Braintree and Witham Liberal Democrats

As the refurbished clock was unveiled in Brentwood High Street on Wednesday (25/1/12) it was great to see that Jill Hubbard, former Lib Dem councillor for Warley, was there to see it happen.

It was Jill who saw the clock lying in a sorry state at the Council's Depot in Warley, alerted the press and asked for it to be returned to it's rightful place in the High Street.

Attempts to prevent 12 staff from being made redundant to save just £41,000 were scuppered this week after the Conservatives voted to get rid of the Schools Library Service.

During the debate on the cabinet decision at a scrutiny meeting on Wednesday 25th January, the Liberal Democrat group highlighted that the closure of the service had been agreed without any reference to the County's own Education and Skills Cabinet Panel, despite the service being used exclusively by Hertfordshire's schools.

Cambridge Liberal Democrats are tackling problems on the city's Fen Road head on by working cross-party and with multiple agencies to find a solution for residents.

Cllr Ian Manning (pictured) and resident Clare Blair took control of the issue this evening (Thursday, January 26) at a meeting of Cambridge City Council's North Area Committee.

A flagship Tory bus replacement project which no-one wants has already cost Cambridgeshire taxpayers £120,000 with another £40,000 committed.

Since launching a pilot for the planned countywide scheme, only one passenger has travelled three times between Sawston and Duxford Station. The traveller didn't have to buy a ticket as the route hadn't been registered so the journey was free.

Norwich South MP Simon Wright has signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who died during the Holocaust.

Mr Wright will be visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau later this year with Norwich students to experience the camp first hand. The visit forms part of the Holocaust Educational Trust's 'Lessons from Auschwitz' Project, which is supported by Government funding.

A fairer tax system, putting money back in the pockets of ordinary people, was demanded by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg today in a major speech which has already received positive reaction from across the political spectrum.

The centre-piece of the speech was a call for the Coalition to move further and faster on introducing a £10,000 income tax allowance, taking millions more out of income tax completely and saving working people £700 per year on average.

Simon Wright, MP for Norwich South, has welcomed news that the Government is changing the law in a bid to tackle the increasing problem of metal theft.

Mr Wright: "The laws surrounding the trade of scrap metal are out of date and unable to stand up to the growing problem of metal theft. I'm pleased that the coalition Government will ban cash payments for scrap metal trading, and introduce fiercer punishments for dealers that commit offences.

"I've been lobbying Ministers to take action and I'm pleased that progress is now being made. Cable theft from railways alone disrupted over 35,000 national rail services over the last financial year. It represents a massive drain on resources and can pose a real danger to rail passengers.

"But it is not just cable theft; infrastructure, art installations, memorials and property across the country have been targeted by people looking to make quick money. This is costing the UK nearly £800m a year.

"Transactions are often made without proof of ID or proper, verifiable records being kept. This has to stop.

"The new measures announced send a clear message that tackling metal theft is a priority, and scrap metal dealers have an important role in bringing it to an end."

A pan-European constituency with transnational lists for European Parliament elections is among the proposals put forward by the Constitutional Affairs Committee on Thursday. MEPs called on the Council and the Commission to join in negotiations to reform the EU electoral system so as to boost voter turnouts.