Shepway Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion slamming the Council treatment of Folkestone businessman Anthony Cowie by Shepway District Council and calling for his case to to reviewed as soon as possible. The motion will be debated at the Shepway District Council full council meeting on Wednesday 13 June.
The Liberal Democrats on Shepway District Council have presented a wide ranging set of questions to Wednesday evenings full Council meeting. The subjects cover issues from recycling, public liability insurance, the state of the Leas bandstand, Veterans Day, freedom bus passes and the future of the Folkestone Post Office.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake called for tougher Freedom of Information legislation when he introduced a ten-minute rule bill in Parliament this afternoon. The bill seeks to remove the veto which allows ministers to overrule the Information Commissioner and Information Tribunal. It will also introduce a time limit for responses to public interest FOI requests, and try to bring school academies and large private contractors working for public authorities within the scope of the FOI legislation. The bill passed its first reading and joins the queue for a second reading debate.
Last week I attended the premier of Taking Liberties. It's a new feature film about how Tony Blair and New Labour have been steadily taking away our civil liberties. Love it or loathe it, it's very thought provoking and led to a heated panel discussion between myself, Shami Chakrabati, Ken Loach, Clive Anderson and others after the screening. You can see the trailer at http://www.noliberties.com/trailer.htm
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair gave hope to the campaign to oppose the bid to form a unitary authority for the whole of Cumbria during Prime Minister's Question Time today. In a response to a question from fellow Liberal Democrat Phil Willis, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough about the proposals to create a unitary authority in North Yorkshire, the PM conceded that the fact that all the North Yorkshire MPs were opposed to the bid was 'very powerful'.
Local MP and member of the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee Tim Farron today asked the government's Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir David King to advise the Prime Minister to be, Gordon Brown to provide incentives for people to work nearer or even at, home where it is possible and practical.
