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 ;-)

Lib Dem Minister’s £5M Boost For Transport Welcomed

Cllr Susan van de Ven
(LD, Melbourn)

A £5 million boost for Cambridgeshire Transport from Lib Dem Minister, Norman Baker has been welcomed by the county’s Liberal Democrats and Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert.

The funding will boost cycling, opening up new routes and improving cycle parking, and encourage people onto public transport in key areas of employment and growth across the county.

Julian said: “It is great to see a Lib Dem minister in government delivering on public and sustainable transport for Cambridge and the county generally.

“Norman Baker has shown time and time again that he genuinely understands the problems faced by years of neglect of our transport systems and infrastructure under the previous Labour government.

“In a short time, he has worked to put this right and we are seeing funding for real improvements on the ground. This money will make a big difference to the lives of people in Cambridge and across the county.”

Susan van de Ven, Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport on Cambridgeshire County Council said: “This funding is very welcome, badly needed and desperately important in a fast growing county where we need to avoid congestion and enable people to take up job opportunities.

"I hope that a strengthened public transport network in the county's more populated areas could also have a knock-on effect to more rural areas."

The Local Sustainable Transport Fund grant is designed to encourage people onto public transport, in key areas of employment and growth such as between Huntington  and Cambridge, Northstowe and the Guided Busway and the Cambridge to Ely rail corridor.

The fund allows improvement to a whole range of transport interchanges and practical support for Travel for Work schemes.

It will support cycle parking at Cambridge and Ely rail stations and  the Guided Busway and there will be some new cycle routes

“I hope the fund sees a bigger take-up of public transport as the best way of moving around the county,” added Cllr van de Ven.

Ed Davey: A Clean Energy Revolution

Over the next decade, around a fifth of existing power plants are due to close, against a background of increased energy demand and increasing prices. We need new investment simply to keep the lights on.

But more than that, we need a clean energy revolution to meet our ambitious climate change goals and make this the greenest government ever.

That’s why I am bringing forward a new Energy Bill today.

You can read more about our clean energy revolution here.

We also need to transform our energy market to reduce the risk and cost of low carbon technologies.

That’s what our Bill does.

The UK is fast becoming a world leader in renewable energy, especially in off shore wind. I want us to lead the world in Carbon Capture and Storage too.

And we are also tackling rising energy bills. Without reforming the energy market bills will rise by around £200 in the coming years. Our reforms will mean bills are around 4% lower than they otherwise would have been.

Going green is good for the economy, good for Britain and good for you.

Yours,

Ed Davey MP

Nick Clegg: A Deal With Teachers (Guest Post)

For me, nothing better illustrates the Liberal Democrat mission to make Britain a fairer place than our Pupil Premium: extra money for the most disadvantaged children in our schools.

We are letting schools decide the best way to spend this money.  I want to strike a deal with our schools and teachers: we’ll give you the cash, the freedom, and we’ll reward and celebrate your success.  But in return, we want you to redouble your efforts to close the gap between your poorer pupils and everyone else.  We won’t be telling you what to do; but we will be watching what you achieve.

Click here To View Video

It is shameful that, despite all the promise on a four or five year old’s first day at school, or the passion of their teachers, you can all too often plot that child’s path just by asking how much their parents earn.

The £2.5billion Pupil Premium was one of the four pledges on the front page of our manifesto.  And now, with Liberal Democrats in government, schools are using the money for things like breakfast clubs; homework clubs; or to provide one-to-one-tuition. These are the sort of experiences many middle class children take for granted but a poorer child might rarely enjoy.
 
Yesterday I visited a fantastic primary school to see how they are spending their Pupil Premium, highlight our new Summer Schools to ease the transition from primary to secondary, and to set out our plans to reward teachers and hold schools to account.

The Pupil Premium shows that, in tough times, we are implementing Liberal Democrat values and prioritising help for those pupils who need it most.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister

Bus Subsidies Roller Coaster

Cllr Susan van de Ven
(LD, Melbourn)

Stagecoach’s announcement of changes to its bus services comes in the wake of the county council’s timetable for comprehensive withdrawal of bus subsidies.

Cllr Susan van de Ven, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, said:  “While there is good news for some people there is very bad news for many others.

“The additional services announced by Stagecoach are welcome, but reflect just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the transport deficit that plagues rural Cambridgeshire. For those people who are losing services with absolutely no warning, the county council needs to step up its game and consider how it will help them.

“The earlier than expected withdrawal of some subsidised services means that the council’s flagship Cambridgeshire Future Transport project has even less time than expected to get in place its alternatives – which it has promised will be ‘as good or better.’”

Whittlesford County Cllr Tim Stone, said, "There are many very worried people in our villages. The county council needs to act rapidly to explain how it is going to re-arrange services in the face of the Citi 7 moves.”

“Whittlesford, Heathfield and Hinxton residents, as well as people who work there, will want to know how they are going to get to work, go shopping and visit doctors and medical centres."

Cllr van de Ven said, “The council has been caught-out because it has dictated to commercial operators a subsidy withdrawal schedule to suit itself.     If the council wants more leverage with commercial operators it should consider a Quality Bus Contracts scheme.”

Liberal Democrats: Local Election Broadcast

Did you know - unlike those Councils run by Labour or the Conservatives, every single Liberal Democrat council in England has frozen it's council tax? 

Here in King's Hedges Conservative-controlled Cambridgeshire County Council has chosen to raise their share of Council Tax for everyone so even though some Parish and District Councils (including your local Liberal Democrat Controlled Cambridge City Council) have not opted to raise Council Tax the bills for every single household in Cambridgeshire will rise.

Also, according to the Local Government Chronicle, Liberal Democrat councils are twice as likely to give pay rises to low paid workers compared to those that are run by Labour and a staggering five times more likely than those with Conservatives in charge.

And finally as you're casting your vote in the local elections you might like to bear in mind that this month Liberal Democrats in Government have delivered tax cuts for 25m working people.

Watch this video online, and keep an eye out for the full version on BBC and ITV on Thursday evening.

Huppert Calls For Home Secretary To Give Evidence On Surveillance

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has called for Home Secretary, Theresa May and the Head of Security and Counter Terrorism to give public evidence after fears about the extension of state surveillance.

He has received backing for the pair to be called to address the issue and answer questions at the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee.

“I will not support any plans which allow the state to view the content of private emails, telephone calls, text messages or any electronic communications without a warrant,” he said. “It would be completely wrong for the Government to revive Labour’s authoritarian plans for a centralised database to enable intelligence officers to access our personal lives.

“Government and the security services should not be given a free pass to snoop on the private lives of my constituents.

“Just last month I proposed a motion which would help guarantee our right to individual privacy on and off the internet. It detailed the five key requirements we have to protect ourselves from excessive snooping.

“What I would like to see is strong safeguards – better than we currently have under RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) and other legislation. It is currently far too easy for people – eg at DWP – to access data on who and when we ring or text, and this has to stop.

“The Home Office wants to have access to information about not just who we text but who we tweet, who we skype to as well as who we ring. Now, this may seem to be no more objectionable than the current position but, technically, it is a complete mess. Your Internet Service Provider doesn't have a clue who you facebook, and doesn't want to either.

“No expert I've ever spoken to can see how this could possibly be done without great expense and without allowing access to the actual message that was sent - which is not legal without a warrant from the Home Secretary.

“I haven't seen the details of these proposals – not for want of asking – but it's clear to me that what we want is more safeguards, not more powers for the state to keep data.”

Julian’s concerns have been echoed by Liberal Democrats across Cambridge and the county as a whole.

Cambridge City Council Leader, Sian Reid said: "There must be no question of any Lib Dem in parliament supporting any ill-considered proposal failing to assure the public that civil liberties and citizens' privacy are genuinely protected."

"It is vital that this government doesn’t go anywhere near the path that Labour trod, with their ID cards, DNA database and Jacqui Smith's centralised communications database."

Cllr Kilian Bourke
(LD, Romsey)

Cambridgeshire Lib Dem Leader, Kilian Bourke said: "The rumours that have emerged about this proposed legislation are deeply worrying, particularly the suggestion that police would be able to access private communications without a warrant.

"The government should only ever be allowed to snoop if it has a warrant.  If the rumours are true and Theresa May wants to remove that requirement then this would clearly not be something any right-thinking Liberal Democrat could support.

"The Coalition Agreement states clearly that 'we need to restore the rights of individuals in the face of encroaching state power.'  We are sending a message to the Liberal Democrats in government that we expect them to stick unflinchingly to that principle."

Note to editors:

Julian’s amendment to his civil liberties policy at the Lib Dems’ Autumn Conference stated that the right to privacy should be supported by:

'a) ensuring that there shall be no interception of telephone calls, SMS messages, social media, internet or any other communications without named, specific and time-limited warrants;

b) guaranteeing that any communications data kept by service providers in accordance with the EU Data Retention Directive are kept securely by the service providers, and that they be only released to government bodies with strict and strengthened safeguards;

c) ensuring that service providers are not mandated by law to collect communications data by any method that would also provide access to content information, unless specifically authorised by a warrant;

d) ensuring that service providers are not mandated by law to collect third-party communications data for non-business purposes by any method;

e) renegotiating the EU Data Retention Directive and changing how it is implemented into UK law, to provide a better balance towards privacy.'

What Have The Liberal Democrats Achieved In Government?

Julian Huppert MP: Response to Yesterdays Budget

Cambridge Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert has posted his response to yesterdays Coalition budget announcement via the Cambridge City Liberal Democrat Activists mailing list (in response to a request from Cllr Sarah Whitebread);


"Hi all,


I'm still, like you, trying to digest all the details of the budget.


But I thought I'd write to you with some of the key issues, and my thoughts on it. I've seen Sarah W's email, and I know I'll miss out many details - ask me and I'll do my best to answer them.


I think it's fairly clear which bits of the budget were Lib Dem, and which were Tory.


Our key priority was to increase the threshold at which people start to pay income tax. This was our key policy at the General Election, and we agreed in the coalition agreement to prioritise it as well. Our aim was to lift the threshold to £10,000 by 2015.


The announcement was that it has been lifted to £9,205 - very close to the £10,000 objective, after less than 2 years. This will result in 2 million poorly paid people being lifted out of tax compared to 2010, and cuts for 28 million people, amounting to £546/year for most basic-rate payers, and less for higher-rate earners.


We should be very proud of that achievement, and remember to tell people about it!


For someone who works full-time on the National Minimum Wage, we will have halved their tax bill. I hope we can go further in the next years - I think that no-one earning the minimum wage should pay any income tax at all!


The Tory priority - obsession even - was the 50p tax rate, which is to be cut to 45%. This is not where we would have chosen to focus, but we insisted on countervailing measures to tax high earners - stamp duty on houses over 2 million, reducing tax relief amounts for high earners, and a few other points. These are estimated to raise 5 times as much as the lost income from the tax rate change - so high earners will be paying more (1.3k/year on average, according to the best estimates).


It's also worth remembering that the top rate was 40% for all but 35 days of the Labour Government, and this is still higher than that.


There was also good news for pensions - they are going up by 5.2%, and Steve Webb's Citizen's Pension idea is going ahead, with the State Pension moving from a base £97.50/week, plus extra for some, to a minimum of £140/week for all. There is no change to the income tax threshold for pensioners, who will continue to not pay anything on the first £10,500 (£10,600 for those born before 1938).


There are lots of other details as well - some that should be very good for Cambridge, such as tax credits for video games, assistance for university spin-outs and entrepreneurs, extra money for research infrastructure and 50M for super-broadband in smaller Cities, some of which we will get. And much, much more.


It's not the budget we'd have written ourselves. But it is good for low-earners, and it takes more money from the richest.


Best,


Julian
---
Dr Julian Huppert MP
Member of Parliament for Cambridge
Liberal Democrat
http://www.julianhuppert.org.uk"

£100,000 For Councillor Pay Rise Should Be Spent On Free Public Transport For Young People Seeking Employment

Cllr van de Ven
(LD, Melbourn)

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have put a motion to council on March 23rd - the same meeting where councillors will vote again on their allowances - calling for a freeze in councillor allowances and for the £100,000 set aside by the Conservatives for a possible pay rise to be used to fund free public transport for young people seeking education, employment and training.

The £100,000 would be used to provide free public transport to help young people aged 16-19 make their first steps into education,employment or training, such as attending a job interview or visiting a college to learn more about its courses.

Lib Dem Transport spokesperson Susan Van de Ven said: "Lack of access to transport can provide a real obstacle to young people struggling to find employment or to get back into education or training.  In view of this, we think it would be fairer to to use the £100,000 set aside by the Conservatives for a councillor pay rise to provide free public transport to help young people aged 16-19 make their first steps into education,employment or training.  Something is seriously wrong if their future is not taking priority over a councillor pay rise."

Lib Dem group leader Kilian Bourke said: “It is a shame that the Conservatives made provision in this year’s budget for a £100,000 pay rise for councillors, so we are giving them the opportunity to reject that increase and reallocate it to core services. I cannot think of a more appropriate use for this money than providing free public transport for young people looking for a job or training."

Lib Dems Win National Accolades For Their Work In The City

Cllr Rosenstiel Accepts The Award From Nick Clegg MP

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have been recognised nationally with accolades for their contribution to the local economy and work in the city.

The group won the Local Government Association’s award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Economy and was declared runner up in the Council Group of the Year award which it won last year.

Cambridge City Council Leader, Sian Reid said: “We are delighted to have won these awards. Our long-term attitude to our economy and growth is really paying off for us. This is not a reaction to the recession but a long standing and profound commitment to getting it right.”

The LGA awards come just weeks after Cambridge was revealed as the UK’s most successful city and well placed to drive the country’s economic recovery.

The Cities Outlook 2012 report by Centre for Cities showed how well Cambridge had fared during the economic downturn compared to other cities.

In making the awards, judges took this evidence into account and considered the city council’s work with the vulnerable.

Cambridge City Council Deputy Leader, Catherine Smart said: “Despite hard times, protecting and enhancing our services for the vulnerable has been our number one priority.

“Indeed in the midst of a large savings programme we are putting money into youth programmes, restorative justice, help for the homeless and street drinkers, investment in community centres and more. We have managed the council so we have the resources to put vulnerable people first.

“We are extremely proud of this and these awards are testament to the hard work that has gone into safeguarding these services and contributing to the city generally.”

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert Opposes The Health Bill

Julian Huppert MP

Julian Huppert, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, has today voted in favour of two bids to drop the Health Bill.

Julian voted in favour of an amendment tabled by some Liberal Democrats saying that the House “declines to support the Bill in its current form; and calls for an urgent summit of the Royal Colleges, professional bodies, patients' organisations and the Government to plan health reforms based on the Coalition Agreement”.

Julian said, "I voted against this Bill when it left the House of Commons last September. While it has been improved significantly, it is not improved enough.

“Crucially, this Bill is now opposed by the medical professionals who would have to implement it. I have therefore voted to drop the Bill.

“I firmly believe that the NHS does need reform and improvement. Citizens of this country deserve a first-class health service which protects everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Labour's failed reforms have put that in jeopardy.

“Labour introduced private sector providers into the NHS, and paid them more than NHS providers for the same service - they even paid one £250 million for operations they didn't do! They spent £12 billion on a computer system that never worked, and left the NHS with a £60 billion bill from PFI contracts. And their manifesto called for even greater involvement of the private sector.

“When this mismanagement came to light, they spent millions on managers and consultants. Between 2008 and 2010 the number of management consultants in the NHS increased by 80 per cent.

“The result of all this is health outcomes which are below the EU15 average and near-bankrupt hospitals. There is a pressing need for reform.

“But I believe that the only way to maintain free, universal health care is through bottom-up reforms which are fully supported by clinicians on the ground. The Government's reforms do not have that backing so I cannot support them.

“I call on the Government to engage with the medical professions, withdraw the Bill and introduce new, bottom-up reforms in line with the Coalition Agreement.

“I am proud of Liberal Democrat amendments to improve this bill. Our changes have substantially changed the bill, ensuring that competition is not the focus, that there is a duty to reduce health inequality, and that there is greater priority for medical research. We would still have a universal health care system free at the point of care.

“And there are some good sections in the bill - never again will Governments be allowed to favour private sector contracts when there are existing NHS providers.

“The Government will also increase spending on the NHS, a huge achievement given the circumstances.

“However, you simply cannot reform the health service without the support of doctors, GPs, nurses, health professionals and industry experts.

“Our NHS is too precious - too vital for the welfare of every single person living in Cambridge - for it to be bankrupted by inefficient structures, or broken up by unpopular reforms.

“I hope that the Government will be able to improve the NHS over the coming years, but I believe that the current Bill will not make the changes needed."

How The Liberal Democrats Are Delivering For Women

Liberal Democrat Policy Briefing

As we celebrate International Women's Day tomorrow, I'm proud to represent Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government. I know that our involvement has made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of women in a range of ways.

We’ve got lots to shout about, so please spread the word: blog and tweet about it and forward this email to your friends.

Here’s how we’re delivering for women -

• When it comes to shielding women in need from the brunt of the economic squeeze, our policy to free the lowest paid from income tax has played a key role in protecting women. Women make up the majority of those on low incomes who will benefit from this key Liberal Democrat policy. 60 per cent of those already taken out of paying tax altogether are women
• A new system of shared parental leave will make it easier for women to return to the workforce after having children or acting as a carer
• We are providing 260,000 free childcare places for 2-year olds. Having this free childcare enables mothers and fathers to work and help improve the economic prospects of the whole family
• Our Body Confidence campaign highlights the negative impact of unrealistic media representations of women and girls' bodies, and takes action to address thisWe have published the first cross-government Action Plan on Tackling Violence Against Women & Girls, which allocates £28 million for specialist services in this area
• We are also taking action internationally to reduce infant and maternal mortality, saving the lives of 50,000 mothers and 250,000 babies.

Read more about these policies, and many others that the Liberal Democrats are delivering in Government for women here.

So, on International Women's Day, there are many reasons for being proud of what we've achieved together. I hope you will join me in continuing to fight for equal opportunities for women and girls both in the UK and worldwide - there is still a lot to be done.

Best wishes

Lynne Featherstone MP
Minister for Equalities

Lib Dems Bid To Solve Poor Exam Record For Disadvantaged Pupils

Cambridgeshire has one of the lowest records in the country for helping pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve their full potential.

The county comes 12th from the bottom in league tables for achieving five A* to C grades in GCSEs including English and Maths; only 25 per cent of the pupils on free school meals achieve these targets.

In a bid to close the national performance gap, Liberal Democrat Children's Minister has allocated an extra £600 per Free School Meals child, the Pupil Premium.

With this money schools will be able to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds by providing extra one-to-one tuition, more teaching assistants or after-school activities.

This year, the amount available nationally for the Pupil Premium will be doubled to £1.25bn and this will increase to £2.5bn by 2014-15.

Peter Downes, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson and former secondary school headteacher, said: “The gap between those who do really well and those who don’t is too great. Unfortunately, how wealthy your parents are has been a deciding factor in a child’s chances for too long.”

Cllr Downes, who represents Brampton and Kimbolton on Cambridgeshire County Council added: “As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we cannot let this continue and that is why we must help children reach their full potential. In the Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats’ budget amendment we propose to enhance the Pupil Premium by £250 per pupil in the eight most deprived schools in the county.”

Liberal Democrat Children’s Minister, Sarah Teather said: “These figures reveal that children from deprived backgrounds have been let down by previous governments. All too often, children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not get the same opportunities as their more well-off peers, leaving their talents wasted.

“As a Liberal Democrat, I believe we have a duty to ensure we turn this shocking legacy of the last Labour Government around. That is why the Coalition Government is doing the right thing by giving schools extra money to focus on supporting these pupils.”

Huppert Secures Debate To Promote Safer City Cycling

MP Julian Huppert has secured a three hour Parliamentary debate in support of a national newspaper campaign to promote safer city cycling.

Julian will lead the backbench business committee debate in Westminster Hall on The Times cycling campaign on February 23.

He secured the debate as the government announced a £15 million boost to cycling with £8 million for transport charity, Sustrans to enhance cycle routes and £7 million to make it easier for cyclists to use the railways.

Julian has been in discussions with the rail industry in the hope that some of the cycle rail money will be spent in Cambridge.

The investment announcement, by Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker follows Julian’s Commons Early Day Motion endorsing The Times ‘Cities fit for cycling’ campaign and calling on the government to do more to promote road cycling and improve road safety.

Julian, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Transport Committee said: “Promoting cycling and green transport is the right thing to do and I am delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action.

“This comes at a crucial time. Just five days ago The Times launched a cycle campaign in response to the shocking increase in fatalities among cyclists on our roads.

“It is absolutely essential people should be able to walk to work or cycle to school in a safe environment. The extra £8m for Sustrans will go a long way to achieving this. And the £7m for improved rail-cycle links will ensure that we continue to build a transport network which puts passengers first. I hope that some of the cycle rail money will be spent in Cambridge and I have already been in discussions with the rail industry about this.”

“I am pleased that I have been able to secure the Westminster Hall debate. We must keep this issue high on the government’s agenda. Only by promoting cycling and improving riders’ safety will we be able to give people the confidence they need to try it for themselves.”

Note to editors:

Julian’s Westminster Hall debate will take place between 2.30pm and 5.30pm on February 23.

The full wording of his EDM reads as follows:

This House believes that cycling is an extremely efficient form of transport which is good for health and the environment; supports successive Governments’ commitment to encourage the use of bikes and reduce the number of cyclist-related accidents; notes with concern that the number of cyclists killed on Britain’s roads rose by 7 per cent between 2009 and 2010;  notes that a disproportionate number of cycling accidents involve vans and lorries; supports The Times’ 'Cities fit for Cycling' campaign; and calls on the Government to take further action to improve cycling infrastructure and reduce the number of casualties on our roads.

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.

Lib Dems Victory As Tories U-Turn On Bus Cuts – But Fears For Future

Cllr Van de Ven

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats are celebrating victory after the Tories staged a dramatic U-turn over their decision to axe 100 per cent of bus subsidies across the county.

Lib Dems, who had fought a sustained campaign against the cuts for a year, have welcomed the move to invest £1.5 million – just over half the bus subsidies cash – into newly organized public transport.

The money will be handed over the next three years to provide new forms of transport through a one-year old project called Cambridgeshire Future Transport

But Lib Dems have expressed their concerns about Cambridgeshire Future Transport which has a poor track record so far.

Cambridgeshire Future Transport project has already suffered its first failure after an expenditure of £120,000 toward a pilot service in Duxford, launched before Christmas, was boycotted by residents in protest at the prospect of losing their subsidised buses.
                                               
Lib Dems have called for a commitment to continue the financial support to existing bus services, if it is needed, to ensure that vulnerable and isolated residents are not left stranded.

Lib Dem County Council Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport, Susan van de Ven said:  "This partial U-turn is a big victory for the Lib Dems and good news for local bus users.  The Tories have finally relented and accepted the principle that you cannot provide socially necessary rural transport for nothing.

“Abating 50 per cent of the cuts is a big improvement on the 100 per cent cut that was planned, which was the worst in the country.

"This will allow some of the bus services the Tories still intend to cut to be replaced with some form of alternative; it is just a shame they didn't listen to the public's concern and reinstate more of the funding.

 “We are extremely concerned that Cambridgeshire Future Transport is not the best way to deliver these services; in one year it has delivered almost nothing.

“Money spent on the failed pilot in Duxford could have paid for three new mini buses for Cambridge Dial-a-Ride or other established community transport providers.  Cambridgeshire cannot afford to play games with lifeline transport and scarce public money.”

A recent consultation by Cambridgeshire County Council on bus subsidies showed that 37 per cent of residents have no other means of transport and only three per cent of residents supported bus service cuts.

Local Liberal Democrats @ Conference Videos

Your local Cambridge City Councillor was fully involved in the recent Liberal Democrat Conference, here are some Press clippings;

Cllr Neil McGovern On the new planning policy (from BBC Look East)

Responding to the leader's speech (from BBC Daily Politics)

Speech on IT policy (from BBC Parliament)

County Council Liberal Democrats Name Their New Team

Liberal Democrats have named their new front line team on Cambridgeshire County Council for the next year.

Group Leader, Councillor Kilian Bourke, who officially took over from Cllr Fiona Whelan on Friday (June 17) is supported by Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, who takes over as Deputy Leader from Cllr Peter Downes.

Cllr Graham Wilson has been elected Group Chairman, Cllr Michael Williamson, Group Secretary and Cllr Peter Downes, Group Treasurer.

Cllr Susan van de Ven will lead the Transport portfolio for the next year; Cllr Kevin Wilkins has been elected spokesman for Planning, Enterprise and Environment and Cllr Sarah Whitebread will head up Localism, Climate Change and Social Justice. 

Social Care for Children and Adults will be led by Cllr Fiona Whelan, Cllr Geoff Heathcock will lead on Health and Cllr Peter Downes will continue as Education spokesman.

Cllrs John Batchelor and Kevin Wilkins will continue on Cambridgeshire Police Authority and Cllrs Nigel Bell, Geoff Heathcock and Sue Gymer will be joined by Fiona Whelan on Cambridgeshire Fire Authority.

Cllr Tim Stone has been elected chairman of the Audit Committee.

Cllr Bourke said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead such a strong team of councillors. We have a wealth of knowledge, expertise and political experience among our front line."

“We will continue to be an effective opposition doing our best for our ward residents and people across the county.”