to switch from Google (which we all love!) to the slightly better supported  (at last by the UK Liberal Democrats) MyCouncillor platform.

One of the issues was the EU Cookies directive that, if we're honest, we weren't sure how we'd implement on Blogger; much better to switch to a platform where a "national" solution will be provided - I'm expecting many other blogs to make this switch as well.

Consequently our new website is located at;

http://kingshedgeslibdems.mycouncillor.org.uk/

And we'll no longer be making updates to this site ... I hope you'll find the new website just as useful as our current one but if you have any issues you can always contact us and we'll help you out where we can.

Thanks again for all your support over the years, and see you on the new site ;-)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats Elect New Leader And Front Line Team

Cllr Tim Bick
(LD, Market)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have today (Monday, May 14) announced that Councillor Tim Bick will be taking over from Councillor Sian Reid as the group’s new leader.

Sian has decided to step down following surgery earlier this year and the need to take some time to fully recover.

The Lib Dems have also elected their front line team for the coming year with Cllr Catherine Smart continuing as the group’s deputy leader. They propose she will continue to have responsibility for housing, Cllr Tim Ward with the planning and sustainable transport portfolio,

Cllr Rod Cantrill with arts, sport and public places and Cllr Jean Swanson with the waste and recycling portfolio.

They will be joined by newly re-elected Cllr Mike Pitt who they propose to take responsibility for community development and health and Cllr Julie Smith for customer services and resources. Both have experience as executive councillors.

Tim will be proposed as Cambridge City Council Leader at the council’s annual meeting on May 24 when councillors will also vote on the nominations for executive councillors.

The Lib Dems will also be nominating Cllr Sheila Stuart as Mayor and Cllr Paul Saunders as Deputy Mayor for the coming year.

Tim said: “I am delighted to be given this opportunity but at the same time we are all sorry that Sian has decided not to re-stand. She has been a formidable leader of the group and the council and we are sorry that she wanted to step down."

Tim has represented Market Ward on Cambridge City Council for the past four years and served as Executive Councillor for Community Development for the last two. He has worked in human resources in the local technology sector for over 10 years and lives in the city centre. He brings experience of leading his party in local government in Warwickshire.
 
The Lib Dems are the largest party on the city council with half the seats and will propose a full Lib Dem administration at next week’s annual council meeting.

“We have a strong vision for this city and have far from run out of energy and ideas,” said Tim. “The council has work to do and needs to satisfy. There is no other party or collection of parties that is in a position to deliver sound, consistent government to the city.

“It is good for the city that the council's procedures envisage close results and help to avoid deadlock. The same procedures will give voice to the stronger Labour representation and we hope this will add richness to the council's decisions."

Sian’s two year leadership saw the city council through hard economic times. She faced tough decisions setting the council’s budget while at the same time making sure that basic services and those for the vulnerable were protected.

Before taking the leadership, she was Executive Councillor for Climate Change and Growth for four years.

During this time she worked hard to get the city council national recognition for its policy requiring developers of new homes to meet the highest levels of sustainable building.

One of her greatest achievements was the recognition for Cambridge in the Centre for Cities report which named it as one of the top cities in the UK to lead the country to economic recovery.

“I am delighted to hand over to Tim,” she said. “He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role and I have every confidence that, together with his new front line team, the Liberal Democrats will continue to work hard for the people of Cambridge.

"I have been part of a fantastic team of people through extremely challenging times, and very much remain part of that team.”

Lib Dems Act To Defeat Move To Restrict Shared Homes

Cllr Catherine Smart
(LD, Romsey)

Liberal Democrats will tonight (Thursday, April 19) call on their city council colleagues to reject a Labour move to restrict the number of shared houses in Cambridge.

They will also ask for rejection of Labour’s demands to look at options for regulating houses in multiple occupation.

And they will advise the council that smaller shared houses, where three or more people live in two or more unrelated households, cannot be licensed because conditions required to meet the legislation are not present in Cambridge at the moment; the situation will continue to be monitored.

The Lib Dems have raised an amendment to a Labour motion calling for the restriction and will ask the city council to “recognise the vital contribution that well-run houses make in providing homes for family, students, professionals and migrant workers”.

Catherine Smart, Romsey Councillor and Deputy Leader of Cambridge City Councillor said: “Without shared housing many people living and working in our city would not be able to do so. Property prices make home ownership unaffordable for many in Cambridge but they can live in the city by sharing the cost of renting.

“We are fortunate that we have a diverse mix of people in our city and we don’t want to discourage that. This could be bad for our economy and our community in general.

“It is vital, therefore, that we make sure we support the contribution made by these properties and the people who live there. But at the same time, we do acknowledge that not all of them are run as well as they could be and sometimes there are problems as there are with all types of housing. We have procedures in place to deal with this.”

Lib Dems will ask for an annual report to be brought to the council’s Community Services Committee detailing the number and type of complaints received by the Environmental Health Department in all types of housing in the city and how they have been dealt with, including the number of prosecutions.

The full wording of the Lib Dem amendment is as follows:

'The Council recognises the vital contribution that shared rented housing makes in providing homes for students, professionals, migrant workers and many people on low incomes.   It acknowledges that housing is expensive in Cambridge and that this is the only way many people can afford to live in the city.

Council therefore rejects the idea of limiting the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the city or part of the city.  If restrictions are put in place, rents would rise and people would quickly be priced out of the city.   Making it difficult for people to access shared housing in the city, could have a disastrous effect on the economy of the area.  

Council notes the desire of some to “extend the current HMO definition to include all properties with 3 or more people in two or more unrelated households, regardless of the building layout”  but also notes that the conditions required in the legislation are not present in Cambridge to extend the licensing system in this way and agrees that it should be kept under review.    However, Council also recognises that the implementation of the licensing of smaller properties can be deeply intrusive and lead to complex enquiries about details of people's relationships and domestic arrangements which are no business of the council.  Any extension of the licensing system would need to be framed to avoid this.

The Council also notes that, while the majority of landlords are responsible and manage their houses in a satisfactory way, a minority are not, causing severe problems both to their tenants and to the neighbours.   It further notes that while the majority of residents are responsible people, some are not and are inconsiderate, irresponsible and cause considerable problems to their neighbours

The Council therefore endorses the actions of the Environmental Health Officers in responding to complaints and working towards changing the behaviour of the irresponsible minority in all types of tenure whether landlords, tenants or home-owners.     It notes that advice, warnings, enforcement letters, injunctions, confiscations and full prosecution are all used to this end. 

However, Council requests that an annual report is brought to Community Services Scrutiny Committee detailing the number and type of complaints received by the Environmental Health Department and how they have been dealt with, including the number of prosecutions."

Cambridge Liberal Democrats Launch Petition Against Web Surveillance Plans

Cambridge Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert has today launched a petition to stop any plans to create a snoopers charter. This petition follows a public letter in The Independent from 17 Lib Dem MPs, lead by Julian Huppert. The letter called for openness from the Government about controversial proposals to monitor emails, telephone calls and social media.

The new petition demands a guarantee from the Government that no-one will be allowed to read the content of internet communications, phone calls or texts without a warrant. The petition also calls for “substantially stronger safeguards for civil liberties”.

Julian said “Local Liberal Democrats will always fight for the basic right of every single Cambridge resident to have a private life. I’ve already helped force the Government to publish the new bill in draft form, so it can be scrutinized and amended. This petition, launched by Liberal Democrats across the City, will push the Government to create new safeguards to protect against state surveillance. Lib Dems in Cambridge will do whatever it takes to protect our fundamental civil liberties.”


NOTES:
The online petition can be found here;
http://cambridgelibdems.org.uk/en/petition/the-big-brother-state-won-t-happen-on-the-liberal-democrat-watch

Julian Huppert’s letter to The Independent can be found here;
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-the-state-must-not-have-power-to-snoop-at-will-7615453.html?origin=internalSearch

Huppert Takes The Lead In Fight To Protect Privacy

Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert has led his Lib Dem colleagues in sending a strong message to the government that they will do everything in their power to protect privacy.

Julian and 16 other MPs signed a letter to The Independent warning that the state must not be given power to “snoop on its citizens”.

“Liberal Democrats in Government will not follow the last Labour Government by sounding the retreat on the protection of civil liberties in the United Kingdom,” the letter says. “It continues to be essential that our civil liberties are safeguarded and that the state is not given the powers to snoop on its citizens at will.

“It is absolutely vital that the public get a chance to see and debate the details of any proposals to extend state surveillance, not just being presented with a Home Office fait accompli. It is also essential that the initial plans include adequate safeguards - which should be stronger than the current weak controls.”

The letter draws on the Lib Dems’ “proud history of defending civil liberties, both in opposition and more recently in Coalition Government”.

Since joining the coalition in 2010 the Lib Dems have destroyed the ID cards database, stopped the indefinite retention of innocent people’s DNA, shut down the ContactPoint database, stopped mass fingerprinting of children without parental permission and ended child detention for immigration purposes.

At its Spring Conference in Gateshead, the party called for stronger safeguards on existing surveillance measures and asserted the Lib Dems’ long-standing tradition of protecting human rights.

The letter added: “Following worrying reports of possible government proposals to collect real time information on people's activity online, including from social media sites, we are pleased to hear yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister making clear his commitment to civil liberties and protecting privacy, and confirming that the Government will publish draft legislation with sufficient time for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny.”

Julian said later: “We will not stand by and allow this government to introduce legislation which puts in jeopardy such a vital issue which is at the heart of everything we stand for.

“Since joining the coalition, we have made huge strides in protecting civil liberties and we will continue to do so at every level. We must have stronger safeguards to protect our citizens’ right to privacy. That is a basic right of a democratic society and we will not let this government erode it.”

Lib Dems' Election Manifesto To Ensure City’s Success

Cambridge Liberal Democrats launched their election manifesto today (Saturday, March 31) and promised to continue to ensure the success of the city by investing in its people and its future.

They reiterated their vision for Cambridge to meet housing needs, support the city’s economy, care for the environment, tackle anti-social behaviour and meet the needs of the vulnerable.

And looking forward, they said they would continue to do things better for lower costs, with a focus on working more smartly behind the scenes.

Leader Sian Reid said: “We have worked hard over many years to find better ways for the city council to deliver services. This has meant we have preserved investment and protected frontline services during tough times.

“We take our lead from our residents and make decisions as closely as possible to the people affected by those decisions.”

The manifesto sets out clear priorities for new spending in the future:

• Supporting vulnerable individuals and communities including a new job club, installing welfare advice points and rehabilitating street drinkers;
• Investing in streets and open spaces including piloting street champions to tackle litter, a 20mph scheme, dual use litter bins and promoting Mill Road;
• Getting Cambridge’s future right by cutting energy use and investing in renewable and making the case for sustainable transport.

Cllr Reid added: “We are never complacent about the city’s economy and the outlook for its vulnerable.

“Our approach and our work with so many organisations is paying off for Cambridge. The city has weathered the storm better than any other city in the UK which was acknowledged by the Centre for Cities.”


The manifesto is available to download here (via Google Docs).

Lib Dems Welcome £1.7M Cash Injection For Bus Services

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have welcomed a £1.724 million government  cash injection to improve bus services in Cambridgeshire.

Transport Spokesperson, Susan van de Ven said the money should improve accessibility and bus journey times.

“Cambridgeshire Lib Dems have repeatedly called for more investment in bus interchanges, real time and smart ticketing locally so it is encouraging that the Lib Dems in government have responded in kind,” she said.

"Cambridgeshire also urgently needs rural bus routes to be developed. The Tory-run Cambridgeshire County Council has made a mistake in deciding to withdraw rather than enhance its support of so many bus routes, and I hope today's announcement from government will serve as a strong reminder that bus service in all its forms needs support."

Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker announced the grant for Cambridgeshire today (Friday March 23) as part of the Better Bus Areas Fund which is being increased nationally from £50 million to £70 million.

Specific allocations of funding are for:

• better traffic management on four key corridors into the city
• improved interchanges
• real time passenger information
• bus priority measures
• the upgrade of buses
• smart ticketing top-up on street

City Councillors Vote On Spending Plans And Tax Freeze

Cllr Catherine Smart
(LD, Romsey)

Cambridge City Councillors will vote this week on their spending plans for the coming year and a move to freeze council tax for residents.

The ruling Liberal Democrat group has put together a budget which safeguards the city’s basic services and protects services for the vulnerable while at the same time pushing ahead with its vision for the city’s future.

But it has been a careful balancing act against a backdrop of a 23 per cent reduction in the council’s government grant over the next two years.

Despite funding restraints, the Lib Dems have identified £1.2 million worth of savings for 2012/13 rising to £1.4 million in later years.

And the council is planning to give grants to help people insulate their homes and to increase plastic recycling.

There are also plans to fund a restorative justice scheme for low-level offending where victims and offenders agree. This scheme will be similar to those in other parts of the country which have been successful in cutting re-offending.

The Lib Dems will ask their Cambridge City Council colleagues to vote for their budget on Thursday (February 23).

Catherine Smart, Cambridge City Council Deputy Leader said: “This budget has not been easy but it has been made easier by the hard work and the robust programme of savings put in place last year.

“This means we have been able to protect those of our services used by vulnerable people, invest in our basic services so the city is kept safe and clean, and to make sure that we get right those things where we only have one chance to get it right.

“And fortunately because we have been prudent, we can take the council tax freeze the government is offering which will bring some relief to people whose finances are stretched.”

Huppert Pushes Prime Minister To Commit To Lib Dem Policy To Help Poorly Paid

Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert has received the Prime Minister’s commitment to a Liberal Democrat promise to make sure millions of poorly paid people don’t pay income tax.

David Cameron told Julian that he was proud that the low pay of 1.1 million was already free of tax and he was committed to making more progress on this issue.

Julian quizzed Mr Cameron on the Liberal Democrat priority during Prime Minister’s Questions today (Wednesday, February 1) in the House of Commons.

He said: “The Liberal Democrat plan to increase the income tax threshold to £10,000 was on the front page of our manifesto. It will give many working people £700 a year and lift many poorly paid people out of income tax altogether.

“At a time when many working people are struggling to make ends meet, will the Prime Minister move further and faster on this much-needed tax cut?”

Mr Cameron told Julian he was right to raise this issue.

“I am proud of the fact that we have taken 1.1 million people out of tax," he said. Those are some of the lowest paid people in our country and the majority of them are women. We are committed to making more progress during this Parliament with this policy.”

Julian said later: “This is a real commitment from the government to a policy which was at the heart of the Liberal Democrats’ election promises. We made this promise because we knew how so many lower paid people in this country were struggling to make ends meet against an unfair tax system.

“I am delighted that the Prime Minister has recognised the important of this issue and given his personal commitment to make it happen quickly.”