Tory Budget Flawed
At the budget meeting of Surrey County Council the Liberal Democrats proposed cuts in spending on consultants, communications and "policy initiatives" in order to fund improved services for Surrey residents.
At the budget meeting of Surrey County Council the Liberal Democrats proposed cuts in spending on consultants, communications and "policy initiatives" in order to fund improved services for Surrey residents.
During the last four years the Liberal Democrat councillors on Surrey County Council have worked hard to achieve the best for the people of Surrey. Of their many initiatives and achievements, the main ones are listed below:
"The Adult and Community Care Committee kept hearing about poor service caused by staffing problems," explains County Councillor Diana Smith. "So it set up a task group to look at recruitment and retention. Proper statistics were hard to come by. We eventually got figures for the reported high vacancy rates in 'front line' teams, from 18% among the essential home based care staff to 31% of highly-skilled occupational therapists. We heard of one team of occupational therapists entirely consisting of stand-ins.
Surrey County Council is planning authority for minerals and waste, and it is disposal authority for waste too. Quite confusing! In the old days Surrey would have plans for these topics. The final stage in plan preparation was the deposit draft, which would be examined in public by an Inspector. The Inspector's recommendations would be considered by the Council, who would adopt the final plan to come into force.
The Conservative administration has recently decided that potholes with a depth of less than 4 centimetres will not be treated as a high priority to be repaired within 24 hours. This latest decision is an admission that the Conservative administration cannot cope with the necessary road repairs.
At a recent County Council meeting, the Conservative majority on the County opposed the proposal by the Liberal Democrats that Surrey County Council youth centres should be more fully used to provide safe places for young people to meet.
A new charity single to support young carers
Pippa Heylings reports from the global climate summit in Baku
What the Government is doing, and why we're opposing it.
October is Black History Month - a chance to celebrate the Black British community, acknowledge their contributions and discover their stories.
Read Ed Davey's speech to the Liberal Democrats' Autumn Conference in Brighton
Carers are not just support for their loved ones—they are the glue holding our fragile social care system together. They deserve more than token acknowledgements or empty promises.