more … ]]> Want to find out how you can save energy, save money and stay warm in your house?

Lib Dem Green Deal helps people in Winchester save money and energy.

Visit the Green Deal Winchester Free Help Centre where you can see a whole range of energy saving solutions such as LED lights, draught proofing, insulation, solar panels, air source heat pumps and a range of gadgets.

Friendly staff are on hand to provide you with free advice and they can also tell you about the Green Deal, the new energy efficiency scheme delivered by the Lib Dems in Government, and whether you might be entitled to a grant.

The Free Help Centre, located on the upper level in the Brooks Centre, Winchester, is open from 10:00 – 17:00 Tuesday to Friday until the end of April. It is run by Winchester City Council in partnership with Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC).

The shop can be contacted on 07731 960320

more … ]]> For families struggling to balance the weekly budget there is help on hand.
If your energy bills total more than 10% of your income you can apply direct to your energy provider for a social tariff.
It’s definitely worth a phone call. The same applies to your water bill too.

If you need debt or other practical advice, contact the CAB on 01962 848000: you can choose to have an appointment at Alresford or Winchester.

If you are struggling to pay for food or baby supplies you can get a voucher for the Basics bank- call them on 01962 855774 or ask your local doctor or church or housing provider for advice . They are open for food collection from 10 to 3pm on Tuesday & Friday.

·         A £700 tax cut for 24.5m working people across the UK since the Liberal Democrats came to power.

·         2.7m low paid workers will no longer pay Income Tax at all.

·         For the average family, we have cut the Income Tax bill by a third.

·         It is enough for a working couple to pay their council tax or combined gas and electricity bills for a year.

·         The Coalition commitment to raise the threshold to £10,000 by 2015 will be achieved a year early, in April 2014.

Letting you keep more of the money you earn is a key part of our plan to build a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life.

The £700 tax cut comes alongside more help for working families in the Budget, which confirmed a freeze in fuel duty and £1,200 off the cost of childcare for every child.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: “When times are as tough as they are now, our focus must be on helping those on low and middle incomes. That’s why we’ve made delivering on this promise our number one priority in Government.

“It’s also why we have scrapped another of Labour’s fuel duty rises, so filling up your car will be £7 cheaper than under Labour plans. And why we are cracking down on tax dodgers so that everyone is paying their fair share.

“All of this has been done while sticking to our tough but necessary plan to deal with this country’s financial problems. Britain can’t afford unfunded giveaways – unlike the last Labour government, we have made sure everything is paid for.

“The success of the Liberal Democrats in delivering fairer taxes is in stark contrast to record of the Labour Party. In Government, Labour increased tax on low income households; in Government the Liberal Democrats have led the largest programme of tax cuts for working people for a generation.

“I'd like us to go further after the election - with the goal that you don't pay Income Tax until you earn more than the minimum wage. That is the sign of a fair tax party. Today we should celebrate the fact that this Budget is getting real help to millions of working people at a time when they need it most.”

While today’s announced rise in the Personal Allowance to £10,000 comes into effect next year, people on low and middle incomes will see more money in their pay packets next month. This April sees the biggest ever rise in the Personal Allowance – to £9,440. That’s a £600 tax cut for working people since the Liberal Democrats came to power, with more to come next year.

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The announcement that the Income Tax Personal Allowance will rise to £10,000, confirmed in the Budget, means the Liberal Democrats’ top priority at the 2010 General Election has been delivered in full by the Coalition Government. It means:

• A £700 tax cut for 24.5m working people across the UK since the Liberal Democrats came to power.
• 2.7m low paid workers will no longer pay Income Tax at all.
• For the average family, we have cut the Income Tax bill by a third.
• It is enough for a working couple to pay their council tax or combined gas and electricity bills for a year.
• The Coalition commitment to raise the threshold to £10,000 by 2015 will be achieved a year early, in April 2014.

Letting you keep more of the money you earn is a key part of our plan to build a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life.

The £700 tax cut comes alongside more help for working families in the Budget, which confirmed a freeze in fuel duty and £1,200 off the cost of childcare for every child.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: “When times are as tough as they are now, our focus must be on helping those on low and middle incomes. That’s why we’ve made delivering on this promise our number one priority in Government.

“It’s also why we have scrapped another of Labour’s fuel duty rises, so filling up your car will be £7 cheaper than under Labour plans. And why we are cracking down on tax dodgers so that everyone is paying their fair share.

“All of this has been done while sticking to our tough but necessary plan to deal with this country’s financial problems. Britain can’t afford unfunded giveaways – unlike the last Labour government, we have made sure everything is paid for.

“The success of the Liberal Democrats in delivering fairer taxes is in stark contrast to record of the Labour Party. In Government, Labour increased tax on low income households; in Government the Liberal Democrats have led the largest programme of tax cuts for working people for a generation.

“I'd like us to go further after the election - with the goal that you don't pay Income Tax until you earn more than the minimum wage. That is the sign of a fair tax party. Today we should celebrate the fact that this Budget is getting real help to millions of working people at a time when they need it most.”

While today’s announced rise in the Personal Allowance to £10,000 comes into effect next year, people on low and middle incomes will see more money in their pay packets next month. This April sees the biggest ever rise in the Personal Allowance – to £9,440. That’s a £600 tax cut for 48,600 working people in the Winchester District since the Liberal Democrats came to power, with more to come next year.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said: “I want to help every family to get on in life. Already we have created a million private sector jobs, put money back in people's pockets by cutting Income Tax and extended free childcare entitlements for pre-school children.

“Delivering tax-free childcare is the next step to ensuring all families can work and get on. The rising cost of childcare is one of the biggest challenges parents face and it means many mums and dads simply can’t afford to work. This not only hurts them financially, but is bad for the economy too. This announcement of a £1bn investment in childcare will make sure it pays to work.

“An extra £1,200 for each child will make a real difference to families who find themselves constantly worrying about how to juggle their family budget.  And extending support for working families on Universal Credit will make sure it is worth working extra hours even if you're on low wages.”

The new tax-free childcare scheme will double the amount of support available compared to the current employer supported childcare scheme, opening it to around five times as many families.    Once fully up and running, it will be worth up to £1,200 per child. It will be phased in from autumn 2015 and will ultimately be open to around 2.5m families with children under 12.

To be eligible, families will have both parents in work, with each earning less than £150,000 a year, and will not already receive support through tax credits and later, Universal Credit. They will receive 20% – equivalent to the basic rate of tax – of their yearly childcare costs up to £6,000 per child.

The Coalition will also increase the amount of childcare support available through Universal Credit by £200m help improve work incentives and ensure it is worthwhile to work up to full time hours for low and middle income parents.

more … ]]> The Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy and a fairer society enabling everyone to get on in life. That’s why we believe helping working families is so important. As well as tax-free childcare, Liberal Democrats are helping working parents by cutting their Income Tax bills, by £600 a year as of April, and extending the amount of free early years education available for all children.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said: “I want to help every family to get on in life. Already we have created a million private sector jobs, put money back in people's pockets by cutting Income Tax and extended free childcare entitlements for pre-school children.

“Delivering tax-free childcare is the next step to ensuring all families can work and get on. The rising cost of childcare is one of the biggest challenges parents face and it means many mums and dads simply can’t afford to work. This not only hurts them financially, but is bad for the economy too. This announcement of a £1bn investment in childcare will make sure it pays to work.

“An extra £1,200 for each child will make a real difference to families who find themselves constantly worrying about how to juggle their family budget.  And extending support for working families on Universal Credit will make sure it is worth working extra hours even if you're on low wages.”

The new tax-free childcare scheme will double the amount of support available compared to the current employer supported childcare scheme, opening it to around five times as many families.    Once fully up and running, it will be worth up to £1,200 per child. It will be phased in from autumn 2015 and will ultimately be open to around 2.5m families with children under 12.

To be eligible, families will have both parents in work, with each earning less than £150,000 a year, and will not already receive support through tax credits and later, Universal Credit. They will receive 20% – equivalent to the basic rate of tax – of their yearly childcare costs up to £6,000 per child.

The Coalition will also increase the amount of childcare support available through Universal Credit by £200m help improve work incentives and ensure it is worthwhile to work up to full time hours for low and middle income parents. ]]> http://www.winld.org.uk/2013/03/19/nick-clegg-announces-1bn-tax-free-childcare-scheme/feed/ 0 http://jackieporter.mycouncillor.org.uk/2013/03/12/crossing-at-headbourne-worthy-now-in-place/ http://jackieporter.mycouncillor.org.uk/2013/03/12/crossing-at-headbourne-worthy-now-in-place/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:24:29 +0000 Jackie Porter http://jackieporter.mycouncillor.org.uk/?p=2066

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This is the view for a pedestrian walking home from the bus to Headbourne Worthy House- a terrifying experience, especially as dusk descends.

I am aware of the sensitivities of this, and the Parish Council wish to keep the area looking as rural as possible, and so I was a little nervous of requesting this of the Council again. But I feel so strongly for the community, and so I was keen to try on behalf of the elderly residents who have pleaded for this for some time. Now the Parish Council has agreed to the principle of the study, we can take this forward.

more … ]]> This campaign has been a fantastic sign of our strength and a huge testament to the hundreds of volunteers who gave their time and effort for us throughout the campaign. There have been huge levels of enthusiasm shown by our activists throughout the campaign.
 
Our focus throughout the campaign was to knock on as many doors and speak to as many people as possible to tell them about our excellent local candidate, Mike Thornton, and the Liberal Democrats’ strong local and national record delivering for people in Eastleigh.
 
We fought this campaign on the issues that matter to local people: jobs; growth; protecting green spaces; cutting taxes; and more money for pensioners and schools.
 
]]> http://www.winld.org.uk/2013/03/01/congratulations-to-mike-thornton-mp-for-eastleigh/feed/ 0 http://www.winld.org.uk/2012/10/16/conservative-mates-must-choose-between-europhobes-and-keeping-people-safe-david-goodall/ http://www.winld.org.uk/2012/10/16/conservative-mates-must-choose-between-europhobes-and-keeping-people-safe-david-goodall/#comments Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:34:24 +0000 Martin Tod http://www.winld.org.uk/?p=1074

more … ]]> Liberal Democrat Police and Crime Commissioner candidate David Goodall has challenged Conservative candidate Michael Mates to back measures that help local police catch criminals who flee overseas, tackle cross-border crime and kick out foreign criminals convicted in the UK. These measures have been hugely successful in recent years in breaking up paedophile rings, preventing terrorism and bringing criminals who flee across borders to swift justice.

David Goodall is also calling on all candidates to join him in writing to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister calling on them to keep local people safe by ensuring local police can still benefit from fast and effective international police co-operation.

In February 2012, 102 Conservative MPs have called on the Government to withdraw from all European cross-border policing and justice measures, including Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth; Steve Brine, MP for Winchester; Julian Lewis, MP for New Forrest East; Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport; George Hollingbery, MP for Meon Valley.

Contrastingly in August 2012, 13 former UK police chiefs recently wrote to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister warning that pulling out of these key measures would put public safety at risk.

Commenting, David Goodall said:

“Michael Mates must choose: are you on the side of the Europhobes in your party or keeping people in Hampshire and Isle of Wight safe?”

“These international policing measures are an essential tool for the Police in Hampshire and Isle of Wight to break up paedophile rings, stop criminals fleeing to the Costa del Crime and deporting dangerous foreign criminals from our streets. It is outrageous that some Conservatives think we can abandon them.”

“Some Conservatives are so determined to pull out of anything that has the word European attached to it that they are prepared to seriously weaken our ability to keep our citizens safe and bring criminals to justice.”

“We need to put policing before politics. Crime crosses borders, justice should too.”

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Brian Collin has been campaigning for years with Lib Dem colleagues for improvements to Junction 9

Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that £400,000 is to be spent improving the A34/M3 Jn 9 junction in Winnall.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin announced the investment on October 8.

The money will be spent reducing congestion and improving safety by improving the signing and lane designations.

In Feb 2011, County Councillors Brian Collin and Jackie Porter worked with the County Council’s officers to submit a proposal to the Highways Agency and the Department of Transport to improve the flow of traffic across the M3′s junction at Winnall.

Councillor Brian Collin – who represents the area covered by the junction – commented:

“This is good news. The queues on the Junction 9 roundabout can be appalling – especially for people leaving Winchester via Easton Lane or coming in along Spitfire Link. We’ve been pushing for this for some time. I’m delighted that it’s going ahead.”

Jackie Porter worked with Brian Collin to get the Junction 9 improvements

Councillor Jackie Porter who represents the area next to the junction – added:

“We’ll been working for years to get this junction sorted.  Back in February 2011, Brian Collin and I worked with the County Council’s officers to submit a specific proposal to the Department of Transport to make the junction better for local people. It can be a real nightmare for people trying to get into the city as well as out.  I’m very pleased the coalition government has decided to fund these improvements.”

more … ]]> Conservative Communities and Local Government minister Eric Pickles has today given permission for 2000 homes to be built north of Winchester at Barton Farm.

Kelsie Learney, leader of the Winchester City Council Liberal Democrat group and City Councillor for Littleton and Harestock said ”With a Conservative Council, Conservative MP and a final decision by a Conservative Secretary of State, there’s not much left of the Conservative promise to ‘Save Barton Farm’.

This is very disappointing for those of us who have been consistently campaigning against Barton Farm.

We’ll carry on working hard to make sure the development is of the highest quality with roads, shops and school places put in place to minimise the impact and get what benefits we can for local people but it’s inevitable that this development will change Winchester forever.”

More information and reaction to follow

more … ]]> Lib Dems across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight announce they have selected a retired Hampshire Police Inspector’s son and local Councillor, David Goodall, as their candidate for the election of the Hampshire Police & Crime Commissioner.

In his role as a Borough and Parish Councillor David Goodall, 49, has been involved in improving community policing, through the local Community Safety Forum and parish council sponsored Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

In his professional life, father of two David Goodall is Project Manager, well used to managing budgets and taking critical about decisions. He also involved in a number of security related areas, including the problem of tackling the growing issue of cyber crime.

Commenting on his selection, David Goodall said: “The most important issue facing the new Police and Crime Commissioner will be how to provide a good police service given the current state of public finances.”

“I believe the key is getting value for money by ensuring that Police Officer’s time is maximised doing police work and not paperwork.  The good use of technology and a cull of forms will be essential to achieve this.”

“It is also essential to get all the agencies working together to tackle the causes of crime and this is where I see the Police and Crime Commissioner having a key role.”