Elections And Referendum On May 5th
YES! To Fairer Votes
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
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
10th April 2011
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Campaigns, Local, National, News
Vision For Newcastle 2011
Liberal Democrat Vision For The Borough Of Newcastle under Lyme
- 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
31st March 2011
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Campaigns, Local, News
Make Your MP Work Harder
Saying YES! on 5th May Means
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
22nd March 2011
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Campaigns, National, News
Newcastle Is National Recycling Champion
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is celebrating after scooping a national award for its new recycling and waste service.
David Becket cabinet member for Environment and Recycling
The borough council has beat off stiff competition from unitary councils and a waste disposal authority to win the “Waste Management Award” at the Government Business Awards.
The category highlights “outstanding” schemes that are cost-effective, provide a high level of service and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
The council’s service – which has increased recycling rates from 27 per cent to 50 per cent – was up against schemes run by Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, London Borough of Hillingdon, Peterborough City Council and Hull City Council.
In July 2009, plastic bottles and cardboard were added to the fortnightly recycling collection and a year later, weekly food waste collections were launched along with the extension of the fortnightly garden waste service to all homes with a garden.
The announcement was made at Twickenham Stadium by BBC journalist and news presenter Bill Turnbull.
Cllr. David Becket, Cabinet member for environment and recycling, said: “I’m delighted and very proud that Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s service has won this national award, especially as we were the only district council in the category and have today been unfairly criticised by The TaxPayers’ Alliance.
“Our new system – supported by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) – is designed to produce the best quality material for recycling and has already produced dramatic results, while delivering £500,000 of savings.
“I would like to dedicate this award to our residents who have clearly embraced recycling and also our members of staff and contractors Acumen Distribution, Lower Reule Bioenergy and Simpro for providing an excellent service.”
The service improvements were designed to meet Government targets for reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Food waste is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant at Lower Reule Farm in Stafford where it is turned into electricity to power local homes and heat to grow strawberries.
And garden waste such as twigs, grass and leaves is turned into high quality compost for use on local farms.
For more information about recycling, visit www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/recycling.
6th March 2011
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Local, National, News
AV Referendum Set For May
The refer
endum on voting reform will take place on the 5th May 2011.
The choice is simple – keep the present system or vote for the Alternative Vote (AV) system
The AV system is also simple
- Instead of a single X for one candidate you list as many as you wish in order of preference 1,2 3
- The candidate with the least number of first choices is eliminated .
- The second preferences for the eliminated candidate are then counted, and added to the totals of the other candidates
- And so on until one candidate achieves a total of more than 50% of the votes
26th February 2011
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Campaigns, National
