Local News

Lib Dem ‘reality check’ unearths six broken Tory election promises

Just days after the Conservative-led Hampshire County Council announced plans to slash public services across the region, analysis by the Basingstoke Liberal Democrats has revealed that the Tories have already broken a number of the 'pledges for Hampshire's Future' that they made during the recent election.

21 Sep 2017
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Cllr Gavin James

Conservative cuts ‘’deeply damaging”

Conservative cuts to Hampshire County Council services are set to be "deeply damaging" according to local Liberal Democrats. Councillor Gavin James leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Basingstoke and Deane Council says: "These proposed cuts will leave a trail of devastation through services in Hampshire. So far we have seen just the plans for transport, roads and waste and the scale of cuts is deeply damaging. Whether your someone who relies of the bus service, a parent wanting a child to get safely to school, someone wanting to use the council tip or a driver fed up with potholes and congestion, these cuts are bad news." Amongst the proposals put forward by the Conservatives are:

13 Sep 2017
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Cranbourne needles

Clearing up in Cranbourne

The footpath linking Shrubbery Walk to Fairfields Road in Cranbourne was recently found to be littered with drug paraphernalia - including over 140 needles; syringe wrappers; spoons and foil.

15 Sep 2017
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2025 Local Elections

Recent local election results should come as no surprise. Most citizens would tell you that “Britain is not working” and it certainly is not working for them as they struggle with the cost of living crisis and failing services.

Recent local election results should come as no surprise. Most citizens would tell you that “Britain is not working” and it certainly is not working for them as they struggle with the cost of living crisis and failing services. Amidst the uncertainty caused by the incompetence of our two major political parties, long the pillars of our political establishment, as citizens we have lost hope in a better tomorrow. 

Whilst Conservative mismanagement of the economy and its destruction of services did us all no favours, Labour has failed to fulfil its election promises. Badly. From winter fuel payments to job taxes and destroying family farms through ill judge inheritance tax changes, we have seen it all.

Furthermore, we have recently suffered from a stitch up in the cancellation of the elections in Hampshire. This was proposed by the Conservative County Council and adopted with speed by the Labour government. All in the interests of efficiency as we move to Local Government Reorganisation. This has led to a major democratic deficit, and we have a Conservative administration which in all probability would have been voted out of office. If you run a business £200,000,000 in the red and not delivering on its contracts, then you would go to the wall. In the case of Hampshire County Council, it is clear that turkeys do not vote for Christmas.

This also raises problems for Local Government Reorganisation where the primary local driver, Hampshire, has no democratic mandate. It also appears to be driven by narrow self-interest rather than the public interest which we deserve. How do we move forward? Rather than adopting a justified “plague on all your houses”, voters should look at the values and competence of the candidates and parties. Clearly Labour and the Conservatives are not the answer.

Councillor Luigi Gregori

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson NW Hants

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