Over 100 residents gathered at Broomfield Parade on Saturday 25th September to protest at Tesco's decision to close Broomfield Parade Post Office. The action followed petitions and a letter-writing campaign involving 1,500 residents. Lib Dem Councillor Alan Arnot said, "Tesco has decided to close the post office despite efforts to get a new postmaster in place in another shop unit before the end of the year."
More than 1m of some of the country's most disadvantaged workers will receive a pay rise tomorrow when the minimum wage rate increases by just over 4 per cent to £5.05 an hour. Despite protests from business that higher labour costs would cause massive job losses, the introduction of a national minimum wage in 1999, then £3.60 an hour, is generally regarded as having been a success.
Chigwell Lib Dem Councillors will be supporting local roadshows, promoting the new arrangements for refuse collection in the area.
Yesterday's by-election result in New Romney Town delivered a body blow to the Labour party in Shepway. Labour lost their only District Council seat in Shepway by a huge margin, where as the Lib Dems held their vote in the face of a vigorous campaign from the other parties.
The government's plans to expand the role of the private sector in the NHS, were defeated yesterday after the big trade unions voted against it, despite a plea from the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, that it was vital to achieving shorter waiting lists and a better service. The health secretary will not moderate her policies as a result of the vote, promising only to consult more and provide protection for any staff transferred into the private sector, claiming she has support in the constituency parties for radical reform.
The annual Fresher's Fayre took place today at the University of the Wolverhampton. The Liberal Democrats were the only mainstream political party to have a stand at the Fayre and signed up a number of new members and took details of many more that expressed an interest.
