Liberal Democrats on Newcastle Borough council have provided good services for less money, helping to make it the most improved council in England.

Thus Lib-Dems have pushed recycling rates up from 16% to 50% while reducing costs by half a million pounds per year, and improved streetscene from the bottom quartile under Labour. We are green supporters, implementing our carbon reduction plan that will  save the council money.

We have taken planning  out of special measures, delivered the new cemetery, done up the frontages of houses in Butt Lane and Silverdale, helped improve Kidsgrove Town and Victoria halls and in spite of national difficulties we have promoted successful new housing in Silverdale and Cross Heath.

We have led on leisure, with the new Jubilee 2 an outstanding result.

The latest council budget had no increase in tax and no cuts in services. Labour’s suggestion that cuts are planned is fictitious. Their only proposals were last minute political posturing, and totally impractical. We have committed the council to consultation on the next budget.

Liberal Democrats place high importance on our historic Town Centre.  We have refurbished the Lancaster Buildings, now almost fully let, started work on the public realm project, developed the Guildhall  and spent 2million pounds on Midway Carpark while freezing its charges.  Working  with the County Council we have awarded a pay-by-results contract to develop the old Sainsbury’s site. We have just established the Town Centre Partnership bringing businesses and the council properly together for the first time ever. This should lead to proper town centre management as opposed to Labour’s ‘back of the envelope’ temporary way of doing it.

We believe partnership working is key. The health services, the County Council and the police are moving staff into the Civic offices enabling closer working and bringing more income to the Borough.

We are pleased to have helped the police continue being stationed in the town, including a public desk in the Guildhall.  This means public money is not wasted on a building no longer fit for purpose.

We have  begun working with Keele University and made a commitment to the voluntary sector.

“Lib-dems are leading on regeneration and developing strong plans for the future, using national guidelines for consultation  and  prioritising brownfield sites. We have a record of good delivery and always examine all requests to spend public money extremely carefully.” said Robin Studd, the Lib-Dem leader. “ We believe in giving value for money and providing for all the people of the Borough not just the well-off.”

“We  have a good record for serving residents in our wards and our councillors are hardworking, reliable people dedicated to the task.”, adds Nigel Jones, deputy leader.

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• reducing recycling costs by £500,000 while increasing the recycling rate from 16% in 2006 to over 50% in 2011.
• leading the planning of the new highly regarded Health Centre, Jubilee 2
• planning the refurbishment of the Lancaster Buildings
• returning the Guildhall to public use

and all with a  proposed council tax increase of 0 % ( a proposal that Labour voted against)

Dont let Newcastle go backwards.
Liberal Democrats  are working hard to further improve the management of Newcastle’s affairs.

Give them your support on 3rd May

List of LibDem Candidates here

Lib Dems in Government are making sure every young person has a fair chance

The Lib Dems in Government are taking real action to tackle youth unemployment.  Every young person who wants it will be guaranteed a job, training or work placement.

The Youth Contract will create over 400,000 new jobs and 250,000 new work experience placements to help young people across Britain to get into work.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP said, “If people are out of work when they’re young they bear the scars for decades. If they have a false start, they might not ever fully catch up.

“This £1 billion investment will make sure our young people are earning and learning again, before long-term damage is done.”

The Liberal Democrats are determined to tackle youth unemployment – an issue that has been ignored for too long.

During Labour’s 13 years in power, youth unemployment rose by nearly 40%. There was a shocking 86% increase in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming Job Seekers Allowance.

The £1 billion new investment to tackle youth unemployment includes:

• Over 400,000 new work places for 18 – 24 year olds over the next three years
• 250,000 extra work experience places for every 18 – 24 year old who wants one (after 3 months on Job Seekers Allowance) and 160,000 wage subsidies
• All 18 – 24 year olds to receive extra careers support from Job Seekers Plus (after 3 months on Job Seekers Allowance)
• More funding to support apprenticeships, including 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices
• A new programme to help the most disengaged 16 – 17 year olds get learning again or into a job with training

In an attempt to achieve the correct numbers of electors per MP the Boundary Commission is proposing new constituency boundaries that will cut across local communities in an unacceptable way.

Newcastle Issues

• The Borough of Newcastle under Lyme is to be split in two. The southern part of the borough is merged with Stone and the northern part included in a Tunstall based constituency.
• Included in the Tunstall constituency are rural parishes to the north and west of Newcastle.
• Some central wards, e.g  Cross Heath and Wolstanton are to be included in the Tunstall based constituency.
• Other central wards, e.g. Holditch and Porthill are to be included in the Stone based constituency
• Newcastle under Lyme has returned an MP to parliament since 1354 (Two from 1354 to 1885)
• There will be a strong disincentive to vote in the rural area linked to Tunstall, where two different worlds are brought together.

The Burslem Issue

The Moorlands

The Alernatives

• Alternatives exist that would retain the historic unity of Newcastle and avoid splitting Burslem

Online Petitions

To help Save Newcastle sign the two online petitions at

http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/save-newcastle/3744

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19718

The huge rise in worldwide gas and oil prices is hitting local people hard.

That’s why the Lib Dems are campaigning to help people save money, stay warm and go green this winter.

Energy  price rises are worse in Britain because of the legacy of decades of Labour and Conservative rule.

“They have left people living in some of the coldest, draughtiest houses in Europe. They failed to invest in clean, renewable energy – leaving us dependent on gas and oil.”

Taking Britain forward

Now the Lib Dems are taking action in government on these issues. The Lib Dems want to make Britain a world leader in renewable energy – creating thousands of jobs and providing clean energy to millions of people.

Free and discounted insulation available for you

The Lib Dems have forced energy companies to spend much more on providing free and discounted home insulation to families across our area.

And from October 2012 the Lib Dem Green Deal will start – it’s Britain’s biggest ever home insulation programme. It will create over 100,000 jobs and insulate millions of homes.

Help for pensioners

Thanks to the Lib Dems, less well off pensioners will receive an extra £120 a year to help them stay warm. That’s on top of the £4.50 per week pensions increase in April and the regular cold weather payments.

Delivering for you

The Lib Dem Save Money, Stay Warm, Go Green will help many people in Newcastle under Lyme

We are finally tackling problems that were ignored by Labour and the Conservatives for decades.

“Better insulation, help for pensioners and investing in renewable energy can help us all save money, stay warm and go green.”

Lib Dems: Cut taxes for ordinary people, not the richest

The Lib Dems are opposing calls for an immediate cut in the 50% tax rate paid by higher rate taxpayers.

Nick Clegg’s party instead wants to give more help to those on middle and low incomes who need it the most.

Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said, “At a time when the whole country faces serious financial challenges, the priority needs to be people on low and middle incomes.”

A key part of the coalition agreement was the Lib Dem commitment to making taxes fairer. The Lib Dems are well on their way to delivering on their pledge that no one should pay tax on the first £10,000 they earn.

Nearly a million low paid workers are no longer paying income tax thanks to this. All basic rate tax payers are paying £200 less in income tax.

Each year more and more people on low and middle incomes will gain more thanks to the Lib Dem fairer tax plan.

Danny Alexander said, “Fairer taxes is our goal. I don’t see why, in the next parliament, we shouldn’t be trying to get to a situation where people in a full-time job on the minimum wage are paying no income tax at all.”

This would mean that no one would pay tax on the first £12,500 they earn.

Nigel Jones

Call Billy or Simon To Book

The referendum on Thursday 5th May presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to reform one of the worn out parts of the British  constitution.
If we miss this opportunity it may never come again for generations.

Vote YES! to the Alternative Vote (AV) and put an end to “wasted votes” and the need for ” tactical voting”. In future elections you will then be able to rank candidates in order of preference. The No to AV campaign claims that this is too complicated for the British people when in fact it is as simple as 1,2,3.

Vote YES! to ensure that MPs have to get 50% of the votes to be elected. The No campaign says that  the Alternative Vote system will allow extremist parties to win when in fact the very opposite is true. Under the  present voting system extremists can win with less than 35% of the votes. The BNP is campaigning for a No vote.

Vote YES! but keep the present arrangements for vote counting. The claim that AV will require expensive voting machines is an invention of the No campaign. The Electoral Commission has  no plans to introduce voting machines under any voting system.

Vote YES! To Improve Democracy In Britain   

Newcastle Borough Elections

LibDem Candidates List

The good financial management of local Liberal Democrat councillors and their partners has ensured that Newcastle Borough Council has

• Improved Services
• No redundancies
• No increase in Council Tax

In difficult national circumstances this achievement is due to the leading work of Liberal Democrat Councillors and their support of the Liberal Democrat cabinet members who chair three key committees.

David Becket LibDem leader for environment and recycling, has cut costs of recycling and waste management by £500,000. Recycling rates have been increased from the 16% achieved by Labour to 50% today. This achievement has won Newcastle Borough a national award for recycling and waste management in a  category that highlights “outstanding” schemes that are cost-effective and provide a high level of service and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Robin Studd, LibDem leader on regeneration, has overseen big improvements in the operation of the planning department, the Guildhall, Lancaster Buildings and the ready-to-open  prizewinning eco friendly building for business in Chatterley valley.

Wenslie Naylon (and before her , Mary Maxfield), LibDem leader for leisure and culture has taken forward the development of the new enhanced leisure facility now being built on the edge of town and the maintenance of the green space strategy.

Give Us Your Support And We Will Carry On Improving Newcastle

And What Have The Liberal Democrats Contributed To The Coalition Government?

Despite having a minority position within the Coalition, Liberal Democrats have contributed greatly. Liberal Democrat policies implemented so far include

• The personal tax allowance has been increased to help alleviate the inequalities in our society that were allowed to grow during Labour’s years of government. In difficult times the allowance has increased to £7,475 and by the end of this parliament it will reach £10,000. At this point 800,000 people on low incomes will have been removed from income tax completely.
• LibDems have restored the earnings link to the state pension
• LibDems have introduced the Pupil Premium, giving disadvantaged children better schooling and a better start in life.
• Tax evasion is being taken seriously. Over this parliament an extra £900m is being spent in the battle against tax evasion and this is expected to recoup £7bn.
• LibDems have acted to restore the civil liberties that were eroded away by 13 years of Labour government.
  ID cards and the associated National Identity Register have been abolished.
  Fingerprinting of school children has been banned.
  Child detention in immigration centres is being phased out.
  The scope of the Freedom Of Information Act is to be extended.
  The referendum on voting reform promised for more than 100 years has now arrived.

All this and more in only the first year

• We will continue
  • to make Newcastle one of the most improved councils in the country
  • to provide strong financial management and value for money
  • to make improvements in Street Cleaning and our award winning recycling service
  • to develop recreational facilities and encourage youth facilities
  • to continue the successful reduction of crime in the borough and the work to address domestic violence
  • to support Warm Zone and other programmes to improve home insulation
• We will invest in the future of the Borough by
  • developing proposals for improvements in the retail shops in the town centre
  • work towards regeneration of Newcastle by encouraging business involved in green design and research
  • work to encourage high skill jobs into the area based on developments at Keele and Chatterly Valley

• We will work in partnership and share services with other local authorities but we will
  • preserve the independence of the Borough of Newcastle under Lyme
  • resist attempts by either Labour in Stoke or Tories at Staffordshire County Council to take control over this Loyal and Ancient Borough
• We will deliver the new Health and Well Being Centre

1   MPs Working Harder

Your Next MP would have to aim to get more than 50% of the vote to be sure of winning. At present they can be given power with just one vote in three. They will need to work harder to get and keep your support.

2   A Stronger Voice

Ranking candidates 1,2 3, gives you more say – in who comes first and who comes last. If your favourite doesn’t win you can still have a say. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

3    Tackling Jobs For life

Too many MPs have “safe seats”  for life. Force politicians to sit up and listen and reach out to the communities they seek to represent.

Vote YES! On 5th May