The Liberal Party has noted with concern the media reports on the UK weather highlights in 2022  including a new highest temperature record of 40.3 C record in July during the summer heatwave.
 
We believe that such records will continue to be broken into the foreseeable future and that central and local government, charities and the private sector needs to work together to formulate contingency plans for future extreme weather events as a consequence of global warming.
 
The party supports the outcome of the COP27 conference held in the autumn and believes that keeping projected global temperature changes to 1.5 degree C is the only way to safeguard homes and businesses as well as the natural world.

We support efforts to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuel use and the development of clean energy sources and storage to reduce the world’s carbon footprint to the benefit of all nations.

The Liberal Party believes steps to reduce and delay the spread of coronavirus variants should be taken in a proportionate way.

We note that  Italy has introduced testing and quarantine measures for visitors from China. Almost half of the arrivals to Milan on Monday this week, tested positive for COVID-19.

As  China is soon to relax overseas travel restrictions, we believe that the UK Government should immediately introduce testing and quarantine measures for visits from China and Hong Kong (or insist on negative pre-departure testing). 

A review in a month's time can analyse the infection rate data from visitors from China and Hong Kong. This would be comparable to measures already taken by India, Italy, and the USA.

Not to do so would ignore the unique surge of COVID-19 infections inChina and leave the UK vulnerable to unknown strains of the coronavirus.

Practically it would be impossible to test all those arrivals and ensure quarantine measures followed.

The Liberal Party notes with great sadness the recent industrial action by nurses and ambulance crews, part of wider strike action across the economy this month.
 
We believe the Government has stubbornly refused to accept that 12 years of austerity and wage restraint has left a vast number of hardworking people in this country without the financial resources to meet rising energy and food bills this winter.
 
Many employees have been left with the stark choice of industrial action to protect their income, and the health and wellbeing of their families or passively face the unimaginable prospects of cold, ill-health and crippling energy bills.
 
As such the Liberal Party acknowledges their right to withdraw their labour as hard as this is for them professionally to do so.
 
The Liberal Party calls upon the government to recognise that key workers have gone on strike as a last resort and to re-enter pay negotiations in an acknowledgement of these hard facts and offer a settlement which recognises their plight.

The Liberal Party welcomes the recent Labour Commission on Devolution in particular the replacement of  the House of Lords, and greater powers and finance for city regions.
 
Where the option of an elected Mayor is offered, we believe communities should be allowed to pick their governance without excess influence.

However, devolution, without Proportional Representation(PR) will fail to engage voters and could create bastions of Labour Council cronyism and corruption.
 
The Liberal Party therefore believes councils and regional bodies will only be more responsive and accountable to their communities with PR.
 
This form of representation better reflects the distribution of voter preference and prevents a party with a minority of the vote’s securing excess power as occurred under our discredited first part the post system.

I was reminded this week that the saga of Reading Burrough Councils annual accounts submission has been conspicuous by its absence from the local media.

A brief search of the council website reveal why.

It appears the accounts for the last financial year, 2021 to 2022, where not delivered to the Audit Committee by the summer deadline for the 6th consecutive year and the full accounts appear to have missed their October deadline for the 5th time in 6 years.

At a time of extreme strain on council budges from the effects of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis councils need to have visibility of their financial situation, something our Labour run councils seems to think is an unnecessary burden, not a sign of accountability and openness.

Without the reassurance of timely accounts, we can’t be assured that the council is in any better financial position than say labour run Slough which issued a section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy in July of this year.

That’s not good company to be in.

Stephen Graham
Reading Liberal Party(Organiser)

The Liberal Party has read with great sadness the details of the death of Awaab Ishak in December 2020, because of his exposure to toxic mould in his Rochdale home.
 
The social housing sector has long been an underfunded and poorly regulated area, despite offering a home to some of the most vulnerable in our communities as well as low-paid workers.
 
The Liberal Party calls for increased finance of this sector to combat increasing waiting lists and rising private sector rents which are driving the need to more affordable accommodation.
We would also build at least 150,000 social homes a year as part of our annual house building programme. 
Whilst we welcome Government proposals to tighten enforcement action, we believe equal responsibility for the safe upkeep of any property rests equally with the landlord and tenant.
 
We understand that some residents are failing to heat and ventilate their homes, but many are directly suffering financially because of the cost-of-living crisis and energy prices rises and need assistance to remain warm and safe.

The Liberal Party notes the increased media reports that the Government is to allow local councils to substantial increase council tax.
 
It is understood local authorities will be allowed to increase council tax by 3% with an additional increase of 2% for those councils with also have social care responsibilities, taking it to 5% with no requirement for a local referendum.
 
The party believes that this will simply move the burden of funding local services onto already overstretched families, using a tax which is regressive, with the owners of the more expensive properties paying proportionally less.
 
As a party we are determined to reform Council Tax with a Proportional Property Tax in the short to medium term and in the long term with Land Value Taxation(LVT).
 
After 12 years of austerity in this country, and substantial cut to central funding for local authorities, the government has again chosen to ignore the fact that many families in this country simply do not have the financial resources to meet this increased pressure on family budgets.

The Liberal Party notes the publication of Liverpool City Council’s budget proposals as it struggles to fill a £73 million budget deficit.
 
Proposals to cut 150 jobs have been announced as LCC tries to save £32m from next year's budget. Grants providing social care will be withdrawn and some voluntary groups will lose part or all their funding under the proposals
 
The Benefit Maximisation Team is one of the services likely to be scaled back at this time despite the tremendous work it does with the most vulnerable residents.
 
Liberal Party Councillor Alan Tormey  has written to Mayor Joanne Anderson and interim chief executive ThersaGrant Stating:

“I am shocked that at a time when so many people are struggling financially, with those on benefits most severely affected, that the council are planning to reduce the number of staff there to support the most vulnerable.

As a fantastic service with people who do such a fantastic job with our most vulnerable, I believe that this proposal should be thrown out.

This is totally unconscionable in the current climate. The staff in this department are such positive ambassadors for the council and they do such a wonderful job in helping those who need it most”

The Liberal Party notes this week’s Autumn Statement with its mix of tax rises and cuts to expenditure as the nation faces a sustained period of recession and lost economic activity.
 
Whilst the party understands the need to balance a budget shortfall estimated at £55 billion, we believe this statement concentrated too much on taxing income for middle and low earners and made no attempt to tax accrued wealth.
 
We need to improve the availability of labour in our country to reduce supply shortages much along lines If we are to grow the economy and to take steps to help small business growth,  something other parties talk about but fall to deliver
To support families and business we would:
 
* Increase the Personal Tax Threshold from £12,500 to £20,000  allowing people to retain more of their earnings

* Equalise the Income Tax/Capital Tax Gains/Dividend Tax at the same rate

* Free up to 1.2 million SME's from paying Corporation Tax (over 80% of companies) by lifting the minimum threshold to £100,000, whilst raising the rate from 19% to 20%.

The Liberal Party notes the £33 billion in profits recently announced by HSBC, Lloyd, Natwest and Barclays banks.
 
Whilst much of this profit is the result of higher interest rates, including overnight deposits held by the BOE, and Quantitative Easing, these companies also make a regular profit from business and personal banking services.
 
It is not healthy for a banking sector to generate profits to the detriment of the wider economy and the party believes banking regulators and the government should seek to ensure companies and consumers are fairly supported by the banks they do business with, and excess profits are ploughed back into supporting the wider economy.
 
As providers of financial services to the SME sector of the economy banks have a vital role supporting business which in turn create economic activity, employment, and ultimately economic prosperity.