Aylesbury Liberal Democrats are calling on Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS trust to do their part to tackle knife crime. 43 young people died from knife crime last year throughout the country.
Local Lib Dems believe there is a strong case for hospital accident and emergency units and the police to work together to identify knife crime black spots after information released under the Freedom of Information Act point to the experience in Cardiff where information is routinely passed on to the police about locations where injuries caused by knife crime take place to back up their call for hospitals and police to work together.
Worryingly when asked “Do the Accident and Emergency Departments within your trust collect details of the locations of any incidents from patients that present to you with injuries caused or suspected to be caused by violent criminal offences (including, but not limited to, gun shot wounds, stab wounds, and assaults with or without a weapon)” Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS trust said “The Trust has no formal mechanism for recording this information. It is not a routine question asked at reception.”
Police in Cardiff have been able to target the areas with the worst knife crime rates and have cut incidents by 40%. “There is clear evidence that when hospitals help the police build up a picture of where knife crime is taking place, areas with high numbers of incidents can be tackled,” said Cllr Mark Willis, the Lib Dem County Council Candidate for Aylesbury South, which includes Stoke Mandeville Hospital the Town’s only Accident and Emergency department.
“The Cardiff model allows for the information to be handed on by hospitals anonymously. The result is therefore a fall in knife crime by nearly half. Unfortunately, 4 out of 5 hospitals in England are not passing on this vital information to the police. Amongst them is Stoke Mandeville. I strongly urge a change in policy by Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS trust so that the risk of knife crime in Aylesbury can be cut.

Notes for editors
Background information

• The ‘Cardiff Model’, established in 2002, collects data from Accident and Emergency wards about the precise locations and times of violent incidents and shares them anonymously with the police. This new approach has led to a 40% drop in knife crime in some areas.

The figures, contained in replies to Freedom of Information requests shows that:
• Only 25 of the 123 NHS trusts which responded to Freedom of Information requests are following the Cardiff Model
• The situation is no better in the nine areas in England taking part in the Tackling Knives Action Programme, where only 10 out of 58 trusts (17.2%) are following the Cardiff Model
• Three areas had no trusts using the model – Essex, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire

The responses to the FOI requests from hospital trusts are attached.

Thousands of people in Aylesbury will be taken out of income tax altogether by new tax proposals launched by the Liberal Democrats. And thousands more will see their income tax bill slashed by £700 a year.
The plans were launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg on 20th April who said that they would boost family budgets battered by rising food, power and transport prices. The plans call for the personal tax allowance to be raised to £10,000. County and District Councillor Raj Kahn said, “Thousands of families on low income in Aylesbury will benefit from this tax cut. They will be lifted out of income tax altogether. People earning over £10,000 will pay £700 less income tax a year, paid for by ending the loopholes and tax avoidance schemes used by the wealthy and big corporations.
Commenting on the Liberal Democrat proposals, District Councillor Paul Hughes who represents Coldharbour Ward said “ordinary people like residents in Prebendal Farm, Hartwell and Fairford Leys are struggling because of the recession. Now is the time to make a far reaching and permanent change to the tax system that benefits those on low and middle incomes.
Chairman of the Aylesbury Liberal Democrats, Julian Newman said “the Liberal Democrats want to see more money left in the pockets of ordinary people rather than taken away by the Government. Here in Aylesbury the Liberal Democrats will be going into the general election committed to a lasting income tax cut.”

Notes for editors
Background information

• On 20th April Nick Clegg and Vince Cable launched new proposals on income tax. Low and middle income earners will be the gainers with the personal allowance being raised to £10,000. This will cut the vast majority of people’s income tax by £700 a year as well as lifting over 4 million people out of income tax altogether.
• The cost will be met by closing tax loopholes and clamping down on tax avoidance by the wealthy and large corporations. The proposal replaces the previous proposal to reduce the rate of income tax by 4p.

Aylesbury Liberal Democrats are asking where local MPs David Liddington and John Bercow were on Friday when MPs voted on a new parliamentary bill aimed at ending fuel poverty. The Bill was just 11 votes short of the number it needed to make progress.

Just one in ten Conservative MPs and one in fourteen Labour MPs were in Parliament to support the Bill. Nearly three quarters of Lib Dems were present but it was not enough to stop the Government blocking the Bill.

Cllr Steven Lambert the Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Aylesbury said, “The Fuel Poverty Bill was ‘talked out’ by the Government on Friday because not enough MPs turned up to support it. It needed 100 MPs but it only got 89. This is a crying shame. With millions of people across Britain struggling to afford to heat their homes, this Bill is desperately needed. Many Aylesbury Vale residents will continue to worry about heating with many making the choice of heating their homes or eating. In the 21st century this is unacceptable.”

Liberal Democrat County Councillor Steven Kennell, who is the Lib Dem spokesman for Adult Social Care said “with such a narrow margin of failure it is really disappointing that our local MP were not in Parliament to support this important Bill. The Bill, which was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP David Heath, would deliver a massive home insulation programme which would halve the energy needed to heat the average home. And it would end the scandal of those who use pre-pay meters – generally the least well-off – paying higher rates for their gas and electricity.

Our best hope now is to put as much pressure as possible on the Government to change their minds and support the Bill. Without government support I am afraid it looks doomed. Campaign groups such as Consumer Focus and Age Concern have condemned the Government for blocking the Bill’s progress. Help the Aged have said that, “Millions of older people will be devastated and dismayed by this result.”

Notes for editors

• Details of the Warmer Homes Bill and Lib Dem polices can be found at www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk.

• NB. A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain a satisfactory heating regime (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).

Aylesbury Liberal Democrats welcomed Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary to their annual constituency dinner on Friday at Hardings restaurant in Aylesbury College.

During the evening Chris spent time talking to local party members about the Liberal Democrat Freedom Bill, detailing how the party plans to roll back the authoritarian laws passed by both Labour and Conservative governments.

Chris said “the old parties have undermined civil liberties and day by day more of our personal freedoms are being eroded. The Freedom Bill will redress the balance back to the individual. With one small change after another over the last 20 years, the cumulative loss of civil liberties is huge.

The Government has presided over the slow death by a thousand cuts of our hard-won British freedoms. Our forebears who fought so hard to establish our rights under the law would be shocked at what we have lost. The Freedom Bill will repeal 20 years of attacks on our civil liberties from both Labour and Tory governments.”

Chris also spoke about the national economy and drew comparisons between Vince Cable who from 1990 worked for Shell International and from 1995 was Shell’s Chief Economist; and George Osborne who has only has a political career working for the Tory party or as an MP.

“It goes to show that Vince Cable really knows what it is like to meet a pay roll demand, and what real business goes through in this recession, rather than someone who has just been in politics” said Chris.

Hosting the event, Julian Newman, the chairman of Aylesbury Liberal Democrats said “we were pleased that Chris came and spoke to the Aylesbury Liberal Democrats about his Freedom bill and the national economic problems. Buckinghamshire Liberal Democrats have the fastest growing membership in the country and are offering a real alternative to one party rule in Bucks.”

Aylesbury Local Liberal Youth members were also at the event and speaking afterwards Alexander Turner from Aylesbury Liberal Youth said “Chris Huhne really inspired me when he talked about our civil freedoms. It made me realise how important the Liberal Democrats are to modern politics.”

Notes for editors
The 20 measures contained in the draft legislation will:
• Cut the maximum pre-charge detention period from 28 to 14 days
• Abolish the veto in the Freedom of Information Act that allows ministers to keep information secret
• Scrap the ID card scheme
• Remove all innocent people from the DNA database, except for those tried for a violent or sexual offence
• Stop councils and others snooping by restricting the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to serious and terrorist offences
• Regulate CCTV to protect privacy following a Royal Commission on the use of cameras
Further information can be found at www.freedom.libdems.org.uk/petition

Aylesbury Liberal Democrats have slammed as ‘totally inadequate’ a government scheme supposed to help families facing the loss of their homes. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was announced in November last year by the Government following an alarming rise in the number of people having their homes repossessed by mortgage lenders.

But Labour ministers have restricted the scheme to only 6,000 homes across the whole of England. That means only one in 25 households facing repossession claims in the courts – the first part of a process mortgage lenders have to go through to repossess a home – will get help under the scheme. 244 repossession claims were issued in Aylesbury in 2008, and many more are expected in 2009. But only 10 of these are likely to have their homes saved under this scheme.

Cllr Alan Sherwell, the Liberal Democrat Leader at Aylesbury Vale District Council, said, “The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was launched with a great fanfare by the Government in the autumn. But it is totally inadequate for the tidal wave of repossessions that local residents are facing. The idea behind the scheme is something Liberal Democrats have long been pushing – giving councils and housing associations the opportunity to help residents in mortgage arrears by buying a share in the equity of the home, or even buying it outright. The householders would then rent back their home, therefore avoiding eviction.

“But Labour have taken a good idea and then failed to make it a reality. Only 10 families in Aylesbury out of 244 facing repossession will get help. This is totally inadequate. Labour is behaving like King Canute sitting on the beach hoping they can order the repossession tidal wave to roll back into the sea. At the same time, families are being engulfed in repossession orders and homes are being swept away. Repossession is a terrifying reality for too many people in Aylesbury. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme needs to be expanded urgently or else residents will be face being thrown onto the streets.”

Notes for editors

Information on the Government’s Mortgage Rescue Scheme can be found here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/buyingselling/mortgagerescuemeasures/

On Wednesday night AVDC Tory councilors voted down a motion intended to strengthen the new Aylesbury Vale plan against speculative development.
The motion, proposed by Lib Dem Cllr Avril Davies, requested that “cabinet re examine its resources and find a means to consult on the principles of the lower tier allocations in the Local Development Framework while simultaneously working on options on the detailed allocations for consultation as soon as possible”
The motion was submitted in December, but because council meetings were long ago reduced in number by the administration, and by convention no motions are discussed at the 4th Feb budget meeting, it was not brought to Council until 25th February, nearly three months later.

In the intervening period applications have been made for three speculative large scale developments in the Vale, and a fourth one is advertising its pre-planning exhibition, proving the motion was no mere shroud waving, but that the weaknesses in the LDF process are already tempting property consortia to look outside the planning framework for opportunities.

The plans for Buckingham, Winslow, Wendover, Haddenham and the villages are not at such an advanced stage as Aylesbury. No actual numbers and sites are yet being proposed, but changes have been made to the original draft.

Lib Dem councillors feel that the planning process would have been stronger if a formal consultation had been run, preferably at the same time as the second Aylesbury one, or in parallel with the next stage, to refine and test the arguments for the final allocation proposals, which seem destined to go straight to the final inspector stage instead of back to AVDC for amendment and decision.

The Tories chose to vote against the motion on the spurious grounds that its intention was to delay the process and jeopardise AVDC’s power to decide its own plans. In fact, the proposals did not need any additional time, but they did need additional resources.

Cllr Avril Davies said ‘I am very disappointed but not a bit surprised that my attempt to give this matter a proper airing was treated as a political stunt and not given the consideration it deserved. The local plan has been seriously delayed already by what some think was a Tory political decision to consult on the eastern arc after completing the consultation on the southern arc. That used up all the resources available and, as a result, other areas have not had a fair crack of the whip.

It feels as if every proposed new estate in Aylesbury has been fought over, on paper, two or three times, but in Buckingham or Winslow there just won’t be the same chances to argue it out. It’s certainly a weakness, I hope it isn’t a fatal one’.

Notes for editors
The Liberal Democrat Motion was as follows:

MOTION TO AYLESBURY VALE DISTRICT COUNCIL.

This Council is concerned that the LDF process, as currently being undertaken by AVDC, will leave rural areas of Aylesbury Vale vulnerable to speculative large scale development, supported by opportunistic government intervention.

In particular, Council believes that it is necessary urgently to discuss the implications of the revisions of the core strategy for the rural areas in the absence of further consultation of the rural population.

Council notes that we have already had one ‘scare’ over eco-towns, and the decision to allocate by % only into the rural hierarchy may leave rural areas exposed to unplanned large scale development in view of the non specific nature of the approach to allocation at this stage of the framework and the now extended timescale for completion.

Council accepts that this approach may increase the numbers of small windfall developments (as in the past infill projects of up to 5 houses made up a significant proportion of the rural allocation) but believes that the downside is the risk of major development such as the so-called eco towns or villages.

Council notes that, since consultation was completed in 2007, two major revisions of the core strategy have taken place. Firstly, the Aylesbury Eastern Arc proposal is being consulted on. Secondly, although the review of the allocations to the remaining tiers was supported in principle by the Environment Scrutiny committee, it has caused concern outside the council as there is to be no consultation.

Council understands extending the time scale would leave the Vale vulnerable to speculative development, but of consultation was being carried out, the risk would have been reduced by the corresponding strengthening of the framework by having undertaken consultation. Had this taken place the Council may have had the consultation responses – and in the very fact of having consulted, whatever the outcome – a stronger defence against any possible developments that may attempt to ride roughshod over existing retained AVDLP policies and the emerging LDF.

Council believes that it is in a lose-lose situation with no public input into this stage of the rural areas allocations.

Council urges the Cabinet to re-examine its resources and find the means to consult on the principles of the lower tier allocations in the LDF, while simultaneously working on options on the detailed allocations for consultation, as soon as possible.

Proposed by Avril Davies
Seconded by Corry Cashman

• Local Development Framework, directions of growth is due to be discussed at AVDC Cabinet on 10th March 2009. The cabinet will make a recommendation to the full AVDC council and will be debated on 29th April 2009.

Liberal Democrats in Aylesbury will be packing their bags this week to head off to the party’s spring conference in Harrogate. Doors to the conference will open on the evening of Friday 6th March. It will close on Sunday 8th with a speech from party leader, Nick Clegg MP.
Those attending from Aylesbury include Cllr Steven Lambert, Cllr Mary Baldwin, Cllr Alan Sherwell, Liberal Democrat local party chairman Julian Newman, Aylesbury Liberal Democrat President Sharon Bowles MEP and Aylesbury Liberal Youth member Emily Benbow.
“We are really looking forward to going to the conference,” said Cllr Steven Lambert. “There are some great debates coming up and the chance to refresh our campaigning on local issues. Our Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable will once again, be talking on the economy and conference will be rounded off with a speech by Nick Clegg.”
Cllr Alan Sherwell, leader of the Liberal Democrats at AVDC said “At our last conference in September, we debated and agreed the national policy framework, ‘Make it Happen’ which set out our major policies ranging from Tax reform to green policies, ID cards and financial stability. This conference builds on that and there will be debates on reforming the banks and the financial sector, skills and higher education, schools, prisons and childcare.”
Cllr Mary Baldwin, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at Buckinghamshire County Council said “in addition to Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, there will be a speech by Howard Dean, who campaigned to win the US Presidential nomination for the Democrats in 2004. Though Mr Dean did not win the nomination, he is widely regarded as having dramatically changed and improved campaigning on the internet. “This will all make for an interesting conference.”

Notes for editors

‘Make it Happen’ information can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/policies/make-it-happen-16573100;show

Spring Conference information can be found at : www.libdems.org.uk/conference

This week worried parents in Fairford Leys found out whether their children got into St Mary’s C of E School after a massive 104 children applied to get in. 60 were lucky to get a place as it’s a two form entry school. But 14 children from within catchment did not get into the popular and highly successful village school.

Cllr Steven Lambert, Chairman of Coldharbour Parish Council and governor of the school said “we told the County Council three years ago that they would have 17 children that would not get a place this year, and if it wasn’t for two Fairford Leys children withdrawing their place, we would have been almost on the forecast. Since the school places problem came to light, the County Council have tried to blame the school Governors, the developers and even the parents for having more children than forecast rather than accept that they did not build a school big enough. It’s not as if they don’t have the money – they do, they are just choosing to ignore the plight of these young families.

At what point will the Tory County Council realise that they must rebalance their budget get their act together and accept that our forecast is accurate and that they must act to make sure that our community does not suffer any further. Next year it could be over 40 children from Fairford Leys that do not get a place. If every child matters as they claim, Bucks County Council must act now to increase the size of the school now.”

At a school Governor meeting last night, where the numbers were revealed, the Governors resolved to write to Marion Clayton to get her to act on the plans drawn up by officers and Governors last year to increase the size of the current school and improve the classrooms of the current school. They also decided to further investigate going to Voluntary Aided status as a means of getting the funding to increase the size of the school. However, the Governors learned that Bucks County Council will do nothing to help the Governors reach this status, which would see the school freed from County admissions criteria and the stranglehold on forward planning and finances.

Cllr Steven Lambert said “In all reality Bucks County Council has the Governing Body and community by the short and curlies. Changing status would massively change the way the school is funded and managed and could be a way forward, yet the County will not help us even look at it. They have the money to increase the school. Yet they will not spend it. They have the draft plans to make it happen. Yet they will not develop them. They have the ability to make this problem go away – yet they do nothing. We are being prevented at every hands turn to ease the problem and that is not acceptable.”

Cllr Steven Kennell, County Councillor for Aylesbury West, which includes Fairford Leys said, “This is terrible news for the 14 families that did not get a place in their local school. Both Cllr Freda Roberts and I have met with Marion Clayton and asked her to act before its too late and she kept saying no. Now it is too late for these young families.”

County Councillor Freda Roberts, who also represents Aylesbury West, said “We have been fighting a strong campaign over the past few years to increase the number of spaces in St Mary’s. For Marion Clayton to do nothing and allow more young families to suffer is, quite frankly, disgusting. Not one Tory County Councillor has challenged the decision’s she has made over this and not once has Marion Clayton said sorry or admitted that the County Council have made a mistake. That is unforgiveable. This issue is not going to go away. We will continue our campaign to get the places we need at St Mary’s”.

Cllr Paul Hughes said “The Council knew when they launched their recent consultation on School places that there was a problem with spaces and they kept quiet on the numbers. They knew in November that there would be at least 14 children that would not get into the school and they have not done anything to mitigate this. They knew that the community have been calling for them to act and have ignored them. Time and time again the Tory led County Council have shown that they cannot and will not understand what young families need and want for their children.”

Cllr Hughes added. “We will now have more families driving their children past their friends on their way to school, rubbing salt in the wound and adding to the environmental impact of more cars on the road. AVDC already have to increase Air Quality Management testing (AQMA) in the area because of increased pollution and yet here we have Bucks County Council adding to it.”

Notes for editors
Background information
The figures of children that did get in are:
In catchment and with a sibling – 25. Furthest distance form the school gate 0.72 miles
In Catchment no sibling at St Mary’s – 4. Furthest distance from the school gate 0.49 miles
Catchment with no siblings at St Mary’s 31. Furthest distance from the school gate 0.43 miles

At the AVDC full council meeting last Wednesday, the Tory led Council pushed through their plans for a 2% rise on Council Tax.

In doing so, the Tories are putting at risk front line services as they are to scrap the Pest Control Service and the Health Improvement Scheme – which covers amongst other things the ‘slipper exchange’ for senior citizens.

The AVDC Liberal Democrat spokesman of resources Cllr Steven Kennell gave a responding speech and put an amendment that would have seen the saving of the pest control service and the Health Improvement Service. This was after the Tories faced a barrage of complaints by Lib Dem councillors when we learned that they planned to scrap the funding for the arts and sports councils. Cllr Paul Hughes the Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet member for Communities and Leisure said “By forcing the Tories to put back the funding for the

The Tories tried to recover their position by claiming that they were cutting back on the major spending plans on the Council Chamber and office block, which have a £12 million combined cost, but we have discovered that this is not fully the case.

AVDC and local residents are facing real financial worries but they are not solely down to the world economic situation, but that the pain will be heightened by the past and current actions of the Tory administration:
- the pressing on with the vanity projects, over budget or lacking in thought-out rationale, with the Tories unbalancing the Council’s finances to sustain them (and prevent themselves looking ridiculous)

- continuing to put accruing capital as their priority at the expense of revenue, meaning less money for services and making cuts more likely

- engaging in gesture politics, abandoning their own financial strategy in order to have a token 2% rise in Council Tax for a token one year, which will be of little help to local people and will put more pressure on revenue andservices next year.

Cllr Steven Kennell said “The Cabinet and the majority Tory Group ignored all real opportunities to reduce the pain the Council and its residents are facing. This pain is not just the economic downturn, but also of the Tory Cabinet’s own actions. Instead of real action for real residents of Aylesbury Vale, they have relied on symbolic gestures rather than measures of substance that would provide actual benefit.

Before now, the Cabinet Member for Resources had made very clear her view that a 4% increase in Council Tax in Aylesbury Vale was a pittance – the equivalent of half a pint of milk, so how can she and her colleagues honestly claim that halving it will make any difference to the real people we represent?”

The Liberal Democrats are delighted at the decision by the Tory cabinet of AVDC to freeze car parking charges and abandon the Sunday parking charge suggestion. The move came after the Liberal Democrats argued against the introduction of the changes in the council chamber and collected hundreds of signatures in just a couple of hours in protest at the move. The petition was handed in at the Aylesbury Local Area Forum on 10th November and the full AVDC council meeting on 26th November.

Cllr Steve Patrick the leader of the Liberal Democrats at Aylesbury Town Council said “the Tories were determined to make Aylesbury residents, shoppers and businesses suffer by introducing these fees and have had to back track after the Lib Dems and the public protested. When Kevin McPartland announced the decision to the AVDC council it was clear from the calls of support by the Tories that they were going to press ahead regardless of the opposition.

The Liberal Democrats challenged the decision at every step of the way and went to the public with a petition of opposition to the Tory plans. It took this action for the Tories to understand that increasing the car park charges and introducing Sunday charging was wrong for Aylesbury in the current economic troubles. Once again the Tories have proved they have no idea what the ordinary people in Aylesbury are thinking and what they need.”

Cllr Keith Turner who is the local Aylesbury Vale District Council member for Aylesbury Central and handed in the petition at the AVDC full council meeting on 27th November, welcomed the news and said “increasing charges and moving the Thursday late night parking fee reduction to a Saturday was a false economy as it would have stopped people from coming on the late night and would not increase parking use on a Saturday. This is real people power telling the Tories that they are out of touch and out of ideas.”

Cllr Alan Sherwell, the leader of the Liberal Democrats at AVDC said “This just shows that the Tories have no strategy or internal cohesion. Tory scrutiny committee members recommended these charges based on a Tory sponsored officer report against the opposition of Lib Dem Councillors. We are glad that we and the public have made them take the right line.”

Notes for editors
Background information

The petitions were presented to the Greater Aylesbury Local Area Forum on Monday 10th November and at full AVDC council on 26th November. The cabinet member then had to consider the petition and report back to the council his decision.