The historic victory for our motion in the House of Commons was a victory for justice. Many people were angry about the way in which Gordon Brown and his Immigration Minister Phil Woolas had failed to listen to public demands for fair treatment for the Gurkhas.But it was a day when we could all feel great pride in being Liberal Democrats.

It was also a great day for Nick Clegg who said that, “This is an historic victory for the Gurkhas who have served our country so bravely.

“This Government has now lost its moral authority. From the first moment I challenged Gordon Brown on this over a year ago, he didn’t understand that there was a simple moral principle at stake.

“People who are willing to die for our country, should be allowed to live in our country.

“The Government must listen to Parliament and scrap these shameful rules immediately and grant justice without conditions to all retired Gurkhas.”

There is a great analysis of the vote on the Politics.co.uk website and you can see the BBC website report here. 

PLANS by the Liberal Democrats to massively increase the energy efficiency of all homes will lead to big savings in energy bills, say Liberal Democrats in Halewood.

In a message to local residents, campaigner Cllr Dave Smithson has backed the plans to raise the standard of home energy efficiency.

“The energy efficiency standards of 99 out of every 100 homes fall well below what they should be,” said Cllr Dave Smithson. “Nearly every one of us is spending money on bills to heat the great outdoors as so much energy escapes from our homes.

“We want to bring home energy efficiency up to the highest level possible. In the past year, fuel bills have gone through the roof. But too often, our heat is escaping through the roof as well. Our plans will put an end to that.”

By cutting energy waste, we are also cutting the damage we do to the environment. It’s a win-win situation: lower fuel bills and fewer emissions that are leading to climate change that has given us extreme weather.”The Liberal Democrats’ plans include requiring energy companies to use some of the £9 billion profit they have made from emissions trading to insulate the homes of the poorest residents.

They will also set up a National Green Loans scheme which will pay for a complete overhaul of the energy efficiency of people’s homes. Repayments will be added to energy bills with the loan paid off from the savings in energy use. Loan repayments will not be allowed to be more than the savings.

“This is a great idea for helping people to cut their energy bills and help us save the planet,” said Dave.

Halewood Town Council has taken a series of measures aimed at helping local residents through the current recession and ease their financial burden in the months ahead.

Councillors unanimously agreed to freeze the Council Tax precept for a second year despite increases in overheads of more than £20,000 faced by the Council for the coming year.

The council also agreed to freeze hire charges for the next twelve months at its community centres and sports facilities, introduced a free hire policy for funeral wakes at community centres for Halewood residents and set up a working group to bring forward other proposals to help the local community through these difficult times.

The freeze on the council tax precept will mean an average Band D property will continue to pay just over £1 a week for the services provided by Halewood Town Council, which was named last year as the best performing local council in England and Wales by the National Association of local Councils.

The additional measures announced will also help ease the financial burden on local community and sports groups that use the Council’s facilities.

Cllr Dave Smithson, Leader of the Majority Group of the Council, said: “We are pleased to have been able to take these measures to ensure local residents are not facing additional pressures by increases in the local council tax precept or charges for use of our local facilities.

“Despite facing an increase in our costs over the coming 12 months of more than £20,000 we have found efficiencies and savings to keep the cost down to the local community while still investing in our sports facilities and events in the coming year.

“This is a budget that maintains services at the level residents want and expect, invests for the future while helping local people through this recession.

“The additional measures of freezing hire charges and introducing free hire for funeral wakes will also help our community and the working group will look at a range of other initiatives to bring forward in the near future to help with this global downturn.”

A shocking dossier from the Liberal Democrats has revealed just some of the ways our taxes are being wasted on extravagant and incompetent projects.

Despite the hardship many local families and residents face, Labour found £130 million to refurbish the Ministry of Justice’s office, £29 million to build accommodation for asylum seekers which was never built, £7 million for chauffeur-driven cars for ministers in just one year - and £50,000 for a party to which only 20 guests were invited!

A massive £13 billion has also been spent on an NHS records system which doesn’t work.

How our money is wasted

* £13 billion on an NHS record system that is a complete failure
* £130 million on refurbishing Ministry of Justice offices
* £81 million on a Department of Transport economy drive that was supposed to save £57 million
* £29 million on accommodation for asylum seekers that was never built
* £265.8 million the amount the government spent on advertising, marketing and public relations in 2007/8, an increase of £197.2 million since 1997-98
* £200 million wasted over the past five years on IT projects that were never completed
* £7 million on chauffeur driven cars for ministers in one year
* £28.78 million in rent for unoccupied houses for soldiers and their families
* £330 million overspent by government departments on their premises
* £4.2 million by the Government’s Qualifications & Curriculum Authority on hotel rooms in an 18 month period
* £50,000 on a party to which only 20 guests were invited
* £2,000 each on image and public speaking training for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Culture Secretary Andy Burnham

This week Halewood Police and Police Community Support and Transport Officers carried out a series of road policing operations in Halewood.

We have consistently raised cocnerns on behalf of local rsidents about speeding traffic in the area, especially on Okell Drive, so it was pleasing to see our local police officers addressing this problem.

The operation resulted in over 30 motorists being prosecuted or warned for offences ranging from speeding to use of mobile phones while driving and not wearing seat belts. Several other pieces of information were also gleaned concerning known local criminals.

Dedicated Neighbourhood Poice Sergeant Gary Wilde said: “The success of this operation has demonstrated to motorists that speeding and using hand held mobile phones while driving would not be tolerated in Halewood.  We will be running similar operations on a regular basis.”

 All in all this was a very successful excercie and one I am assured will be repeated in the coming weeks, so you have been warned!! Drive safely and considerately and watch your speed!!

Halewood Liberal Democrat councillors are backing the Echo campaign to win government support for our motor industry in the face of the worst economic downturn in 80 years.

Halewood Lib Dem Cllr Dave Smithson said: “Living in the shadow of the Jaguar Land Rover factory and with many Halewood residents employed either directly or

indirectly in jobs at this site it is vital everything is done to safeguard and protect its future viability.

“We fully support the Echo and its sister paper the Daily Post in its campaign to get government backing for the motor industry and I have already signed the petition at www.tinyurl.com/no10jlr “I hope this campaign gathers the support it deserves and that the government acts to address this problem sooner rather than later.”

 

I am very disappointed by the silence from the Obama camp over the ongoing humanitarian crisis emerging in Gaza.

 

As I have said here before and elsewhere I support Israel’s right to defend itself from indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas, whose own actions have not helped the situation from escalating as they have.

 

But that is no excuse for the collective punishment that the Palestinian people have been subjected to by Israel with their killing of innocent women and children.

What has annoyed me even more throughout this whole sorry mess though is the slow and pathetic response from the international community to what is happening, particularly from the US who have now blocked progress at the UN Security Council.

But what has really disappointed me more than anything has been the deafening silence from President elect Barack Obama.

 

Like many people around the world I was delighted and excited by Obama’s victory in November last year and saw his election as a real opportunity for change and a new kind of politics.

 

The Gaza conflict was Obama’s first real opportunity to set out his foreign policy position on the Middle East and yet so far he appears to have not only missed  a golden chance to do so but his silence is already leading to questions being asked by the international community, many of whom like me are feeling very disappointed.

 

It is not acceptable to hide behind the fact the Mr Bush remains the President for another 2 weeks - Obama has not used that excuse to prevent him from commenting on other major issues of the day not least the current economic crisis.

 

So why use it as a cover for his silence over Gaza?

 

It fools no one Mr Obama.

 

I recently sent an email to the Team Obama and while I did not get a reply to my question interestingly they added me to their email database and within days I started receiving messages from them on a variety of topics.

 

Recently I was even invited to make a donation to the campaign in return for a chance to be entered into a lottery for an all expenses paid trip to Washington for the inauguration!! Shame I noticed on the small print that non-US citizens are not allowed to make such donations……..and shame they didn’t notice I was in the UK before adding me to the database!

 

It would seem that the Obama machine rumbles on towards Washington as slick as ever…….but the hope that change will come is already beginning to be questioned.

 

I really do wonder already if our hope was misguided?

 

The festive break has been a good opportunity o rest and recharge the batteries, watching plenty of TV an sleeping in late….most unusual these days for me! So it was good to get the chance over the weekend to ease myself back into the fray gently, starting with a demonstration against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.  I regular receive emails from the Stop the War Coalition and when news of the demonstrations planned on Saturday landed in my inbox I felt very strongly that I wanted to voice my opposition to what was happening in Gaza.  Taking part in these kind of demonstrations is not normally something I would do, in fact this was probably the first time I had done it, although I often wished I had marched against the illegal war in Iraq! 

This was nothing to do with my political views or beliefs but I was angered by what I felt was a wholly disproportionate response to the problem Israel was unhappy about.  I full accept Israel’s right to protect itself from the rockets being fired at them by Hamas from Gaza, what I do not agree with is their methods and approach which is nothing short of collective punishment for the Palestinian people living in Gaza. The end result of that is many innocent women and children are being killed, that is what really angers me, along with the weak and pathetic response form international leaders who should know better. They stand by idly while innocent people are killed when they could stop the unnecessary bloodshed and inhumane treatment of those not involved in this conflict, Palestinian people who just want to live their lives peacefully and safely.  And when I heard the EU presidency describe the ground attacks last night as “defensive and not offensive” I was really pleased that I had done my bit to try and help raise awareness of the bloodshed going on in Gaza, the EU should be ashamed by its tacit approval of this ongoing conflict. Having got that off my chest I was back on the campaign trail this morning delivering leaflets and letters in Didsbury West,

Manchester, for the forthcoming by-election following the sad and tragic death of our good friend and colleague Neil Trafford. Neil had a large majority but in politics nothing can be taken for granted and no doubt Labour would love to have something to crow about especially as they are still smarting over losing the Withington parliamentary seat to John leech in 2005. Talking of John we bumped into him on route to the Didsbury office when we stopped for breakfast on route……I won’t disclose where we both chose to have our pre campaign fry up for fear of being invaded by the paparazzi next time!! But I’m sure like me John was lovin’ it!!

Children and parents in Halewood will benefit from new proposals for free childcare for every family, claims a leading local Liberal Democrat.

 

Lib Dem spokesman Cllr Dave Smithson has welcomed the proposals, launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg, which offer parents:

 

19 months of paid parental leave, replacing current maternity and paternity leave arrangements. To get the maximum entitlement, parents will have to share the leave as no parent will be able to take more than 12 months

Free and flexible childcare for children aged between 18 months and 5 years for 20 hours per week

A commitment to improve the quality of childcare provision by expanding the role of children’s centres as training institutions for local providers

 

“I am very pleased Nick Clegg has launched these proposals,” said Cllr Dave Smithson. “Paying for childcare is a real struggle for many parents, particularly when times are tough.

 

“As we enter the recession, more parents are going to find themselves having to look for work or wanting a part-time job to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent. These proposals offer real help to families in Halewood.

 

“Support for new fathers is currently very poor. Paid parental leave will give both parents in Halewood an opportunity to spend meaningful time with their newborn baby during those precious first months.”

 

Nick Clegg said, “Britain is a long way off becoming a child-friendly country. Our childcare provisions are among the worst in Europe. They discriminate against workless parents and freeze fathers out of looking after their young children. What we need is a childcare revolution.

 

“Finding childcare that fits around a family’s needs can be a real struggle for parents.

 

“The Liberal Democrats want to make things easier for parents and give children the best start in life by providing free, good quality childcare for every family.

 

“With family budgets getting tighter, more parents are looking at going back to work or training to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent.

 

“As a father of two young sons, I know what a struggle it can be for fathers to take time off work to spend with their newborn child.

 

“Paid parental leave - giving both parents the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their baby - will put mothers and fathers on a more equal footing and give families a chance to bond and enjoy those important first months.”

 

The proposals will be debated at the party’s conference in March.

Liverpool FC and England star Steve Gerrard was recently awarded the Freedom of the Borough by Knowsley Council.

The award is in recognition of his outstanding contribution to national and international football and his position as a role model to young people.

A prestigious celebration was held at Knowsley Council’s Huyton Suite.

The honour came at a particularly poignant time for the 28-year-old midfielder as he is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his first team debut later this month.

It is only the fourth time Knowsley has bestowed this honour in its history and is the first time in 20 years.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Ron Round, said: “The Freedom of the Borough is a special honour and, in Knowsley’s case, a rare one which we only award for truly exceptional individuals. We are delighted to have bestowed this award on Steven tonight.

“He is an excellent ambassador for Knowsley and a great role model. His story is one of talent, commitment and passion which has seen him grow into a world-class player. It sends a message out to young people everywhere that with hard work and persistence, they too can realise their dreams.”

Steven was born and grew up on Huyton’s Bluebell Estate. He started his footballing life playing for Whiston Juniors, before being spotted by a Liverpool scout at age eight.

He said: “This is a very special honour for me and even more so as it is awarded so rarely, so I’d like to thank Knowsley Council. I’m very proud of the area that I grew up in and proud of the community I came from. These are the family and friends who have been with me since I dreamt as a boy of being a professional footballer.”