Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Group on Hertfordshire County Council

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17 Most Recent News Stories

Tories complain nationally - yet they are doing the same locally!

Wed 16th Apr 2008

Liberal Democrats on the County Council are as annoyed at the way "purdah" regulations and advice are being ignored, as the Tories claim to be nationally.

Secondary School refurbishment plans in Turmoil

Tue 15th Apr 2008

Labour Government's plans to improve facilities in schools by refurbishing, rebuilding and installing state of the art facilities to enhance learning have run into problems. An announcement last week has changed the whole structure of the programme.

Rise in School Admission Appeals - who is to blame?

Tue 15th Apr 2008

Government's new admission criteria to give 'parental choice' create an increase in admission appeals - or is it the county not selling our schools well?

School road sign

Tories force up care charges

Tue 8th Apr 2008

This week the Tory-run County Council has increased its home care charges, which provide services for our most vulnerable residents, by £4.68 an hour and £7.86 a day. In percentage terms these are increases are of 39% and 25%. The County have justified this with several statements that 'only 12% or 1,100 service users' are affected and that these are 'in line with Government guidance'.

elderly resident holding hands with young care worker

Hertfordshire being robbed by government

Tue 8th Jan 2008

County councillors were shocked today, as it emerged that far from getting a below-inflation, but still positive amount of extra money from the government for 2008-9, they will actually get less.

HERTS POLICE HIT BY LABOUR TWICE

Tue 11th Dec 2007

County Liberal Democrats have denounced the Government's treatment of the Police as 'scandalous'. Liberal Democrat Hertfordshire Police Authority Member Cllr Allan Witherick said: 'Who would have thought that even the police are having to ask whether they should have the right to strike in the light of their scandalous treatment over pay'

Rail fares to soar again

Mon 3rd Dec 2007

Rail passengers got their usual antidote to a happy Christmas as yet again above-inflation fare rises for next year are announced. Regulated fares will rise by an average 5% and unregulated fares (most of them) by more than that.

Herts Health Strategy in tatters, but councillors forced to wring their hands

Sat 3rd Nov 2007

Herts health trusts have succeeded in avoiding a referral to the Secretary of State over their inadequate consultation process, but only because councillors felt powerless to affect the outcome. At the county Health Scrutiny Committee last week, the committee agreed that "There was insufficient evidence within the DQHC detailing the reasons why the new Hatfield Hospital had been excluded" but decided that no purpose would be served by a referral. In essence the majority of the committee accepted that the health trusts had no alternative but to conclude thanks to the restrictions placed upon them by this Labour government, the Hatfield project was now unaffordable.

County Council cover up bad news

Fri 2nd Nov 2007

Tory-run Herts County Council has been assessed as no more than 'adequate' (the second bottom rating) in two recent inspections - yet you would not have heard anything about either of them if you relied on the county council's press department for information.

Young people let down when they need help most

Wed 3rd Oct 2007

This month saw the publication of yet another saddening report for Hertfordshire young people. The Youth Offending Team, while doing well in a number of areas, received a grading of 'Inadequate - does not deliver minimum requirements' - with many important shortcomings for victims and restorative justice.

County Council fines Contractor over Grass Cutting

Sun 30th Sep 2007

Liberal Democrat County Council highways spokesperson, Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey) has revealed this week that the County Council has had to fine its grass cutting contractor, Amey, almost £26,000 for failures to correctly cut highways grass.

Grass Verge and trees

Looking after consumers half heartedly

Sat 22nd Sep 2007

Tory controlled Hertfordshire County Council has one of the lowest spends on Trading Standards in the region. It's one of the few authorities which currently doesn't provide 'Assisted Advice Intervention' (where the service intervenes on behalf of vulnerable residents) yet does provide support for people who live outside of the County. This, however, will soon change.

Under Fire - Stark Choices

Fri 21st Sep 2007

Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats were concerned to hear that lack of funding meant that the Fire Service, already hit by cuts, is being forced to choose between stark options.

Fire Engine

Children's Care Services found to be inadequate

Sun 16th Sep 2007

A recent review of Hertfordshire's services for children and young people conducted by a team of inspectors representing such bodies as Ofsted, the Audit Commission, the Healthcare Commission and the probation Service has given the service a major thumbs-down. It found the 2 critical areas of safeguarding vulnerable children and caring for its own Looked After Children to be inadequate, the lowest rating possible.

Malcolm Cowan - fighting for children's rights (photography: Louise Lotz)

Threat to Green Belt gets even bigger

Sun 2nd Sep 2007

The Government's housing green paper published yesterday contains a bigger than ever threat to our green fields and green belt, according to Liberal Democrat county councillor Chris White, who leads the group at county hall.

Hands off Herts logo

Young people in Herts get less than half

Wed 15th Aug 2007

In 2002 the Government recommended that spending on the youth service should be around £100 per young person. In 2007 the Tory controlled County Council provides less than half that amount, in itself a fall in funding since 2006.

Lib Dems slams county over fake quotes in press release in Tory attempt to whitewash Herts Highways

Fri 20th Jul 2007

The Chair of the County Council's Environment Scrutiny Committee has hit out at the Conservative-run council for issuing an official county council press release quoting him when the quotation had not been cleared with him or his group. The press release was issued last Wednesday just hours before the councillor returned from a short work visit unrelated to the council to Eastern Europe. The Council was fully aware that Stephen was away and when he would return.

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