Government Backs Lib Dems' Free Transport For Young People

MP Julian Huppert has won government support for Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats’ plan to provide free transport for young people to help them find education, training or work.

Transport Minister, Norman Baker told Parliament that he would urge Cambridgeshire County Council and other councils across the country to look very carefully at the idea.

His support came after Julian raised a question today (Thursday, February 23) in the House of Commons.

Julian said: “Liberal Democrat Councillors on Cambridgeshire County Council have proposed a fully funded scheme that would provide free public transport for 16-19-year-olds seeking education, employment or training. Would the minister support such a scheme and encourage Cambridgeshire and other councils to look very carefully at such an idea?”

Mr Baker said: “I certainly would, and I welcome this initiative. The clear reality is such  that some councils up and down the country are providing support for young people to get to education in a way that is better than some other councils.

“This is largely a matter for local authorities. Good practice is out there and should be replicated wherever possible.”

Cambridgeshire Lib Dems outlined their free transport plans in their alternative budget for the Tory-run Cambridgeshire County Council.

Julian said later: “The government’s recognition of the value of this scheme not only to young people in Cambridgeshire but across the country generally is testament to the hard work and thought that has gone into it from the county’s Lib Dems.

“We recognise that we must do everything we can to help our young people access education, training and work. That means removing hurdles such as expensive transport costs so that they can get to training placements and job interviews.

“This scheme has so much to recommend it and I hope Cambridgeshire Conservatives will look at it closely and realise how it could make all the difference to giving our young people a brighter future.”

Cambridgeshire Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson, Susan van de Ven, said: “I am delighted that the government has recognised the value of this scheme to our young people and the benefits it could bring nationally.

“Our young people are the future of this country but if they cannot find education, training or work our future is looking extremely bleak.

“We want to try to remove some of the problems that are holding them back and providing free transport will go some way to doing that. “

Tories Set Aside £100,000 For Their Pay Rise As They Cut Services And Jobs

Cllr Kilian Bourke
(LD, Romsey)

County Tories have put aside £100,000 in their budget to pave the way for giving themselves a pay rise.

The money provides for an increase Members’ Allowances despite the decision to cut £43 million from Cambridgeshire County Council’s spending and axe 154 full-time jobs.

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Kilian Bourke said: “This is utter hypocrisy.  On the one hand the Tories are cutting services and making staff redundant while on the other they are hoping to give themselves a pay rise.

"It is particularly tasteless that they have budgeted for a £100k addition to their pay packets while increasing council tax, a grossly unfair tax that hits the poorest hardest."

"It is also worrying that there seems to be a presumption in favour of a pay rise."

"This money would be better spent protecting frontline services like libraries and buses, not lining Tory pockets."

Putting this £100,000 into services could have:

• Kept two small libraries open for a year
• Put two new community mini buses on the road
• Paid for more respite care packages for families with disabled children or the elderly
• Reinstated the city shuttle bus

NOTE:
The increase has not happened yet, it is merely provided for in the budget.

Reference to it can be found by following the link and going to P159:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzONPy6P1--dNmM2NzRhZGQtM2RhZi00ZDQ2LWI5MGYtNTc5MTE3MzE3OTkz

Tories Heed Lib Dem Advice On Buses, Libraries And Roads And Back MP's Station Plan

Cllr Kilian Bourke (LD, Romsey)

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have welcomed the fact that county Tories have listened to their advice and scaled back cuts to buses and libraries and invested more in care for older people in their budget.

The Tories have also taken their lead from the Lib Dem Highways Review in proposing a massive up-front investment in roads, pavements and cycleways to halt the ongoing decline.

And they have supported a Lib Dem plan for a new railway station in Chesterton which is a personal triumph for Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert.

But the Lib Dems have expressed fears as to whether the Conservatives, who have a poor record at managing big projects, will be able make a success of this budget with its extra capital spending.

“This budget is half good and half bad. It shows the influence of an effective opposition as many ideas previously promoted by the Liberal Democrats have now been accepted by the Conservatives.

“The Conservatives have accepted that their cuts to many core services went way beyond what was necessary and scaled-back some of the worst. As a result the huge cuts to rural buses and plans to close libraries have been reduced; but substantial cuts will still go ahead and people who use these services will be far from reassured.

“The extra investment in Adult Care is a long overdue recognition from the Tories that this service has been chronically underfunded and mismanaged.

"The County Council's support for a new railway station in Chesterton is a great personal triumph for Cambridge’s MP, and the massive overhaul of our roads comes straight out of a Lib Dem Highways Review, and should stop the steady decline in their condition that the Tories have allowed."

“In terms of the overall financial picture we are deeply sceptical about the ability of the Conservatives to manage projects on this scale,” said Lib Dem Leader, Kilian Bourke. “With £90 million at stake in the Guided Bus court case, their track record on contract management is not reassuring.

But they added that their alternative budget will expose Tory inefficiency and waste, safeguard vital services and better provide for the long-term future of the people across the whole county.