Burwell Liberal Democrats

Edited by Hazel Williams, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Burwell. Learn more

Making Cambridgeshire a better place to live

by Gareth Wilson on 10 April, 2013

Making Cambridgeshire a better place to live

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats Manifesto 2013

The Liberal Democrats want to make Cambridgeshire a better place for people to live, in its cities, towns and villages, because we believe that the success of Cambridgeshire’s economy depends on quality of life more than in any other shire county.

To make this a better place to live we would improve basic Council services, we would make it easier for people to get around, and we would take care of our environment.

The Conservatives are wedded to the trappings of power and consistently back this up with taxpayers’ money; most even voted to give themselves a 25% pay rise.

While the Conservatives talk of being ‘Open for Business’, they neglect the very services a Council is meant to provide to its citizens and residents.

Improving basic Council services

Our roads, pavements and cycleways have got more money thanks to the Lib Dems, but our pavements still need more and we would ensure they get it. We would fix the mess the Conservatives have made of our streetlights. We would better maintain our primary school buildings, provide more nursery places, and reduce the cuts to Adult Mental Health. We would protect our library service.

Making it easier to get around

The Liberal Democrats would stop the Tory cuts to our bus service, which older people rely on, and provide young people with free transport as they seek employment, education and training. We would contribute to the cost of a rail link to Wisbech, our most deprived town. In cycling, we would invest in the Chisholm Trail in Cambridge and strategic cycle links around the county.

Looking after our environment

We would invest in solar and wind power, generating millions in revenue for basic services and creating apprenticeships for young people in this key industry of the future. The Lib Dems know that human behaviour is a fundamental cause of climate change and would ensure that the County Council played its part locally in minimising Cambridgeshire’s contribution to global warming.

Paying for it

The overrunning costs of the Guided Bus project, backed by Labour and the Conservatives locally, is harming the Council’s ability to deliver basic services. To fund our priorities we would eliminate the corporate waste caused by long-term Tory misrule and increase the amount of revenue generated by the Council.

We think it is unreasonable in financially constrained times for the County Council to maintain such a costly headquarters; we would sell Shire Hall, which costs £1M a year to maintain, and dispose of an extra 4% of the Council’s property portfolio. We would also invest in green energy to generate a regular income stream to fund improved basic services.

For the full manifesto click on link below

http://secambslibdems.org.uk/en/document/2013-county-council-manifesto.pdf

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