Welsh Lib Dems call for national net zero framework Welsh Lib Dems demand fairer deal for farmers Welsh Lib Dems call for national net zero framework Today in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to build a national framework to strengthen local authorities' climate action plans. Currently, the Welsh Local Government Association receives Welsh Government funding to help local Authorities develop a climate action plan. 19 of Wales' 22 local authorities have declared a climate emergency, with 14 of these having a climate action plan. However, according to the Climate Emergency UK's 2021 scorecard, ...
Good news from Shropshire: the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway will reopen on Monday after being out of use since December 2022. And good news for local residents: they will be able to enjoy free travel on it until 8 March. The railway's engineer Barry Evans told BBC News: "I think over the past 14 months we have found out how much it means to the town. It's been a big loss. "It's cut down on revenue into the town, cut down on tourism, which affects everything in Bridgnorth." Reopening of the privately owned railway has been made possible by the town ...
As the next May local elections are nearing, here's an updated re-run of my piece from the party website on why standing in more council contests, including council by-elections, matters: When we debate party policy, strategy or election tactics, questions about what might attract or put off voters often – and rightly – come up. But there's one sure-fire, 100% guaranteed, rock-solid way of repelling voters from us, and it's one we use far too often. It's not having a Liberal Democrat on the ballot paper. Zero votes for the party guaranteed. Both Labour and the Conservatives, for example, get ...
Right to Buy is back in the news after it emerged Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner made a £48,500 profit on her ex-council house using the scheme. Whatever you think about this, I do agree with Angela that housing aspiration isn't the issue - it's failing to replace homes that are sold off. Liberal Democrats need to lead the charge to reform Right to Buy. Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government introduced the Right to Buy scheme in the United Kingdom, allowing council tenants to purchase their homes at discounted prices. At the time, it was hailed as revolutionary, promising social mobility ...
I like to wander the back streets of towns and city suburbs because, or so I claim, you never know what you are going to find. Down in London to see Liberator friends yesterday, I spent the afternoon exploring Belsize Park. And I think I proved my point. This is the Isokon Building in Lawn Road, which The Modern House describes as being "widely recognised as one of the finest achievements of Modern Movement architecture". It was completed in 1934, and at first was something of an experiment in communal living. The flats had their own kitchenettes, but there was ...
It was a depressing day in Holyrood yesterday as the SNP/Green budget passed. An unfunded Council Tax freeze crippling Scottish Councils, affordable housing cut by a third in the middle of a massive housing emergency, mental health support cut, education cut. There was never a cat in hell's chance that Lib Dems would vote for such an ill thought through budget. Alex Cole-Hamilton explained why: In this budget, the Scottish Government is reaching for more tax rises. It is punishing low and middle-income families through fiscal drag, it is taking a hammer to the green renewables piggy bank and it ...
It's just 16 days till Liberal Democrats gather in York for Spring Conference. Next Monday, 4th March, at 1pm, is a very important day as it is the deadline for submitting all sorts of things – questions to committees, amendments to motions and emergency and topical motions. So what are all these things? Questions to Committees – and the Leader Each Federal Committee has an accountability session where it presents its report on what it's been up to since the last Conference. This is an important chance for members to accept what it has been doing or not. It is ...
You can hardly read the news, listen to the radio or scan your preferred social media without hearing about AI. Or experiencing it in practice, whether you are aware of it or not. On the one hand, it is seen as offering huge potential to transform business and other organisations, reducing costs and creating entirely new capabilities. On the downside we hear of threats to democracy with a surge in fake videos and information; the potential for mass job losses as AI systems replace employees to reduce costs; at the extreme, dire tales of AI systems taking over humanity altogether. ...
The start of the Wales section of the Covid inquiry gave us a strong clue as to why the Welsh Government has been reluctant to follow Scotland's example and set up their own inquest. It seems that, despite the spin, Wales was as much of a shitshow as the rest of the UK when it came to managing the pandemic. The BBC reports on claims at the inquiry that the then health minister, Vaughan Gething, one of the men hoping to be the next first minister, automatically deleted messages from his phone during the pandemic. They say that a barrister ...
The state of the road surface within the "triangle" at the Scott Street entrance to Balgay Park has unfortunately further deteriorated - see photo. We are pleased to advise that the City Council has updated us that repairs to the road surface here are to take place and the Roads Maintenance Partnership Manager has told us that this work should be taking place next week : "These works are currently scheduled to be undertaken week commencing 4th March." Residents will also recall that we were pleased to have been informed last year that resurfacing of the really poor road surface ...
