11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats housing lead takes fight on HMOs and brownfield to Minister

Liberal Democrats housing lead takes fight on HMOs and brownfield to Minister

Borough news, housing and development
The fight against low-quality HMOs and for more brownfield development has been raised with the Minister for Housing Stuart Andrew MP by local Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member Sam Al-Hamdani. He said: “We keep seeing HMOs appearing on our streets, many of them using the loophole that allows smaller ones to bypass the planning system altogether. Too often they are terribly low quality, crammed in to make the most money out of the smallest space. “At the other extreme, we keep seeing developers pushing for more and more four- and five-bedroom developments on green spaces. Councils rarely get the financial support to drive brownfield development, and have little or no legal powers to force development to take place on brownfield first.” Councillor Al-Hamdani wrote to the Housing Minister to demand…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Gove rules out emergency budget in “shambles”

Gove rules out emergency budget in “shambles”

Parliamentary news
After Michael Gove ruling out an emergency budget to help tackle the cost of living crisis, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "This is a complete shambles. "Millions of families and pensioners are struggling to get by. They need more help now before things get even worse in the autumn. "Instead all we get from this Conservative government is chaos and confusion. "An emergency budget is needed now to cut taxes for ordinary families while taxing the super profits of oil and gas companies. That would be the fair and right thing to do."
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey victory speech: Blue Wall gains sending “almighty shockwave”

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has described the local election results, which have seen his party gain 58 seats across England so far, as “an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative Government tumbling down”. Ed Davey made the comments at a victory rally in the ultra marginal constituency of Wimbledon, where the party has gained 12 seats in the Merton Borough elections. The Liberal Democrats have also gained ground in Cheadle (Stockport), Witney (West Oxfordshire) and Eastleigh – all seats where the party is in a strong second place to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats have won control of Hull City Council from Labour, as well as gaining a further nine seats in Richmond-upon-Thames, where they took control from the Conservatives in 2018. In a victory speech to party…
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Queen’s Speech: Rescue package needed for rural communities let down by Conservatives

Queen’s Speech: Rescue package needed for rural communities let down by Conservatives

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are demanding a rescue package for rural communities in the Queen's Speech that have been “forgotten about” by Boris Johnson and his Conservative Government. It comes after a huge backlash against the Conservatives in rural areas at the local elections with the Liberal Democrats making sweeping gains, including taking control of Somerset and Westmorland and Furness councils. The Liberal Democrats have demanded that the Queen’s Speech address some of the glaring issues being faced by people living in the countryside, such as long ambulance waiting times and the pumping of raw sewage into rivers and waterways. Sewage: Bring into law Tim Farron’s Sewage Discharges Bill, which would ban water companies from dumping sewage into rivers and legislate to name and shame those companies who poison animals and swimmers.Farming: Introduce…
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Public Order Bill: Government recycling discredited plans

Public Order Bill: Government recycling discredited plans

Parliamentary news
Following the Government announcement that they will try to revive some proposals that were rejected from the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill in a new 'Public Order Bill', Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "These dangerous and draconian plans aren’t about stopping guerilla protestors - the police already have the powers to stop them. Instead, this is yet another desperate attempt to distract from a failing Government that is running out of steam. "Last week, millions of people across the country sent a signal to the Conservatives that they were fed up with being taken for granted. Yet now we see they have nothing new to offer. "So rather than wasting time recycling discredited plans, which have already been rejected by Parliament, Ministers should be taking…
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03May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government “legalising littering” as one million fly-tipping incidents go unpunished

Government “legalising littering” as one million fly-tipping incidents go unpunished

Parliamentary news
Up to one million fly-tipping incidents go unpunishedNumber of prosecutions more than halves, and average court fine just £335Lib Dems call on government to increase fines to raise £1.3 million “fly-tipping fighting fund” The Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservative government of effectively "legalising littering," after shocking figures revealed that up to a million fly-tipping incidents went unpunished in 2020-21. 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents were recorded by local authorities in England in 2020-21, a 16% increase on the previous year. However, the number of Fixed Penalty Notices issued fell by 24%, while the number of prosecutions collapsed by more than 50%. In total, just 96,628 enforcement actions were taken beyond an initial investigation and a warning letter. That leaves up to 1 million cases going unpunished in 2020-21. Only 57,621…
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03May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
GP postcode lottery worsens with just one family doctor per 2,200 patients

GP postcode lottery worsens with just one family doctor per 2,200 patients

Parliamentary news
The number of patients per GP across England has grown to over 2,200, shocking new figures have revealed, as some areas suffer from a growing postcode lottery. The analysis by the Liberal Democrats, based on research from the House of Commons Library, has exposed the growing shortage of family doctors that is leaving people in many areas struggling to get appointments. Since June 2017, the number of fully qualified GPs excluding trainees has fallen by 1,343, despite a government promise to hire an extra 6,000 GPs by 2024. Over the same period, the number of registered patients has soared by over 3.1 million, as growing demand puts pressure on overstretched local health services. It means the number of patients per GP has risen from 2,007 in June 2017 to 2,217…
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03May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Vehicle crime epidemic: 140,000 car and bike thefts unsolved last year

Vehicle crime epidemic: 140,000 car and bike thefts unsolved last year

Campaigns
New figures reveal 77,300 car thefts and 63,500 bike thefts went unsolved last yearOnly 3.9% of car thefts lead to someone being charged, down from 6.8% five years agoConservatives accused of allowing criminals to steal vehicles on “an industrial scale” Shocking new figures have revealed a “vehicle crime epidemic,” with over 140,000 car and bike thefts going unsolved by police last year. More than three quarters of car theft cases (77,318) and nine in ten bike thefts (63,481) were closed without a suspect being identified. The Liberal Democrats said the figures showed the Conservatives were soft on crime and are letting criminals get away with stealing vehicles on an “industrial scale.” The party is calling for more investment in community policing, ahead of the local elections on Thursday. The figures…
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03May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Two million pensioners like Elsie left without heating bill support

Two million pensioners like Elsie left without heating bill support

Parliamentary news
19% of households are in Council Tax Bands E-H (4.7 million households).There are 11.5 million pensioners in the UK. An estimated 2.1 million of these (19%) live in band E or lower homes.These people are missing out on £150 rebate - Liberal Democrats slam “national scandal” of pensioners being left out in the cold by out of touch Government. More than two million pensioners are being shunned by the Government’s council tax rebate, estimates by the Liberal Democrats can reveal. The shocking revelation comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was told this morning of the story of 77-year-old Elsie, who eats one meal a day and stays on the bus all day to stay warm and avoid using energy at home. The Conservatives’ lack of support to elderly pensioners during…
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02May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New stats show 1.8 million crimes went unsolved in 2021

New stats show 1.8 million crimes went unsolved in 2021

Parliamentary news
Four in ten crimes went unsolved by the police in 2021, new official figures show, with an average of 5,000 unsolved crimes every day. New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that overall crime was 18% higher in 2021 compared with 2019, driven by a 54% increase in fraud and computer misuse. Liberal Democrat analysis of new Home Office figures show that 1.8 million cases were closed by the police in 2021 without a suspect even being identified – 39% of all cases closed. Responding to the statistics, Liberal Democrats Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Crime is soaring on the Conservatives’ watch. They are failing our communities, making people less safe, and letting far too many criminals get away with it. “Boris Johnson and Priti Patel…
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