“Government incompetence has been costly to Northern Rock” – Ian Swales

Responding to the decision by the Government to nationalise Northern Rock, Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Redcar constituency, said:

“This decision is welcome but was also inevitable and should have been taken last year. Instead, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling have been paralysed by their own indecision. They put off the only sensible course of action right until the very end. This is hardly a sensible way to run the Government.

“Had Labour followed the advice of Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable last year, the uncertainty that has been so damaging to Northern Rock and to the British economy would have been avoided.

“The Conservative proposal that Northern Rock should be put into administration and run down would be a disaster. Not only would this not get taxpayers money back any faster but it would be the one way to guarantee that every single job at the bank would be lost, most of them in the North East. Temporary nationalisation will not be easy for Northern Rock, but it at least offers hope that the bank can have a long-term future and eventually be sold when conditions are better.”

Ian Swales is the Liberal Democrats Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Redcar

SAVE OUR POST OFFICES

Ian Swales with local Councilllors Glyn Nightingale (left) and Eric Empson (right) outside Lazenby Post Office

REDCAR Constituency’s Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Ian Swales, says Labour’s new plans to close 2500 post offices will hit local communities across Britain.

That’s nearly 1 in 5 post offices to close and this includes local post offices in Park Avenue, Redcar and Lazenby. These new closures are on top of the 7500 post offices already closed by Conservative and Labour Governments. The closures will mean long journeys for many just to pick up a pension or send a parcel.

Local people deserve much better!

Labour have already closed 4000 post offices in Britain.
The last Conservative Government closed 3500 post offices.
The Lib Dems are fighting to save our post offices.

STEPS TO SAVE OUR POST OFFICES

1. Invest £2 billion in post office network - open new branches where needed.
2. The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business.
3. A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

Please print out and sign our "Save our post offices petition"

I/We the undersigned call on the Labour Government to stop the closure of 2500 post offices across Britain. We need more post offices, not more cuts.

Name/s _________________________________________

Address_________________________________________

Phone_________________ Email____________________

Return to: FREEPOST RRKX-SBSS-JRTS,
Redcar & Cleveland Liberal Democrats,
39 Coast Road,
Redcar,
Yorkshire, TS10 3NN

NUNTHORPE MEETING OF THE AREA COMMITTEE

AREA COMMITTEE NUNTHORPE YOUTH CLUB 6 PM TUESDAY
12 FEBRUARY

We have been proved right that this Labour invention to keep control covers too big an area. The previous Ormesby, Normaby & Eston Area Committee made regular visits to our area. But this is the first meeting locally since the May elections of the new Greater Eston Committee.

You need to know that the local police inspector attends the Area Committee and answers residents' questions. He needs residents' suggestions for neighbourhood policing prioriities.

The latest spending from our £6000 allocation are getting a grit bin for the Laburnum Rd-Lilac Road junction and Spring bedding plants at the Library.

NEW BENCH FOR ORCHARD WAY

Cllrs Eric Empson and Irene Nightingale showed local team member, Ann Wilson, the new bench on Orchard Way. A local resident suggested that one was needed there. So we used some of our Area Committee allocation. We also got officials to move the litter and dog bin.

FIRE BRIGADE FORCED TO FIND £2M CUTS

Ian Swales,the local Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, has unearthed the shocking fact that the Governmetn is forcing the fire service to make massive cuts.

He said recently, "Our area is highly populated with the risk of fire on major chemical, steel-making or nuclear plants.
"Yet cutbacks in the local fire service are on the cards. And it’s all because Government has cut funding to Cleveland Fire Brigade by £2million forcing cuts in services, such as - cutting crewing on fire engines, abolishing community safety teams, cutting staffing, and response times for environmental protection and incident command support, closing a fire station, not filling six vacant posts and pushing up Council Tax by 5%.
"The Fire Service has been successful in the past four years. So why is the Labour Government cutting back in supporting one of our vital local services?"

“LIKE PUTTING NEW TYRES ON A CAR JUST TO TOW IT TO THE SCRAPYARD”

Labour are spending over £120,000 of your Council Tax money repairing and re-decorating the Town Hall and Finegan Hall which is planned for demolition. At the same time they are making £5½m cuts in services.

NEW LIB DEM LEADER PLANS CHANGE FOR BRITAIN

New Lib Dem Leader, Nick Clegg, outlined his plans for a Liberal Britain to local Councillor Glyn Nightingale when he visited the region.
"As the only Northern MP to lead a major party, I’m fully aware of the importance of the region and the concerns of local people.
New rights for parents, pupils and patients are at the heart of everything the Lib Dems stand for.
No-one should be condemned by the circumstances of their birth.
A fair deal for every family means investing in education, cutting income tax and reforming tax credits. I’ll campaign to cut crime and get a fair deal for victims. And I’ll fight to improve our NHS so it delivers the care people need.
Join with me to make all this happen, so we can give British families control over their own lives.
Together we can make Britain the liberal country the British people want it to be."

Labour’s £5½ million planned cuts

Labour promised no cuts in services and boasted about zero Council Tax rises. It was just election spin. Now they plan cuts including spending on the old, disabled and children in need. The only growth spending is on £350,000 to pay for free junk jobs and throwing money down the drain on Eston Town Hall when the office space isn’t needed.
That’s an extra 1% on Council Tax pushing it up by 4.9%.


WHERE THE OTHER CUTS FALL
• Promised weekly refuse collection kicked into the long grass
• Slashing library spending - no children’s librarian, book fund cut and opening hours cut
• To get a decent junk job collection the charge goes up 50% to £15
• Closing all re-cycling bring sites
• Ending the 'Bring Out Your Dross' re-cycling scheme
• Slashing spending on play equipment maintenance
• Charging for green box replacement
• Ending winter flower bedding
• Cutting grants and charging voluntary organisations more
• 10% higher burial fees


LABOUR’S PHONEY EFFICIENCY SAVINGS EXPOSED


So-called efficiency savings are really cuts in services, higher charges or offloading spending.
For the first time in four years net spending on the old, disabled and vulnerable young people is cut.
Above all Labour is taking massive risks with your tax money -
• They’ve no idea how the forecast downturn in the economy will affect returns on invested cash.
• They’ve no idea if the unions will go for their plan to cut 900 Council officers’ pay by up to £1000.
• They’ve already over-spent by nearly £1m that has put an extra 2% on Council Tax.
Council Leader George Dunning claims he’s in charge. He regularly promises one thing and does the opposite. It’s his Budget. And, it shows!