To make cuts, Salford Council recently announced . . . → Read More: CWaC Pay & Cuts]]> I would like to make a few points to give perspective to the cuts and pay ‘harmonisation’ that ‘Cheshire West & Chester Council’ are currently busying themselves with.

To make cuts, Salford Council recently announced that it is axing some its top bosses to save £1 million in wages. In comparison, CWaC have 13 staff paid over £100,000 last year, which comes to a staggering £1,684,426, and an average of £129,571 each!!!

Another example is Stockport Council which, in contrast to CWaC, only has four staff paid over £100k and only one over £130k. I use Stockport as an example as it has a similar population to CWaC, with a population of 280,000 and the West Cheshire area is about 320,000, so comparison of size of council and senior management levels is fair.

So CWaC seems top heavy with high paid managers, which should be no surprise to anyone. But that is our council tax money that they are spending.

And now CWaC are busy ‘harmonising’ staff contracts across the borough (over 4 years after taking over I might add), ie making real term reductions in pay for lower paid staff by getting rid of overtime allowances for weekends and out of hours working. This puts those poor staff in an untenable position, accept the cut or lose your job.

So how about CWaC setting a real example and getting rid of some of its top heavy team of 13 senior managers who all earn over £100k a year? But it won’t, because it’s Tory controlled so they will happily cut lower paid staffs pay but won’t cut the top paid as they are all chums together. CWaC staff are clearly not ‘all in this together’.

The Directive, now endorsed by Parliament, would ensure that all people arrested or detained in an EU country would be given information about their legal rights in an . . . → Read More: New directive will help Brits abroad know their rights]]> Lib Dem European justice and human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford has welcomed a new EU Directive guaranteeing all criminal suspects information about their rights and the evidence against them.

The Directive, now endorsed by Parliament, would ensure that all people arrested or detained in an EU country would be given information about their legal rights in an easily understandable form.

London MEP Sarah Ludford commented: “The core of the new measure is that everyone arrested will be handed a ‘letter of rights’ setting out their entitlements such as the right to have a lawyer, have consular authorities informed and get urgent medical care. This already happens in the UK so we will not have problems complying, but it will be of major benefit in raising standards for Brits arrested abroad or extradited under a European Arrest Warrant.”

“Being arrested abroad can be a frightening experience. Nobody should have their right to a fair trial denied.”

The European Commission has confirmed that Norway, which has twice voted not to join the EU, last year adopted 300 . . . → Read More: Leaving EU would leave Britain to pass 300 laws without debate]]> As MPs prepare to debate an in/out referendum on EU membership, the North West’s Lib Dem MEP is warning that Britain could be forced to adopt 300 new laws every year with no say from MPs.

The European Commission has confirmed that Norway, which has twice voted not to join the EU, last year adopted 300 laws as the price of staying in the European Economic Area (EEA).  While British Ministers, MEPs and civil servants helped to shape these laws, Norwegians had no say whatsoever and passed them into Norwegian law without question.

There are 27 countries, including the UK, within the EU.  Another three countries, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are members of the EEA.  Together the thirty countries make up the Single Market that is supported by all three major UK political parties.

Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies said, “No serious politician wants the UK to leave the Single Market with the economic disaster that would cause.

“The truth is that pulling out of the EU would leave Britain with no say in the making of laws that we would have to obey.”

Iceland recently applied for full EU membership and Croatia is set to join next year so the MEP claims that the EU is still seen by many countries as the best trade bloc to be a member of.

“Far from making us stronger and independent, leaving the EU would leave the UK weak and at the mercy of 28 countries who would no longer have to take notice of our opinions.”

While Davies agrees with the principle of an EU referendum at the appropriate time, he says that dealing with Britain’s economic woes must be the priority for the Government right now.

We are very concerned that senior Liberal Democrats have given political commentators the opportunity to present . . . → Read More: The EU veto]]> The City of Chester Liberal Democrat Executive is deeply disturbed that the Prime Minister chose to exercise a veto in the early hours of 9 December 2011 and thereby side-lined the UK from the crucial negotiations on the European financial strategy.

We are very concerned that senior Liberal Democrats have given political commentators the opportunity to present our party as shifters and equivocators on a subject as important to our parties views on Europe.

The deputy Prime Minister’s initial support for the Prime Minister and confirmation that he had supported the negotiating strategy changed with each revealing news item to a dismay at the outcome!

The Chester Executive believe that the party should be resolute in explaining why Europe is so important to our country’s future economic health to the public and why we believe working with our European partners is in the long term best interests of our country. We are dismayed that on such an important subject the party has been presented as marginalised ( i.e. not at the negotiating table at all ), at odds with our beliefs and shifty

Nick Clegg at the Resolution Foundation (Photo by the Cabinet Office)

The Liberal Democrats believe you should keep more money that you earn. That is why we believe . . . → Read More: And here’s the good news…]]>

Nick Clegg at the Resolution Foundation (Photo by the Cabinet Office)

The Liberal Democrats believe you should keep more money that you earn. That is why we believe the tax-free threshold should raise to £10,000, saving working people £700 a year and making sure millions of the lowest paid workers don’t have to pay any income tax at all.

Between now and the Budget, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats in Government will be arguing for faster tax cuts for hard-working families, promoting work and growth, and rewarding innovation, paid for by increasing the amount paid by the richest.

Every politician has a simple choice: do you support a tax system that rewards the hard-working many? Or do you back taxes that favour the wealthy few?

And the Liberal Democrats in Coalition are already making the difference:

• More than 800,000 working people no longer paying income tax
• 23 million working people have been given a £200 tax cut
• In April this year every worker will be given a further income tax cut of £130
• And by the local elections in May this year, 1.1 million of the lowest paid workers, will no longer be burdened by income tax
• The Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering a fairer economy, turning our tax promise into cash in your pocket. It was on the front page of our manifesto and is being implemented because of Liberal Democrats in Government.
• As part of this Coalition, Liberal Democrats are calling time on our unfair and out-of-whack tax system.
• We’ve clamped down on tax avoiders – targeting an extra £7bn every year
• We’re taxing the banks by an extra £2.5bn every year
• We’ve stopped inheritance tax cuts for millionaires
• We’ve put up Capital Gains Tax, raising £925m a year by 2015
• We’re ending the scandal, under Labour, of a hedge-fund manager paying less tax on their shares than their cleaner paid on their wages
• We’ve reduced tax breaks on pension funds for the super-rich, raising £4.4bn a year by 2015
• We have retained the 50p rate

And our overall priority is freeing the lowest-paid from income tax altogether and cutting income tax for millions of ordinary workers

You can read Nick’s speech to the resolution Foundation here: http://www.libdems.org.uk

1) the visit of a senior party figure;

2) a good . . . → Read More: “A Sensible Drugs Policy”–Chris Davies (7:30pm 3rd Feb, Bishop Lloyd’s Palace)]]> If you’re anything like me, there are two reasons to be looking forward to Friday 3rd February:

1) the visit of a senior party figure;

2) a good old debate on a controversial topic everyone has an opinion on.

Chester Liberal Democrats invite you to join us as Lib Dem Member of the European Parliament for the North West – Chris Davies MEP – pays us a visit.

Chris will be leading a discussion on ‘a sensible drugs policy’ from 7.30pm at:

Bishop Lloyd’s Palace,

51-53 Watergate Street Row,

Chester

CH1 2LE

Chester Lib Dems are grateful to Chris for taking time out of his busy schedule and would like to give him a warm welcome on 3rd February – guests are welcome too – so please come along and get involved in the discussion!

Further . . . → Read More: Chester’s Planning Disgraces]]> Chester Liberal Democrats are dismayed at some of the recent decision making by the Planning Committee that local councillors sit on, vote and make decisions on your behalf.

Further to the recent reports that the proposed new ‘Super Surgery’ NHS centre on Delamere Street has now received planning permission, has anyone else considered what appears to be yet another poor quality design of building to blight our fair ‘heritage’ city?

The developers, Watkin Jones must be delighted that they have achieved a hat trick of ugly buildings all within a few hundred metres of one another; the ‘Super Surgery’, the Fountains Travelodge, and the ‘Ladders’ apartments, next to the Ship Inn.

One can only assume a member of their staff won a bet that he/she could get not one; not two but three cheap and nasty designs along major routes into the city.

Mark A Williams, Chester Liberal Democrat campaigner in Hoole & Newton says,

“Liverpool has three magnificent buildings on its waterfront known everywhere as the "Three Graces". Sadly Chester will soon be known for the ‘Three Disgraces’”.

Mark has written to the local papers in hoping that it will highlight the issue further.

The plans involve the taxpayer guaranteeing part of the mortgage of first time buyers on newly built houses. Currently, people buying a house for the first time . . . → Read More: House deposit plan will help young families]]> A plan recently announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to help first time buyers get on to the housing ladder has been welcomed by Liberal Democrats in Chester.

The plans involve the taxpayer guaranteeing part of the mortgage of first time buyers on newly built houses. Currently, people buying a house for the first time have to put down a deposit which can be as high as 25%. The high deposit levels have been an impossibly high hurdle for many people wanting to buy their first home. With fewer people therefore able to buy, fewer homes have been built. “I know many young families feel that owning their home is beyond their reach because it will take years to save up the deposit that is demanded by the banks and building societies,” said Mark Williams. “As a result, many in Chester are living in private rented housing which has forced up private rents. Many now pay more to rent than they would if they were paying a mortgage. That makes it even more difficult to find the money to save for a deposit”.

The plans announced recently by the Government will see the taxpayer guarantee a small part of the mortgage. The banks will therefore be able to bring down the level of deposit demanded as people under this scheme will be less of a risk.

We need to get Britain building again. This plan will help boost demand for new homes and therefore boost jobs in Chester and Cheshire West.