Reading Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats have announced they will fight the General Election on four key principles, designed to make Britain a fairer place.

Prospective MP for Reading East, Cllr Gareth Epps has today set out his campaign priorities: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

Gareth said:
“People in Reading East have been let down by politicians. There is frustration and anger about the airbrushing, the broken promises and the spin. I am going into the election with a clear direction and a manifesto that is short, direct and to the point.

“We will introduce fairer taxes by closing loopholes for the richest, introducing a tax on mansions and tax cuts of £700 for everyone else.

“For those with children at school, we can promise investment to help reduce class sizes, improve discipline and develop one-to-one tuition. This will benefit those from the poorest backgrounds the most, ending the disgraceful failure of Labour in Reading to give every child an equal chance in life.

“We would also give you the right to sack your MP. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to real change of our political system; it’s time we flushed out big money and corrupt donors and reduced the number of MPs by 150.

“And we will rebuild the economy in a way that promotes green technology and creates lasting jobs. We will put an end to casino banking, bring back competition and support local entrepreneurs in every part of Britain to make sure businesses in Reading East can find the money they need to grow.

“The coming months are a crucial time for politics. I will be using them to focus on these four priorities and delivering real change for people in Reading, Caversham, Woodley and Earley.”

In his recent speech (11-Jan), Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said:

“David Cameron and Gordon Brown are playing the politics of the airbrush and the focus group.

“One doesn’t know what he believes. The other doesn’t know what to do with the power he clings to so desperately.

“I believe the country wants something different. The Liberal Democrats are different. We offer credibility where it’s needed. And hope for our common future.”

Liberal Democrats in Reading have slammed the contents of today’s Queen’s Speech as a ‘self-serving charade’.

Commenting on the legislative programme, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, said:-

“The Queen’s Speech has been shamelessly turned by Labour into a self-serving political charade. At a time when Parliament has lost its authority following the expenses scandal, all it can do is give its successor a fresh start. Confidence and trust in the political process and faith in the Government’s capacity to change things has never been so low.

“An emergency programme of political reform is the duty of this Parliament, in order to clear the way for its successor. Instead, we see Bills proposed that in most cases will never see the statute book and in some cases are political posturing of the most vacuous kind.”

The Liberal Democrats are putting forward a programme of emergency political reform:-

1. Recall power for MPs suspended for misconduct – so we never again have to wait months and years to get rid of people who have betrayed the people they represent
2. Code of conduct for candidates in the next election, including declaration of financial interests – so everyone elected can command full public confidence
3. House of Lords reform – so only elected representatives have the power to make our laws
4. Party funding reform in time for this election – so big money and the whiff of corruption it brings are removed from politics for good
5. Fixed term Parliaments – so the voters can never again be toyed with by a Prime Minister planning an election timetable to save his own skin
6. Legislation to establish a 100-person Citizens’ Assembly, on the Canadian model, to agree a new voting system for Parliamentary Elections
7. Changes to House of Commons procedure to reduce executive power – so never again can a government use the power of the whips to ride roughshod over the views of Parliament.

Commenting on the publication of the Kelly report proposing radical reform of MPs’ expenses, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Reading East, said:-

“MPs must accept this report in full. We need MPs of all parties to come together and agree them without argument, and we need the new independent Parliamentary standards body to implement them without delay. The public must see action taken before the forthcoming General Election.

Gareth continued “I have pledged not to take a second home as Reading East’s MP, and to publish all my expenses in the interests of transparency. I back Kelly in full, and want to see results well before next May.

“There is still a need from David Cameron and Gordon Brown to take action against their MPs who have benefited substantially in financial terms at the taxpayer’s expense. David Cameron in particular must stop picking and choosing who is disciplined.”

The Labour Government’s flagship mortgage rescue scheme has – it was confirmed on Tuesday (13 October) – helped nobody at all in Reading since its launch in January.

Liberal Democrat campaigner Cllr Gareth Epps has slammed the failure of the Labour scheme that – while 40 households within Reading Borough saw their homes repossessed in the last quarter for which records are available, and 34 households applied for assistance under the scheme- none at all were found by the Council to be eligible under the scheme. The figures were released by Reading Borough Council at the Credit Crunch Summit and were published at the Full Council meeting.

On being questioned by Gareth about the reasons for this failure, Labour council leader Jo Lovelock admitted that the scheme was based too heavily on tackling negative equity – which is not the reason for the current wave of repossessions. The Lib Dems have demanded that more effective action be taken to tackle repossessions, by reforming mortgage law to allow courts to reduce repossessions. Lib Dems also called for a review of whether more effective steps can be taken by the Council to avoid Reading families losing their homes.

Commenting, Cllr Gareth Epps said:-
“It is clear the mortgage rescue scheme has utterly failed. It has been shown as little more than a publicity stunt that may have raised false hope for residents in the most difficult circumstances.

The Government’s own figures say that some 6,000 households are supposed to benefit from this scheme, but only 15 households nationwide have so far been found to be eligible. Repossessions are a ticking timebomb in the current economic climate. In the last recession I saw the effects repossession has on people; I would not wish it on anyone.

The Government should be reforming mortgage law to give courts the opportunity to resist pressure from lenders aggressively pursuing families. I hope the Council can work with Reading’s excellent advice services to outline what practical steps can be taken to prevent Reading families from losing their homes.”

Editor’s Notes:
The Mortgage Rescue Scheme “has been operational across the country since January 2009, aiming to prevent some of the most vulnerable families losing their homes and experiencing the trauma of repossession. The Mortgage Rescue package has two elements: (1) the ‘Government Mortgage to Rent’ option which involves an RSL purchasing the homeowner’s property, enabling the household to remain in the property as a tenant on an assured short hold tenancy, paying an intermediate rent; and (2) the ‘Shared Equity’ option which involves a RSL providing a loan to the homeowner to enable the homeowner’s monthly mortgage payments to be reduced.”

The impact assessment costs of implementation are available from the Impact Assessment Library here

A quote by discredited Labour sycophant and politician Martin Salter in Thursday’s Chronicle shows utter disdain for the intelligence of local Reading people and our Gurkha allies! One wonders if the bottle of Champagne shown in the picture will appear in his expenses.

It is duly noted that Martin Salter, MP for Reading West, failed to vote (he “abstained”) in the House of Commons on behalf of the Gurkha Campaign on 29th April 2009 and yet appears in yesterdays (21 May 2009) edition of the Chronicle claiming “I firmly believe WE are close to victory, WE are on the final lap of this campaign”. He is also on record in his Chronicle blog as claiming to have done it all himself (I paraphrase; for those wishing to see the sorry tale in full gotoThis Link)

Today, in an email message sent to this editor from the REAL driving force and hero of the day, Miss Joanna Lumley says -

“At midday today, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith made the announcement to the House of Commons that the Gurkha Justice Campaign have been fighting for for years. All ex-Gurkhas who have served more than 4 years in the British Army will have the right to settle in the UK if they wish.

After such a long fight, with huge ups and downs, this is a superb announcement.

We simply would not have won this fight without the massive, overwhelming support of all those who have supported our campaign. To the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed Gurkha Justice petitions, lobbied their MP, campaigned, attended rallies and marches – thank you so much to you all. This is your victory. It would not have happened without you.

The Government has now responded to that campaign after court cases, votes in Parliament, a huge media campaign and, most importantly, massive public support. I am delighted, and humbled, at what has been achieved by our remarkable team.

The whole campaign has been based on the belief that those who have fought and been prepared to die for our country should have the the right to live in our country. We owe them a debt of honour – a debt that will now be paid.

With warmest good wishes,

Joanna
Justice for Gurkhas

It’s a pity that Martin couldn’t have joined the campaign earlier!

All in the Liberal Democrats who have supported the campaign from day one send our heartiest congratulations to the Gurkha warriers from Nepal and wish them a happy and prosperous future.

Liberal Democrat PPC for Reading East, Cllr Gareth Epps, has joined a call by 56 top Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidates in an open letter for the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin MP, to resign.

The move comes as Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP broke with convention by calling on Mr Martin to resign. It follows the resistance to the releasing of documents related to MPs’ expenses – and a Private Members’ Bill to exempt MPs from Freedom of Information led by Reading MP Martin Salter, described at the time by Gareth as a ‘squalid little Bill’.

Commenting, Gareth said:-
‘A number of those of us working to get elected to Parliament have thought hard about the way the Commons authorities seem out of touch with reality on the subject of MPs’ expenses.

‘When I worked in Parliament I met Mr Martin who is amiable and likeable. However, he has misjudged this issue. His duty to the British people is greater than his duty to the Parliamentary authorities.

‘Two years ago I described efforts to exempt MPs’ expenses from scrutiny as squalid. The anger with which Reading East residents are responding to the revelations is very real. It will undermine faith in democracy unless firm action is taken now. Mr Martin has the chance to take fundamental action now to repair the damage; if he cannot do that he must resign.’

Editor’s Notes:
Full text of letter follows

Dear Mr Speaker,
As Parliament continues to be dragged down by the allowance system, and its rules, the role of those in public service across the country is being undermined.
We are Liberal Democrat candidates seeking to be elected to Parliament and yet we find ourselves disappointed, and frustrated, at the way in which this matter is being handled. Every day our residents are telling us loudly that this must stop and this must stop now.

Three things stand out:

• The resistance to the releasing of these documents and the attempt to exclude Parliament from the Freedom of Information requirements
• The way in which Norman Baker and Kate Hoey were treated when they sought to raise legitimate concerns
• The fact that, through you, Parliament could now release the information into the public domain and cut short this parade of drip-fed news and empower MPs and citizens through a new transparent relationship.

It is vital that Parliament must become transparent and accountable now. We call on you, as Speaker of the House, to do everything within your power to force the full publication of all expenses immediately. We also call on you to accept the independent review of MPs expenses and salaries chaired by Sir Christopher Kelly.

If you are unable to do this we then ask you to consider your position. Time is running out for politicians of all parties to repair the damage to our democracy.
Yours sincerely

56 Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates
Ed Fordham, Hampstead and Kilburn
Sal Brinton, Watford
Andrew Simpson, Northampton North
Bridget Fox, Islington South & Finsbury
Duncan Borrowman, Old Bexley and Sidcup
Steve Goddard, Oxford East
Adrian Collett, Aldershot
Adam Carew, East Hampshire
Gareth Epps, Reading East
Sally Morgan, Central Devon
Sue Doughty, Guildford
Rebecca Hunt. Chatham & Aylesford
Sarah Carr, Hereford and South Herefordshire
Guy Voizey Canterbury and Whitstable
Jo Shaw, Holborn and St Pancras
Liz Leffman, Meon Vallley
Merlene Emerson, Hammersmith
Sandy Walkington, St Albans
Richard Burt, West Worcestershire
Caroline Pigeon, Vauxhall
Kevin Lang, Edinburgh North & Leith
Andrew Dakers, Brentford and Isleworth
Andrew Duffield,Hexham
David Kendall, Brentwood and Ongar
Ann Haigh, Epping Forest
Simon Wright, Norwich South
Liz Simpson, Tonbridge and Malling
Sam Webber, Bromley and Chislehurst
Rabi Martins – Luton North
Greg Stone, Newcastle East
Theo Butt-Philip, Bridgwater and West Somerset
Dave Radcliffe, Birmingham Selly Oak
Richard Clein, Sefton Central
Mike Cox, Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Andy Stamp, Gillingham & Rainham
Stephen Lloyd, Eastbourne & Willingdon
Mark Blackburn, Westminster North
Denis Healy, Hull North
Robin Lawrence, Wolverhampton South West
Alex Feakes, Lewisham and West Penge
Andrew Falconer, Brighton Pavilion
Dave McBride, Orpington
Nigel Quinton, Hitchin & Harpenden
Alan Beddow, Warwick and Leamington
David Goodall, Southampton Itchen
Ryk Downes, Leeds Central
Chris Took, Ashford
Peter Wilcock, Saffron Walden
Karen Hamilton, Birmingham Perry Barr
Qurban Hussain, Luton South
Keith Angus, Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Stephen Robinson, Chelmsford
Mike Bell, Weston-super-Mare
Dave Raval, Hackney South and Shoreditch
Fred Mackintosh, Edinburgh South
Munira Wilson, Feltham and Heston
Paul Zukowskyj, Welwyn Hatfield

Today Martin Salter MP failed the Gurkhas and this country. Martin Salter abstained from this crucial vote, however the Government still suffered a symbolic defeat when MPs voted by 267 to 246 on a Liberal Democrat motion to give all Gurkha soldiers equal right of residence in Britain.

Patrick Murray, Parliamentary Lib Dem candidate for Reading West, says, “I am delighted that this motion passed through Parliament. People who are willing to die for our country should be allowed to live in our country. However, it is a disgrace that Martin Salter abstained from this motion, and put party before principles. Reading West deserves an MP who will vote according to what is right not what is dictated to them, from their masters in Westminster.”

Commenting after the vote defeating the Government, Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg said:

“This is a historic victory for the Gurkhas who have served our country so bravely. This government has now lost its moral authority. From the first moment I challenged Gordon Brown on this over a year ago, he didn’t understand that there was a simple moral principle at stake.”

Editor’s Notes:

1. To give him his dues Rob Wilson MP Reading East in a written reply, this morning, to a question from the editor said, amongst other things… “We believe there are some technical problems with the motion before the House today but nevertheless we will be supporting it. I will therefore be voting against the government today.”
2. Martin Salter has yet to respond!

Announced by the Government in November last year, the Mortgage Rescue Scheme was designed to help those most deeply affected by the ongoing recession. However, limits imposed by the Government’s own ministers mean that only 6,000 homes across the UK are protected by the plans, meaning that many in Reading will be left without support.

863 repossession claims, 66% higher than the South East average, were issued in Reading in 2008, whilst many more are expected in 2009 as the recession takes hold. Under current Government limits, the scheme will mean that only 35 (4%) of these local claims would be covered or offered any support.

Under the flagship scheme, only 1 in 25 households facing repossession will be able to receive any help or assistance, but despite this Reading Borough Council’s Labour councillors have decided to give this scheme number 1 priority in its ‘Credit Crunch Action Plan’.

Local Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Reading East, Gareth Epps said:
“Although the Mortgage Rescue Scheme was launched with a great fanfare by the Government in the autumn, this scheme is totally inadequate and simply cannot deal with the reality that many local residents are facing.

This council cannot continue to blindly adopt whatever the latest and disastrous Government policy is that comes along. The people of Reading deserve much better than slapdash Labour policy schemes.

The threat of repossession is a truly terrifying prospect and it is facing far too many people in Reading. I’m regularly meeting residents who are being threatened with the loss of their home – and they know that the Government scheme as it stands is useless. The Mortgage Rescue Scheme must be effectively expanded urgently or else thousands of local residents could face being thrown onto the streets.”

Editor’s Notes:

In 2008, 142,000 repossession claims were issued by the courts. Whilst most of these claims did not lead to homes being repossessed, this figure indicates the number of households that are in serious mortgage arrears and therefore would benefit from this scheme. However, the scheme is being restricted to only 6,000 households by the Government. In effect, only 4% of those who are vulnerable to repossession will be assisted by this scheme.

Liberal Democrats in Reading have slammed the Conservative MP for Reading East after a Private Members’ Bill to tackle fuel poverty, officially supported by his party, fell because too few Conservative MPs turned up to vote the bill through.

The Fuel Poverty Bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat MPDavid Heath, proposed steps to make homes more energy-efficient. The Bill would have forced energy companies to offer their lowest tariffs to the most vulnerable households, but was rejected in its second reading in the House of Commons this afternoon. It received 89 votes for and two votes against – but needed 100 votes to proceed. The MP for Reading East failed to turn up alongside nine out of ten of his Conservative colleagues – in spite of his party “officially” backing the Bill. The Labour Government officially opposed the Bill.

The failure of the Bill is set against Reading Borough Council committing much-needed resources to pursuing problem landlords after a cross-party Scrutiny investigation instigated and led by Liberal Democrat Councillor Daisy Benson. Figures released by the campaign group Consumer Focus show that over 6,000 households in the Reading East constituency suffer from fuel poverty. Liberal Democrats believe that the number of residents affected in Reading East is much larger due to the number of multi-occupancy homes in the town.

Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat prospective Parliamentary candidate for Reading East, said:
“I am going to make sure the thousands of Reading East residents living in sub-standard rented accommodation punish Rob Wilson for failing to turn up. The inaction of Rob Wilson and his Tory colleagues has cost vulnerable constituents the chance of cheaper energy bills.

People in Reading East should not have to face a choice between heating and eating. The Labour Government has done far too little in twelve years to tackle this.

Reading East needs a Member of Parliament who will fight for local people – and turn up and vote on the issues that matter. Yet again, Rob Wilson has shown he is not prepared to do the work that local people deserve of their MP.’

Redlands Cllr Daisy Benson, who as Chair of Housing Scrutiny has led a campaign for better standards in private rented housing and won extra resources to tackle problem landlords, commented:-

“Local people have worked hard to support our exercise to put rented housing into the spotlight. Far too much of Reading’s rented housing is not energy efficient – risking ill-health, wasting money and adding to carbon emissions. It is appalling that the local Conservative Member of Parliament thinks this issue is not important enough for him to turn up to do what he is paid to do and vote.”

Editor’s Notes:

A full breakdown of fuel poverty figures by (old) constituency can be found at: the Consumer Focus website.

According to their figures some 6,388 households in Reading East (16% of all households) are in fuel poverty; the figures are likely to underestimate the true figures in Reading East, where housing costs are higher than the UK average.

Liberal Democrats have condemned the announcement of the closure of Reading University’s Continuing Education public programmes as the result of Government cuts that ‘make a mockery of their so-called commitment to lifelong learning’ – and a slap in the face to workers looking to reskill to fight their way out of unemployment in the recession.

The Labour Government announced last year that they were cutting the £100 million Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (ELQ) funding, which has enabled residents to requalify in new skills. After a review, the University has announced the closure of its public programme to new students from May.

Commenting, Cllr Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary campaigner for Reading East, said:-

“It is absolutely clear that these cuts in adult education relate directly to the Government’s nonsensical cut to ELQ funding. Labour’s slashing of adult education makes a mockery of their so-called commitment to lifelong learning.

Liberal Democrats are pledged to reverse this irresponsible Labour cut. The worry must be that higher education is to suffer even more as the Government tries to pay its way out of its meaningless VAT cut.”

Cllr Kirsten Bayes, Lib Dem education spokesperson on Reading Borough Council added:-

“These cuts are absurd. They come at the worst possible time for the thousands of local people being made redundant, who are looking to retrain in order to resume their careers.”

Karl Hobley, Mature Students Officer, Reading University Students Union commented:

“This is bad news for mature students, but bad news for the local economy, the region, the University as a whole, Readings widening participation agenda and staff now about to lose their jobs.

Now more than ever we need a government who think long term, who look after students and local people unlike the current lot.”

Editor’s Notes:

• Liberal Democrats at their Spring Conference in Harrogate last weekend (6-8 March) overwhelmingly endorsed new education proposals which included a specific commitment to reverse Labour’s cuts to the ELQ programme.