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Thank you to the many people who supported our NHS campaign:

• The 1,221 people who signed the petition
• The 204 conference representatives’ signatures who backed our emergency motion.
• The 9 local parties that backed the motion:
• Shrewsbury and Atcham Liberal Democrats,
• Winchester Liberal Democrats
• St Ives Liberal Democrats,
• Mid Worcestershire Liberal Democrats,
• Newcastle-under-Lyme Liberal Democrats
• Warwick and Leamington Liberal Democrats
• Camberwell & Peckham Liberal Democrats
• Harlow Liberal Democrats
• Lancaster and Fleetwood Liberal Democrats
• The 280 conference representatives who supported our motion in the emergency ballot
• The 317 conference representatives who backed our call to withdraw support from the NHS Bill on Sunday

as well as the amazing team that worked so hard on this campaign for so long.

The bill is now through, but we will continue to campaign to influence the bill’s implementation and develop Liberal Democrat policy to ensure that we have a joined-up NHS that is equitable, accountable, universal and comprehensive – and accessible to all and free at the point of need.

more … ]]> Basic rate taxpayers will be see their tax bills reduced by up to £540 by next April thanks to a big win for the Lib Dems in this year’s budget.

For the third year in a row the basic income tax allowance is to rise, putting money back in the pockets of low and middle earners.

Pensioners have also gained thanks to the Lib Dems.

The ‘triple lock’ on pension rises means that the basic state pension has risen by nearly £10 in two years – a far cry from Labour’s measly 75p rise.

Lib Dem Pensions Minister Steve Webb is also delivering a guaranteed basic state pension of at least £140 a week for pensioners in the future.

more … ]]> Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign so far.

So far we have more than 1,221 signatures on the petition and 223 conference representatives’ signatures on the emergency motion.

In addition, our emergency motion was backed by the following local parties:

• Shrewsbury and Atcham Liberal Democrats,
• Winchester Liberal Democrats
• St Ives Liberal Democrats,
• Mid Worcestershire Liberal Democrats,
• Newcastle-under-Lyme Liberal Democrats
• Warwick and Leamington Liberal Democrats
• Camberwell & Peckham Liberal Democrats
• Harlow Liberal Democrats
• Lancaster and Fleetwood Liberal Democrats

Thank you to all of them.

Finally a huge thank you to the team of people from around the country that’s worked so incredibly hard on this campaign.

Now we’re off to Conference in Gateshead – with only three more things to do:

1. Get the motion through Federal Conference Committee on Friday afternoon
2. Win the Emergency Motions Ballot on Saturday morning
3. Win the Emergency Debate on Sunday at 9.30 a.m.

We’ll let you know how we get on!

more … ]]> The Lib Dems against the NHS Bill campaign is starting to get national coverage.

Thank you to the more than 1,221 Lib Dems who have backed our campaign.

Local party member, Martin Tod, has featured on the BBC Westminster Hour and the BBC World at One – as well as the Echo and Guardian.

World at One:

Westminster Hour:

Fellow campaigner, Charles West, has also featured in the Guardian.

If you are a Liberal Democrat member and haven’t signed up yet, please do so!

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Shirley Williams will be our guest of honour at our dinner on March 23rd at the Holiday Inn on Morn Hill, just outside Winchester next to Intech.

Tickets cost £30 for members and £35 for non-members. Lifts to the Holiday Inn can be arranged and subject to requests we may be able to arrange group taxis back home.

If you’re like to come along, please email Jackie Porter on downhouse.porter@btinternet.com for details.

more … ]]> Thank you to the more than 1,221 Lib Dems who have backed our campaign to get the party’s leadership to withdraw support for Andrew Lansley’s NHS Bill.

If you are a Liberal Democrat member and would like to support the campaign, please sign up at http://www.winld.org.uk/nhs-petition/

If you are not a Liberal Democrat member, but would also like to see the bill withdrawn, please back the online petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670

more … ]]> At the Winchester Town Forum on Wednesday evening, councillors made a significant move towards bringing back a night bus service to Winchester.  They have set aside £10,000 to subsidise an evening bus service in Winchester for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Bus services for the Winchester area are currently being put out to tender by Hampshire County Council.  Members of the Town Forum had previously asked the County Council to put a requirement for night buses in the tender.  Following advice from County Officers on the likely cost of the service, the Town Forum decided to reserve the necessary funding to provide an evening/night service in Winchester.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Brian Collin, Chair of the Town Forum, commented,
“I’m hoping that this relatively small amount of funding promised from Winchester Town will bring in other people with funds available who are interested in supporting the improved bus service.  We are hoping that the night bus will take over when the normal services stop around 9pm and will continue to provide a skeleton service around the City until early in the morning.”

more … ]]> With the Conservative City Council and County Council cabinets both planning to cut back on grants this year it is likely to be another difficult one for the voluntary sector in Winchester. At the Winchester Town Forum meeting on 25th January, members discussed the grants given from Town funds and are recommending an increase.  In total, £30,000 of funding formerly given by the City Council as a whole could be taken over by the Town.

Liberal Democrat, Brian Collin, Chair of the Town Forum, said, “I’m really pleased we were in a position to help out by offering to plug the gaps in so many organisations’ finances.  The Town Forum has been careful with our funds over the years and that has paid back in this year so that we have enough to fund extra grants.   I am however determined to ensure that the Conservative Cabinet doesn’t treat the Town fund as something that can be milked to make up for cuts.  Everything we do has to directly benefit those living in Winchester itself.”

Members of the Town Forum have agreed to review their grants procedures so that residents of the Town area can more easily see the services that are provided from their element of the Council Tax.

more … ]]> Liberal Democrat Councillors are disappointed with the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the development of two hundred new homes at Pitt Manor, off Romsey Road.

Lynda Banister, Liberal Democrat City Councillor for Oliver’s Battery, the neighbouring ward, commented; “This decision flies in the face of considerable local opposition to this development.  The Inspector seems to have brushed aside significant local concerns about the impact of such an increase in traffic on local roads which are already too congested.  He has also ignored the impact on local schools, which are significantly over-subscribed and having to make emergency arrangements for this September’s intake of children.”

Councillor Lucille Thompson, whose City Council ward covers the area to be developed, added, “Whilst we welcome the contribution this development will make to the supply of affordable housing in the City, we are disappointed that the Conservatives’ much-vaunted cry of ‘localism’ seems to have had no influence in this planning decision.  We will keep a close eye on the details of the plans as they go on to the Planning Committee, which now has to agree the finer details of the development.  We will continue to push for more ways to encourage walking and cycling from the site, and ensure that maximum contributions are wrung out of the developers towards local facilities and essential road and footpath improvements.”