South Lakes MP Tim Farron, and shadow secretary of state for DEFRA, has called on DEFRA ministers to step in and rescind the changes to water charging which will increase water bills for churches alone by £15million.
With snow and ice across many parts of Kent over the past two days, Kent Police have issued guidance to stay safe, and motorists are urged to leave plenty of time for their journeys.
Scarborough's Lib Dem PPC Tania Exley-Moore, to day backed Norman Bakers call for a freeze on rail fares. Scarborough's rail travellers will start the year with a hangover but that will be caused by the inflation-busting 6% fare rises. This unfair blow came into force for commuters on 1st January. The Liberal Democrats have condemned the Government for failing to freeze regulated fares this year at a time when many workers are facing either a wage freeze or even a wage cut.
Jill Wareham, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Island has given her backing to Liberal Democrat plans for investment in green schemes that will make homes warmer, cut energy bills and improve public transport. The plans, called "Green Road out of Recession", were announced just before Christmas by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP.
The Liberal Democrat group on Shepway District Council have tabled a motion for the next full Council meeting on 21st January to ensure that the V.A.T. reduction from 17.5% to 15% is passed on fully to Shepway residents and service users, or where this is not possible, the windfall extra income passed to local charities or communities.
Most people now realise that the challenge in terms of housing stock and carbon emissions is not new buildings but old ones. 80-90% of our homes will still be standing in 2050. We therefore have to retro-fit them with energy efficiency and energy generation measures if we're to have any chance of hitting the government's new national 80% emissions reduction target. I think local authorities have the ability to provide a solution so long as they concentrate not on eco bling like solar panels but on the "boring" stuff like insulation and double glazing.
