The petition has the signatures of 104 Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates who did not win seats in the recent General Election. The petition’s signatories also include Andrew Simpson, who was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Northampton North at the last election.

The proposals to raise the cap on tuition fees are also opposed by the former candidate for Wellingborough, Kevin Barron, with signatures being sought from other former parliamentary candidates within the county.

Commenting on the petition, the 2010 Liberal Democrat candidate for Kettering Chris Nelson said,

“As a lifelong opponent of university tuition fees, I have serious concerns about the proposals put forward by the Government to raise the cap on tuition fees – and that’s why I continue to oppose them.”

“I’m pleased that Lib Dem ministers in Government have been able to make the proposals fairer, by raising the threshold at which graduates start paying off these debts and making sure the richest graduates pay a fairer share. Nonetheless, raising tuition fees to £9,000 a year would mean the typical graduate leaving university with at least £36,000 of debt – putting many thousands of young people off applying to university altogether!”

“Along with every Lib Dem MP and hundreds of other candidates, I signed an NUS pledge at the last election to oppose tuition fees and push for a fairer alternative. I stick to that pledge – and I’m proud to be one of 104 parliamentary candidates that are calling on every Lib Dem MP to do the same by voting against these proposals.”

ENDS

Notes:

1. The NUS pledge for students read: “I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative” (http://www.nus.org.uk/en/News/News/Lib-Dem-and-Labour-MPs-would-vote-together-to-oppose-tuition-fee-rise/) and was signed by all 7 Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates in Northamptonshire.

2. The candidates’ petition is hosted on the website of Derek Deedman, 2010 Candidate for Arundel and the South Downs: http://derekdeedman.mycouncillor.org.uk/liberal-democrats-parliamentary-candidates-petition/. It has received coverage, among other places, from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11860155

A coalition of local residents and community groups have been campaigning to take over and refurbish the former care home on Churchill Way in Kettering – which closed in early 2009 – to provide both a Surestart children’s centre and much needed community meeting rooms on the Ise Lodge estate.

This campaign took a blow when plans to build 30 new homes on the site were approved this evening by a Kettering Borough Council planning committee – despite criticisms about the loss of local amenity and the insufficient size proposed for the children’s centre. Nonetheless, the plans to build homes on the land will only take place if Conservative-run Northamptonshire County Council agrees to sell the land to the developer.

“Our County Council still has one last chance to stand up for the people of the Ise Lodge – by giving local people the chance to prove that they can make a community centre work rather than simply selling this land off to the highest bidder,” said Chris Nelson, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Kettering constituency.

“For the Conservative County Hall bosses to give in to the temptation to make a quick buck on this land would leave local people without a valuable community space – and a children’s centre that simply isn’t fit for purpose,” he continued.

“Local Conservatives have claimed to be supporting a new community centre,” he added, “but without real action to support the from their County Hall bosses, these plans will be nothing but a pipe dream. It’s time for them to put the health of the community first – by giving these groups a chance!”

ENDS

Notes:

1. The decision to approve the application was made at a Planning Meeting of Kettering Borough Council, held on Tuesday 30^th March 2010: http://www.kettering.gov.uk/downloads/5.5_KET.2010.0001.pdf
2. Full details of the planning application can be viewed at the following link, under the reference “KET/2010/0001”: http://www.kettering.gov.uk/site/scripts/planning.php

“Rather than being honest with people about what the Government can and cannot afford, the Chancellor would rather let others indiscriminately shave departmental budgets.

“By confirming the freeze in personal allowances the Government has ensured everyone will see a real increase in their income tax bill – when what people on low and middle incomes desperately need is an income tax cut.

“Rather than forcing the nationalised banks to lend to good British businesses they have chosen to create a feeble quango to arbitrate between bullying banks and their small business clients.

“It says something when the most substantive announcement the Government can come up with is a tax agreement with Belize, however welcome that may be.”

ENDS

“With seven fewer buses every day to Rothwell and Desborough, severely reduced services to Geddington and Pytchley and a complete cancellation of bus services to Loddington and Thorpe Malsor, these plans if carried out would represent a savage blow for the Conservatives’ claims to support small towns and rural communities,” he continued

“When the Government are urging people to use more public transport and cut their car journeys, this cannot be the way forward. This will hit hard those villagers that rely on these bus services – with cuts proposed even for the peak time services that help low-income families get to work!”

“I urge all bus users to write to the County Council to oppose these cuts,” he added, “and I call on Northamptonshire Conservatives to rethink these short-sighted proposals.”

ENDS

A document attached to the NCC Cabinet Agenda indicated that:

•       Route 8 (Kettering to Corby, via Geddington) will be reduced from eight journeys per day to just three, with a loss of peak hour services.

•       Route 24 (Wellingborough to Kettering via Pytchley) will also be reduced from eight journeys per day to just three journeys per day, with a loss of peak hour services.

•       Route 17 (Kettering to Rothwell and Desborough, via Cransley, Loddington and Thorpe Malsor) is to be cancelled. This will result in the loss of two services per day to Rothwell and Desborough, as well as removing bus services completely from Loddington and Thorpe Malsor (Cransley’s service is to be incorporated into route 38).

•       Route 18 (Kettering to Market Harborough, via Rothwell and Desborough) is to be cut by 50%, with buses running every two hours rather than hourly. This means that route 18 will run five fewer buses per day, in addition to the two buses per day lost on route 17, giving a total cut of seven fewer bus journeys from Rothwell and Desborough to Kettering.

The most recent timetables for these bus routes can be found here:

•       Route 8 – Details of route at http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnshowr.asp?RN=LEJ08A (Timetable does not appear to be available online)

•       Route 17 – http://www.stagecoachbus.com/GetUpload.ashx?Id=612

•       Route 18 – http://www.stagecoachbus.com/GetUpload.ashx?Id=669

•       Route 24 – http://www.stagecoachbus.com/GetUpload.ashx?Id=669

Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Cllr. Chris Stanbra said: “This just goes to show the financial incompetence of the Conservative Administration on the County Council. Since they took control of the council they kept the council tax increases artificially low. Now the reality of doing so has caught up with them and they are forced to go with the highest council tax rise of any county council. No other county council has proposed rises of 3.5% or more.  The average is 2.06% across the country.”

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Kettering Chris Nelson said, “It is saddening that at a time when local families are struggling to make ends meet, years of bad planning at County Hall have forced such a big rise. What’s more, with David Cameron and the Conservatives expected to make big cuts in grants to local councils if they win this year’s General Election, I fear that council tax bills under Conservatives would only get higher in the years to come.”

“Only the Liberal Democrats have revenue-neutral plans to cut tax for middle and low earners that would give every working couple a £1400 cut in their income tax,” he added.

ENDS.

Chris Nelson (Kettering), Portia Wilson (Corby) and Kevin Barron (Wellingborough & Rushden) want their Labour and Conservative opponents to sign up to run a clean campaign – after all seven Lib Dem candidates in Northamptonshire signed up to the pledge earlier this month.

Chris Nelson, Parliamentary Candidate for Kettering, said “I believe these rules set out a fair system which will allow parties to discuss the important issues without further insulting the public by flinging meaningless insults at one another. We want to hear the truth in this election from the other parties, just as we have always given the public here in the Liberal Democrats.”

Portia Wilson, Parliamentary Candidate for Corby, commented that these rules “present a chance for the other parties to join us in changing the way politics are done.” Portia went on to add that “As a mother of a small child, I believe in that politicians must set examples. We must be honest and we must be able to support our decisions and argue for them. I hope that Phil Hope and Louise Bagshawe will join with me in signing up to these values.”

The pledge, signed by all Liberal Democrat candidates in Northamptonshire, commits the signatories to the following conditions:

• We will never lie to the electorate

• We will not make statements about our opponents without evidence to support them

• We will provide references for these statements on our web sites

• We will be honest about our past records, good and bad, and we will be open about the policies we would support as MPs.

• We will publish details of major donors to our campaigns

• We will never let electioneering stop us fighting for our constituents

After signing, Kevin Barron said that he was “proud to be leading the way in Wellingborough on clean campaigning.”

“MPs should only claim one salary; their MP‘s salary”, he continued “so that they are committed 100% 100% to their constituency and nothing else. Maintaining professional qualifications is one thing, but being involved in the running of a company can give MPs divided loyalties.

“We must, as politicians, fight to restore the public’s trust in us. I hope my opponents will join with me in agreeing to these terms, I hope they believe in the good British sense of fair play.”

Kevin campaigned against MPs taking second jobs in the 2005 Election and believes that honesty with the public includes doing the job you are elected to do.

ENDS

Chris Nelson was born and brought up in Kettering – attending Millbrook Infant & Junior Schools as well as Ise Community College – and has a degree in law from Oxford Brookes University. He contested Ise Division in last June’s county council elections and works as an aide for Northampton Liberal Democrats and Bill Newton Dunn MEP.

He takes over the role from Roger Aron – who contested the constituency in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 General Elections – after securing 62% in a ballot of local members.

Speaking after his selection on Thursday evening, Chris Nelson said:

“After achieving in June our highest share of the vote since 1991, I want to show how the Liberal Democrats offer a genuine alternative to the tired old politics of Labour and the Conservatives – and how we have real solutions to provide new jobs, clean up politics and put money back into the pockets of hardworking middle and low income families.”

“Our area continues to count the cost of a Labour Government that has failed to deliver on its promises – and is labouring under poorly-run Conservative councils that have slashed services and arrogantly dismissed the views of local people.”

“Whenever Gordon Brown decides to call an election, the Liberal Democrats will be ready and waiting to make the case for a fairer, greener Britain!”

ENDS

The news, announced ahead of a crunch Cabinet meeting next week, puts hundreds of public sector workers’ jobs at risk.

Responding to the announcement, County Hall’s Opposition Leader, Brendan Glynane (Lib Dem, Delapre), said:

“As far back as 2005, the Liberal Democrats warned against keeping Council Tax artificially low while the going was good.

“By raising Council Tax just 2% their first term, the Tories would now been sitting on a £20m fighting fund to ease the pace of these cuts.

“It is sad fact that public sector workers in Northamptonshire will now be paying for the ‘lowest Council Tax in the country’ with their jobs.”

ENDS

‘We know that most people don’t have faith in politicians’ said Lib Dem leader of the Opposition Brendan Glynane.

‘These are the people the council should be engaging with, not ex-councillors who can contact the Leader or the Council at anytime.

The proposal will cost the cash strapped County Council £5,000 and be taken out of existing democratic services budgets.

‘That money could be far better spent on engaging with people who currently don’t even see the point in voting’ concluded Brendan Glynane.’

ENDS

The Lib Dems stood a record number of candidates and made a net gain of 2 seats – bringing their total up to 9 county councillors. Meanwhile Gordon Brown’s Labour Party suffered their worst ever result in Northamptonshire, losing 15 seats and falling into third place.

In Kettering and Wellingborough parliamentary constituencies, the Liberal Democrats increased their overall share of the vote – and took second place in six county council divisions. Hardworking Lib Dem MEP Bill Newton Dunn was also re-elected, and will continue to represent Northamptonshire in the European Parliament.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said, “Despite a low turnout in these elections, the Liberal Democrats have made real progress. Increasing numbers of local people are unconvinced by the way Conservative council bosses are running our local area – and want change from a broken Labour government at Westminster.”

“With the Labour Party in freefall, having lost the trust of the people, it’s clear that they have no hope of winning this area at the General Election. Across much of Kettering and Wellingborough constituencies, it’s the Liberal Democrats that have become the main challengers to a Conservative Party that cannot bring the change we need to our country or our county.”

“We thank every one who supported us at these set of elections, and will continue to work all year round to solve local residents’ problems.”

ENDS