Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The current public health crisis is causing considerable concern among members, supporters and local residents. We want to make sure everyone knows where they can find current guidance and seek help or advice.
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Lib Dem bin progress
Glass recycling is up to record levels - while missed bins are now half what they were when the Lib Dems took control of the council.
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Better services - Council Tax kept down
The Lib Dems in Winchester have announced the 3rd lowest Council Tax increase in Hampshire for 2020/21 (£4.17) while continuing to improve local services.
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Leap Year Walk for Wessex Cancer Trust
Local Liberal Democrats walk 17 miles across the Constituency for Wessex Cancer Trust
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Electric vehicle charging points to go ahead
Electric vehicle charging points are to be introduced in car parks across the district by the end of the year, as the Liberal Democrats press on with their plans to reduce CO2 and improve air quality.
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Winchester and Chandler's Ford set for GE Photo Finish
Winchester and Chandler’s Ford is likely to see the tightest race in a General Election for more than twenty years. The latest YouGov poll, published this week, puts the Liberal Democrat candidate, Paula Ferguson, within 2%-3% of the Conservatives.
Lib Dems’ fare freeze – good news at last for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford rail users
The Liberal Democrats have pledged to cancel the 2.8% rail fare increase that will be introduced in December 2019 and freeze commuter fares and season tickets for the next five years. This means that season-ticket holders from Winchester to London Waterloo would save £2,349.19 over that period.
We must not have 27 days of rail strikes!
Liberal Democrat candidate for Winchester and Chandlers Ford, Paula Ferguson, along with Lynda Murphy, candidate for Eastleigh, have joined Edward Davey, Sarah Olney, Munira Wilson, Paul Kohler, Monica Harding, Sue Wixley and Mark Gitsham in writing to South Western Railway and the RMT to demand that they stop the planned strikes immediately.
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Local A&E waiting times show 'dismal record' on NHS
1 in 7 patients arriving at A&E in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight waited longer than four hours before being seen in October 2019, according to damning figures published by NHS England.
The figure of 84.4% of patients attending A&E being treated and then admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours is well below the national target of 95%.
Paula Ferguson, Liberal Democrat candidate for Winchester & Chandler’s Ford said:
“If you’re in agony, if you’re really worried - maybe you have a sick child in your arms - then four hours is an incredibly long time to wait. And we now know that many people aren’t even being seen within four hours.
“This isn’t the fault of A&E staff, who are doing their utmost with limited resources. This is down to this Conservative government consistently underfunding our NHS, year on year.
“There are already staff shortages in many departments. An extreme Brexit would make this worse by driving away the EU nurses and doctors the NHS desperately needs.
“The Liberal Democrats are determined to ensure the future of our NHS. We will invest an extra £35 billion through a penny on income tax and develop a national recruitment strategy to ensure we never again suffer shortages of nurses, doctors and other health professionals.”
Nationally, the 95% waiting target hasn’t been met since July 2015. Only 83.6% of patients arriving at A&E across England were treated or admitted in four hours in October, the worst-ever performance since a target was introduced in 2004.
