27Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dem Budget response: Rishi Sunak is out of touch with the British people

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Budget, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Christine Jardine MP, said: "Rishi Sunak is out of touch with the British people. "Today the Chancellor missed the chance to avoid a cost of living crisis which will cause sleepless nights for families up and down the country. "People who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules needed support. Instead, the Chancellor could only offer tax hikes, benefit cuts and no answer to energy bills skyrocketing by the day. "The greatest betrayal of this budget is the woeful lack of action to help our children recover from the pandemic. All the Chancellor could scrape together was a miserable pound a day for our children to catch-up after months of being locked out of classrooms. "The Chancellor spent more…
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27Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ed Davey on Budget: Twice as much in tax cuts for bankers than catch-up for children

Ed Davey on Budget: Twice as much in tax cuts for bankers than catch-up for children

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has slammed the Chancellor for giving twice as much away in tax cuts to bankers as extra catch-up funding to help children make up for lost learning during the pandemic. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows that reducing the banking surcharge will cost the Treasury over £3.8 billion over the next four years. This compares to just £1.8 billion of additional catch-up funding in today's Budget. That is the equivalent of £1 of extra catch up funding per child every school day, compared to a £6 a day tax cut for each banker. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “This was an out of touch Budget that is taking ordinary families for granted, hiking up people’s taxes while failing to help them with soaring energy…
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27Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Park heritage plan must focus on promoting culture, protecting nature, and growing local economy

Park heritage plan must focus on promoting culture, protecting nature, and growing local economy

Borough news
Liberal Democrat councillors have responded to a recent consultation on the draft heritage strategy for the South Pennines Park by calling for further measures to promote local culture, protect the natural and built environment, and grow the local economy in a sustainable way. The deadline for responses is 29 October. The South Pennines Park covers 460 square miles, including the Saddleworth district and Shaw, and stretches between the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks. In their response, the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group call for action to: Promote local culture: The Liberal Democrats want to see recognition of the work of the Shaw and Crompton and Saddleworth Parish Councils in supporting traditional heritage activities (such as the annual rush cart festival, the ‘world-renowned’ brass band contests, and the celebration…
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27Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrat Leader seeks earlier rollout of deposit return scheme

Liberal Democrat Leader seeks earlier rollout of deposit return scheme

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrats think a six year wait for the establishment of a national deposit return scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is too long, and Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to the minister responsible to tell him so. A deposit return, or reverse vending, scheme works through retailers charging customers a small deposit on cans, bottles and containers that can be recycled. When the customer brings the empty container back to the retailer, they get their deposit back. In 2018, the Conservative Government promised to introduce such a scheme, but in a consultation earlier this year the start date had been pushed back to 2024, two years after Scotland. Councillor Sykes does not think this is good enough and he has written to the Secretary…
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26Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Family hubs announcement is “a drop in the ocean”

Family hubs announcement is “a drop in the ocean”

Parliamentary news
Responding to the government's announcement on funding for 'family hubs' for early years, the new Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “Investment in family hubs is welcome, but this is a drop in the ocean compared to what’s needed for early years and childcare. “Families around the country are struggling to afford childcare costs or get a nursery place. They deserve a fair deal with quality childcare provision for all, giving children the best start in life and parents more choice about when to return to work. "Instead this is just tinkering at the edges of a broken early years system reeling from years of Conservative underfunding and neglect."
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26Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems demand windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to support households this winter

Lib Dems demand windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to support households this winter

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader and former Energy Secretary Ed Davey has called for a windfall tax on gas producers profiting from record high prices, to help pay for support to struggling households and businesses this winter. Gas prices have risen from 56p/therm during the first half of the year to 150p/therm and are now reaching 300p/therm. Over the past five years natural gas prices had never reached 100p/therm. Serica Energy, a North Sea gas company responsible for 5% of the UK supply, have already stated they expect “significant returns” due to the increase. Share prices in Sercia have surged from 156p per share at the end of August, to 232p on Wednesday. Meanwhile, households and businesses are struggling with higher bills. The energy regulator, Ofgem, increased the energy price cap by…
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26Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Public sector pay: NHS and social care workers to face £900m NI tax rise

Public sector pay: NHS and social care workers to face £900m NI tax rise

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of giving with one hand and snatching away with the other on public sector pay, given the national insurance tax hike and worsening cost of living crisis. Previous analysis by the House of Commons Library commissioned by the Liberal Democrats estimates that those working in health and social care will be faced with a tax hit of over £900 million due to the Conservative government’s manifesto-breaking hike to national insurance. The research shows a nurse or midwife on an average salary would see their tax bill rise by £310 next year, care home workers would pay around £140 more and ambulance staff would face a £420 increase. The average NHS worker across all staff groups will pay £315 more a year. Liberal Democrat…
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26Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid ID card cost leak “bombshell revelation”

Covid ID card cost leak “bombshell revelation”

Parliamentary news
Commenting on the news that the Government’s private impact assessment for vaccine passports shows the estimated turnover of affected venues could drop between £345 million and £2.067 billion if Covid-19 certification came in, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "This bombshell revelation shows the damage the government’s Covid ID card plans would do to struggling businesses for hardly any benefit. It is simply unacceptable that the Conservatives tried to hide this crucial evidence from the public and Parliament. “The Liberal Democrats have been clear from the start that Covid ID cards would be costly and unworkable, now it turns out the government’s own official advice agreed with us. Ministers must publish this impact assessment immediately and give Parliament a vote on these proposals, so we can put…
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26Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats call to save our rivers

Liberal Democrats call to save our rivers

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrats are calling for the UK Government to do more to improve the water quality of Britain’s rivers as one of their commitments at the upcoming COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. Crompton Councillor Dave Murphy and Shaw Councillor Hazel Gloster will be proposing a motion to the next meeting of Oldham Council (3 November 2021) highlighting the urgent need for action, after discovering that the borough’s watercourses all failed recent tests for chemical pollution carried out by the Environment Agency and that the rivers Irk and Tame are under real threat. Proposer of the motion, Councillor Murphy said: “It is shocking that in 2019 only 14% of England’s rivers were rated ‘good’ by the Environment Agency, despite Conservative Government promises to improve the quality of watercourses over…
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25Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ed Davey demands “emergency Budget for children” with £15 billion for Catch-Up classes

Ed Davey demands “emergency Budget for children” with £15 billion for Catch-Up classes

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey is demanding an “emergency Budget for children,” with a total of £15 billion of funding for catch-up classes. The Liberal Democrats are warning that parents and children are being “short-changed,” and that with the “Covid clouds gathering”, children risk paying the biggest price if restrictions are introduced again this winter. It comes after research by the Liberal Democrats reveals teachers have been off for over 267,000 days due to Covid since the return of school in September. It means children have lost out on the equivalent of 1.5 million teaching hours because of the government's failure to keep the virus in schools under control. Separate research by the Education Policy Institute last week warned that children could lose earnings of up to £46,000 each over…
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