Speaking after today’s announcement that HBOS and Equitable life are to make around 600 Aylesbury people redundant over the next 18 months, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Steven Lambert said “this is a devastating blow to the dedicated staff of these firms and to the Town. Many of the staff have worked at the site for several years and today they and their families will be fearing for the future.
This announcement will create more fears and uncertainty for Aylesbury and will have a massive knock on effect to the local economy. It’s yet another example bought home of the devastating effect of Labour’s mishandling of the crisis in the banking industry and the direct knock on effect local people and the local economy.”
Noting that the plans will see about 150 staff remaining at the site from 2011, Steven added “with HOBOS being an Edinburgh based company, the local links and history have been severed. I doubt there will be enough people at the site to sustain HBOS using the ‘blue leany’ and this could inevitably, see the site close altogether creating further fears for the remaining staff.”

After speaking to concerned staff after the announcement, Steven said “It seems that there is an agreement with HBOS staff for no compulsory redundancies, but that is not the case for Equitable Life staff. I hope that HBOS management will afford the same agreements and processes to all staff going through this and will offer real help to those affected to find new roles regardless of which company they work for.”

Steven Lambert, the Parliamentary Candidate for Aylesbury, has slammed the Government’s changes to the Local Housing allowance. Steven said “The changes to the housing allowance were sneaked through by Labour in the last budget and the government clearly hoped they would be swept under the carpet. Now we find that, once again, Aylesbury’s residents will feel the brunt of Labour’s failed policies.

The government is destroying the original intention of Local Housing Allowance which was to bring choice and flexibility to the benefits system while also combating poverty. Anyone who has had to get by on a low income or manage a household budget will know that every penny counts and a £15 is a significant amount to lose from your family budget without any warning.

The people who would lose out under this proposal are poorer than those who would have been hit by the 10p tax debacle, and will be hit harder. Worse still, the government will not actually save any money by clawing back these £15 payments. I’m supporting the Lib Dems in Parliament and calling on local Tory MPs David Liddington and John Bercow, to protect low income families by signing the Early Day motion in Parliament.”

This week, Nick Clegg, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats challenged Gordon Brown directly over the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions and the Liberal Democrats in parliament will continue to do all they can to oppose this latest government assault on some of the very poorest families in the country.

Background information
The Early Day motion 2069 was tabled by the Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Teather and supported by the housing charity, Crisis, to oppose the government’s proposed cuts for the poorest tenants.
- Link to the policy motion
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39300

Following their recent success at ensuring a free Universal Health Visitor Service, to support families as their children grow up, be set up under a Liberal Democrat Government, Aylesbury Lib Dems are now calling for free childcare for every family and are supporting an online petition set up by Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer.

Steven Lambert the Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Aylesbury said “life is a real struggle for parents. The Government has not made things easy and the Tories look set to make things worse if they win the General Election. Parents who need to go back to work must be properly supported. Parents should be entitled to 20 hours of free, high quality childcare for each child from the age of 18 months to when they start school. Successive Labour and Tory governments have failed our families. It’s time to change this once and for all.”

Lib Dem County Councillor Jenny Puddefoot, said “the campaign for free high quality child care is very much linked to the Lib Dem plans for a Universal Health Visitor Service which will see help and advice given to all families by a qualified professional Health Visitor from when a baby is born to the age of five. It’s been proven beyond doubt that the more you invest in a child in their early, the better life chances that a child will have.”

The petition can be found at http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_campaigns_detail.aspx?title=Petition%3a_Free_Childcare_for_Every_Family&pPK=eef38f95-16e5-4add-b1aa-962d4ea3a0f5

To remember and not act is unforgivable.

After attending the reception for returning armed forces personnel at Judges Lodgings in Aylesbury last Monday, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman for Aylesbury, Steven Lambert, has signed up to the Royal British Legion’s manifesto for the next election. Steven also laid a wreath at the ceremony on Remembrance Sunday in Aylesbury’s Market Square alongside South East MEP Sharon Bowles.

Steven said “It’s crucial that we honour the commitment and sacrifice of our armed forces. Too often they have been let down by our government. Labour has sent our brave young men and women into battle without adequate kit with which to do their jobs. The average wage for a private in the army is below that of other public service workers. And, of course, sending our troops into Iraq was a massive blunder that cost so many lives. We must take better care of those who are prepared to put their lives on the line for their country.”

The Liberal Democrats have an ongoing campaign to get the Government to stop short changing our armed forces. Follow this link to find out more. Don’t short change or Armed Forces.

Cllr Steven Lambert and the Liberal Democrats at Aylesbury Vale District Council have called on AVDC to sign up to the 1010 campaign to reduce UK carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
Speaking after the AVDC council meeting on Wednesday (9th September), Cllr Steven Lambert said “I have signed up and will do my bit to reduce my carbon footprint. Many local councils and organisations are signing up to pledge a personal 10% reduction. If we are to survive as a planet we need to act now. AVDC does take the climate change threat seriously and are working to reduce carbon emissions, but by AVDC signing up to this pledge we will be publicly committing our work to this and not just to council papers which only get seen by councillors”.

Cllr Alan Sherwell, the leader of the Liberal Democrats at Aylesbury Vale District Council has set in train the review of all new cases where AVDC have used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000). The RIPA act allows local councils to intercept phone calls, access electronic data (such as emails and websites) and carry out covert surveillance by council officers
Alan Sherwell, who put a motion to Council, last Wednesday (9th September), said “great care has to be taken when the RIPA act is used, which is mostly for Benefit Fraud, our aim is to make sure that the council is using the act appropriately and that safeguards are put in place.
At the moment council officers need only inform the relevant cabinet member that an investigation is happening. The Lib Dem proposal will make sure that when a RIPA investigation happens, that a report is provided to the council’s audit committee, with personal information taken out, so that members of the council and not just officers and cabinet members, can be satisfied that the Act is being used appropriately.”

Aylesbury Liberal Democrats have called for the Government to award big pay rises to military personnel many of whom are risking their lives on the Afghanistan frontline. The new Liberal Democrat policy is set to give the worst paid servicemen and women, who earn less than trainee police officers and fire fighters, pay rises worth almost £6,000 a year.

Steven Lambert said “Every day young men and women are putting their lives on the line, fighting in terrible conditions in Afghanistan. “What is their reward from this Labour Government? Shockingly poor pay that leaves them on the poverty line and their families back at home hungry.

This policy would massively benefit so many servicemen and women living in Wendover, Aston Clinton and Aylesbury, who would be freed from the shackles of poor pay.

The Liberal Democrats will put a stop to this straight away. We will raise the pay of the lowest paid troops by an extra £6,000 a year. The average basic pay across the ranks of private and lance corporal would rise to around £25,000. We need to stop short-changing our troops.”

Notes for editors
1. New recruits to the police receive £22,680 basic pay. A junior firefighter receives £22,038 basic pay.
More than 51,000 members of the Armed Forces (over a quarter) receive less than that. About 13,000
personnel receive £16,681 – the basic pay for the lowest paid private.
2. Under Liberal Democrat proposals a fully trained private would receive an average basic hourly wage of
£9.44 (up from the current £6.74 an hour), amounting to £430 a week, a pay rise of £115.
3. The average basic pay across the ranks of private and lance corporal would rise to around £25,000. They
will receive an average basic hourly wage of £10.40 an hour, up from the current £8.80 an hour. That is
£480 a week, an extra £73 a week.
4. Hunger charity Foodbank has had to help 245 struggling military spouses and children in three years
(The Sun, 3 Aug 09). Foodbank’s Jeremy Ravn: “It’s very distressing to see Forces people in this state.
It is heartbreaking.”
5. The Liberal Democrat policy will cost between £300 and £400 million – one per cent of the Ministry of
Defence’s total budget. It will be paid for by reducing the number of civil servants within the MoD
where at the moment there is one desk job for every two servicemen.
6. For more information please visit www.NickClegg.com/ArmedForcesPay

The legality of the vote held at the District Council meeting is now in question after it was revealed that ten Tory Councilors were found to have publicly declared their opposition to the Southern Growth Arc just prior to it being abandoned last year.

Unusually although there was, apparently, a legal officer present at the meeting, the Tory chairman allowed the head of planning to answer the legal question on whether the Tory Ten had broken any rules. This meant that the Tory Ten, one of them representing Stoke Mandeville village, were told they could vote for the Eastern Arc and making sure that growth steered away from their areas in the south.

Cllr Steven Lambert who formally raised the question said “we sought legal advice throughout this process on what we could and couldn’t say to our residents and were told emphatically that we could not discuss definitive views or positions as this could prejudice our vote. Yet we find that up to ten Tory Councilors have done just that. I have raised this with the head of legal services as the Lib Dem team has been hamstrung yet the Tories have been allowed to say what they want. We are now challenging this decision and are awaiting a formal response.”

Liberal Democrat Town Councilor Julie Ward who represents x ward said “it was obvious that the Tories were going to oppose any motion put forward by the Lib Dems, but to then make a mockery of council protocols on obtaining legal advice is just foolish.

The meeting should have been suspended until proper legal advice was made available. How can you have the officer who put this plan together and therefore has an interest in getting it voted for, give legal advice on whether Councilors can vote or not. This officer is under the guidance of the Tory Cabinet, of course he was going to say its ok! We are now waiting for the response from the head of legal services and are seeking external advice on the matter.”

The Liberal Democrats stood up for up Aylesbury Vale residents at Wednesday’s full council meeting on the Local Development Framework. At the meeting the Cllr Avril Davies, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Strategic Development Control put forward a motion calling for the missing evidence to be bought forward and for the vote to be deferred till it was available.

Cllr Davies said “the motion set out our support for the LDF in principle but tried to buy more time so that councilors could review all the evidence relevant to the direction of growth around Aylesbury. Rather than taking a finely balanced decision on partial information, which is more likely to be thrown out at public enquiry. One Tory abstained; the rest voted the motion down leaving the council deeply exposed.

We accept that any strategy for growth will disadvantage some communities and all our villages and the residents of Aylesbury have the right to have their amenities protected as far as possible. We could not support the eastern arc strategy because of the disproportionate harm that it would bring to the communities of Bierton, Brought and Watermead, the flood risks, damage to the environment and lack of clarity on creation of employment.”

A straight southern strategy is also not acceptable either because of the disproportionate effect on Stoke Mandeville. No attempt was made at scrutiny or elsewhere to consider properly the sites to the north of the town nor possible hybrid options. The Council leaders were clearly determined to force their view through the Council without even a pretence of listening to local people. This failure will make it more difficult for the Council to defend its plan at enquiry and increase the likelihood of it being thrown out by the planning inspector.

Cllr Jenny Puddefoot, who is a Councilor for Watermead and Elmhurst, an area deeply affected by the plans said “I accept that there would have been a danger to planning powers if the LDF had been defeated. But it is not acceptable to use this threat to force the council to pass something that is unsound. Broughton is one of the Vale’s most ecologically fragile areas and development was thrown out there last time. What has changed since? Noting material that I can see.”

Cllr Alan Sherwell said “The Tories have argued that a change of government will mean a change of rules so that we do not have to take these houses. The Lib Dems also believe that planning decisions must be taken locally but, if a new government means that we do not have to take all these houses, then it must also mean that will reverse any loss of our planning powers. The Tories cannot have it both ways.”

Raj Khan said “We have seen stacks of evidence but what is still missing is crucial.” Cabinet member David Thompson admitted that he had seen evidence that the other members had not. “This admission is outrageous” said Cllr Julie Ward, the Aylesbury Town Councilor who spoke out as a public speaker concerning the shortfall of evidence. “Time and again I have called for all the relevant information to be bought forward. Cllr Thompson’s response clearly indicates that there are things we have not seen. I want to know if they would have materially affected the decision.”

Cllr Steve Patrick who represents Oakfield said “residents should not be in any doubt that that the officers who have put this plan together have done so under the guidance of the Tory Cabinet. The possibility of planning becoming a series of decisions by Inspectors rather than Councillors is now very real as we believe the plan that has been put forward is unsound.”

The Budget will do nothing for ordinary residents of Aylesbury who have been clobbered by rising food, fuel and transport prices, local Liberal Democrat have said. The Budget was criticised for failing to give much needed help to those struggling in recession by refusing to back Liberal Democrat calls to cut income tax by £700 for the vast majority of people.

Commenting Cllr Mary Baldwin, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats at the County Council said “as the cost of food, heating, water and transport continue to rise, families in Aylesbury haven’t been given any practical help by the Government. People who aren’t on huge salaries are noticing more and more of their cash is going on the basics. Gordon Brown should be putting money back into their pockets by cutting income tax for the vast majority of taxpayers by £700.”

Cllr Alan Sherwell the Leader of the Liberal Democrats at the District Council said “Britain’s taxes are too heavy on those who can least afford it and too easy to avoid for those who know how. Labour is out of ideas and out of steam. This Government has condemned us to years of unemployment and a decade of debt. The country deserves something different.”

County Councilor Steven Kennell the Aylesbury Liberal Democrat spokesman for Finance said “A Liberal Democrat budget would deliver practical help. It would take 4 million people out of paying tax all together and would cut the majority of people’s income tax by £700. Paid for by cutting loophole and exemptions that benefit the richest individuals and big business. We would cancel the pointless VAT cut and invest in important green projects that create jobs right now.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives are planning swingeing cuts at the very time that the country is expected to be gradually starting to recover. We would take big choices about what government should and shouldn’t do. With a shocking deficit this year of £175bn we need a national debate about what the state can and cannot afford in the future.

The Liberal Democrats believe that this is the responsible way – the honest way – to reduce spending in the years ahead and avoid painful higher taxes. The country deserves something better – a Liberal Democrat government, Vince Cable as Chancellor and a tax system that has everybody paying their fair share.”