Welcome to the website of Spelthorne Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council are calling for the Conservative administration to show restraint in increasing Council Tax in the 2012/13 Budget. Cllr Hazel Watson, the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition on Surrey County Council, says: "The legacy of years of the Conservative administration at Surrey County Council, by their own admission, failing Surrey's residents means that they now have almost no choice but to increase Council Tax. "The Conservative-run Cabinet states in its own Corporate Strategy being discussed today that they failed Surrey residents for years. Surrey Council Taxpayers are still paying for that failure." The Corporate Strategy states: 'In 2008 Surrey County Council was failing Surrey residents. Key essential services were not being delivered effectively: some were close to failure. Our costs were spiralling out of control: our projected spending over the years 2009 to 2013 was over £200 million more than the income we would have. We had little credibility with key partners. We had not invested as well as we should have in the skills and training of staff and the equipment they had to work with.' Cllr Watson continued: "Council finance officers have been clear that the Council Tax increase that is needed to stick to the Council's five year financial plan, and not have unacceptable further cuts than those already planned, is 2.5%. In the present financial climate, with many Surrey residents struggling to make ends meet, it is irresponsible for the Conservative administration to want to put up Council Tax by more than 2.5%. "We support the additional money for Surrey's highway maintenance and Youth Projects that are in the Budget. In addition we would end the unpopular and ill-conceived proposals for libraries to be run by volunteers, reverse the penny pinching Conservative change of bus passes back to start at 9am from 9.30am and increase funding for road resurfacing. "We would increase funding to voluntary organisations that provide vital services to Surrey residents. "Our proposals can be achieved by halving the excessive £2 million communications budget spent on PR spin and glossy magazines, bringing forward from 2016/17 the reorganisation of the Chief Executive's Department and cutting the millions spent on consultants and agency staff. We would use a small proportion of the County's £112 million of reserves and available balances to fund road resurfacing and important capital projects. This can be done without increasing Council Tax by the excessive amount proposed by the Conservatives." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council are calling for the Conservative administration to abandon their plans to replace professional staff in 10 of the County's libraries with volunteers, rather than continue with a costly legal fight against Surrey residents in the High Court. Following the High Court order on Friday by Hon. Mr Justice Wyn Williams, that the County Council should 'take no irrevocable steps towards implementing the Community Partnered Libraries (CPLs) decision impugned in these proceedings until further order of this court', Cllr Hazel Watson, the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition on Surrey County Council, said: "I am calling on the Conservative administration at Surrey County Council to immediately end its unpopular and ill-conceived plans to axe professional library staff and replace them with volunteers, and to abandon the squandering of council taxpayers money on an expensive and drawn out legal battle in the High Court. "The Conservative administration should be listening to Surrey residents who value their local libraries and want to protect them from being downgraded and potentially being closed. Local communities want their libraries to be fully staffed with professional librarians to ensure a good service is maintained. "Continuing with the ill-advised and unpopular High Court battle is not a good use of Surrey council taxpayers money. The Conservative controlled County Council should be serving Surrey's residents, not fighting them in the High Court. "At the Budget Meeting on 7 February Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats will be calling for a change to the County Council's Budget for 2012/13 to reverse the Conservative administrations' Community Partnered Libraries plan so every library across the County is fully staffed with professional librarians." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Following the announcement by the Conservative Leader of Surrey County Council that he is proposing a 2.99% rise in Council Tax, Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council are demanding to know why councillors have been denied papers to properly scrutinise the proposals by the Conservative administration for the County's 2012/13 Budget. At a meeting of the County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Friday which was meant scrutinise the 2012/13 Budget, and at which papers were meant to be available for scrutiny, no papers were presented. Members, behind closed doors, were given a two-minute presentation by a senior Finance Officer and brief verbal summaries by Conservative Scrutiny Committee Chairmen of their views. In a number of briefings to Select Committees by council officers that were held behind closed doors, councillors have been denied any background papers or even printed copies of the PowerPoint presentations they were being shown. Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition Cllr Hazel Watson is submitting two formal questions to the Council's Cabinet challenging the secrecy behind Surrey County Council's decision making. Cllr Watson says: "Secret Surrey is denying proper scrutiny of major proposals about cuts to services in the County. "Surrey's residents must come first, and proposals should be discussed in an open and transparent way that ensures they get the best value for money and that essential services are protected. The lack of real and effective scrutiny of proposals means that this isn't happening." More like North Korea than Kent Cllr Watson is also tabling a question asking why Surrey is taking so long to publish any sort of budget. Kent County Council published its detailed 59 page "Draft Budget Book 2012/13" on 20 December 2011, giving Kent residents and businesses one month to examine the detailed plans and comment on them. Cllr Watson added: "When you couple the secret way in which proposals are discussed by Conservative controlled Surrey County Council, with the very late availability of information, you end up with crucial decisions being taken in a manner more in keeping with North Korea than democratic Britain." Notes Councillor Hazel Watson is tabling the following questions for the meeting of the Conservative Cabinet of Surrey County Council on 31 January: Question 1: The first paragraph of the role of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee set out at the Annual General Meeting of the County Council stated "Monitoring performance, risk and budget across all services", how can the Committee perform this function, when at the 20 January meeting under the item on the County Council Draft Budget, no papers were provided to members to perform either the role of overview or the role of scrutiny? Question 2: Who is responsible for issuing the instruction to officers that Members of the Council should not be provided with copies of the PowerPoint presentations or any background papers at the recent budget briefings to Select Committees? Question 3: Kent County Council published its detailed 59 page "Draft Budget Book 2012/13" on 20 December 2011, giving Kent residents and businesses one month to examine the detailed plans and comment on them. By contrast Surrey County Council published a far less detailed outline budget with no details of proposed cuts to services and no time for detailed consultation, a month later. Why cannot Surrey County Council conduct the budget setting process in the open and transparent way in which its neighbour does? Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council are asking "Where is Conservative-run Surrey County Council's Budget?" Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition Cllr Hazel Watson says: "With only three weeks to go until Surrey County Council's 2012/13 Budget setting meeting on 7 February, the Conservative administration has not yet even published a draft budget for consultation. "Enquiries by the Liberal Democrats of other county councils across the country have revealed draft budgets being published in December 2011, allowing an open public debate about proposals. By contrast, Surrey residents and businesses are kept in the dark; there is no openness or transparency about Conservative-run Surrey's Council Tax and spending plans. "If Kent, which is bigger than Surrey, managed to publish a detailed draft budget for consultation in December 2011, why couldn't Surrey? "When is the Conservative administration at County Hall going to get its act together? The late publication of the budget means that there will be little opportunity for councillors and residents to scrutinise it. We need to be reassured that Surrey residents will be getting good value for money, that the budget is realistic, that it will protect services and not waste money. "Every year it is the same. Every year I ask why the plans of the Conservative controlled Council are not made public earlier. It is not as if it is a surprise that they have to take budget decisions at the same time every year. Surrey County Council 's Conservative administration needs to look at how and why other county councils manage to be much earlier and more open with publishing their budget proposals, rather than the last minute muddle they come up with every year." NOTE: Kent County Council's draft budget can be accessed by clicking here. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

The Government introduced the Feed-in-tariffs (FiT) to encourage early take up of renewable technology in April 2010. Surrey County Council finally approved a scheme to install solar panels on 25 buildings in July 2011. Yet when the Government announced a cut to the FiT rate, they still had not installed a single solar panel. SCC Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Cllr Will Forster said, "Surrey County Council has been so slow in acting that the Conservative Council Leader has axed all the proposed solar photovoltaic panel installations at a cost of £60,000." "This is in complete contrast to Liberal Democrat controlled Eastleigh Borough Council, which partly by installing so many solar panels will be carbon-neutral in 2012. Surrey is paying the price for County Hall's half-hearted approach to climate change." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Conservative controlled Surrey County Council could have kept bus passes starting at 9.00 am and still underspent by £150,000 on this year's local buses budget! £351,000: The amount saved by Conservative controlled Surrey County Council by cutting concessionary bus passes for the elderly and disabled from a 9.00 am start to a 9.30 am start. £500,000: The amount Conservative controlled Surrey County Council is projected to underspend on the budget for local bus services this year. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have condemned the censorship of e-mails to Members of the Council. Members of the County Council have been blocked from receiving e-mails from the Chairman of the Surrey Libraries Action Movement. Liberal Democrat leader of the Opposition Cllr Hazel Watson says: "It is fundamental to democracy that members of the public, constituents, Surrey businesses and local organisations can communicate freely with elected members. The heavy handed decision to decide that e-mails from SLAM are Spam is undemocratic and unacceptable. "Even the County Council's Constitution explicitly states that the delivery of correspondence will not be delayed or interfered with by officers or Members." NOTES: 1.) County Councillors received the following email at 13.28 on 12 December: "Over the past two weeks you will have received a series of unsolicited emails from Mr Michael Alsop, Chairman SLAM, which he has addressed to all Surrey County Councillors, the CEX and other senior officers. This is part of his campaign against the council's plans for Community Partnership Libraries. Whilst he is at liberty to pursue his arguments as he chooses, his frequent broadcasting of email messages has become unreasonable. I have written to him today to ask him to reconsider and to address any future email to Customer Relations. Meanwhile, any further emails from Mr Alsop will appear in your Lotus Notes in-box as junk mail, giving you the option to open or discard it." 2.) Not all County Councillors are able to retrieve email from their "junk mail" as many who are also Borough/District Councillors have their email auto forwarded. 3.) The Member/Officer Protocol of Surrey County Council, which forms part of the Constitutions states: "42. Information and correspondence will be sent to Members by post either directly or through the pigeon holes at Members' Reception, by email or by fax as appropriate and its delivery will not be delayed or interfered with by Officers or Members." The protocol is available online here (pdf file) Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

The gathering Eurozone crisis - particularly the dramatic summit on Friday when David Cameron dug his heels in - has generated a variety of comments from Lib Dem spokespeople. The news media do not generally give Lib Dems much coverage, so here are some key comments, including some not widely reported. First three defining comments by Nick Clegg and Vince Cable. Back on 30 November, the Lib Dem leader in Brussels Guy Verhofdtstat gave an early warning about Sarkozy and Merkel. Significantly, on 1 December the European Liberal Congress in Palermo rejected the Socialists' proposed Transaction Tax. Following speeches by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on 2 December, Guy Verhofstadt rejected their Intergovernmentalism. Also on 2 December, South-East Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles posted her crisis warning. Then on 5 December Guy Verhofstadt again warned that Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, offered nothing new. On 7 December, Lib Dem MEP Andrew Duff expressed doubts about EU President Van Rumpoy's plans to avoid Treaty change. Following the summit, on 9 December Sharon Bowles posted her analysis that Cameron played a dangerous game and lost. Also on 9 December, Sir Graham Watson MEP, the European Lib Dem President accused the Centre Right Establihment of Letting Europe Down. However earlier on 9 December, Sir Graham Watson had also describd the UK's decision to stay out of the EU Treaty deal as regrettable. Finally again on 9 December, Andrew Duff deplored the UK decision not to participate, but described the summit as a New start for the Euro. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council are presenting a motion to next week's Full Council raising concerns about the County's performance with regard to child adoption and children in care. Liberal Democrat leader of the Opposition Cllr Hazel Watson says: "The Child in Care and Adoption Performance Tables published last month by the Department for Education show many major failings by Surrey County Council. Just taking two of the most concerning findings for Surrey County Council in the tables: Surrey came 139th out of 152 in the proportion of young people aged 19 who were looked after aged 16 who were in suitable accommodation, only 9 councils performed worse, and 2 of those - Rutland and the Isles of Scilly - had no figures reported. "Surrey also came 111th in the percentage of children looked after continuously for 12 months who achieved at least level 4 at Key Stage 2 in both English and Mathematics. "If the Conservative-led Council cannot ensure the children in its care have a decent roof over their head and receive an education that prepares them for later life it is failing those children. "When presenting the Budget Monitoring Report to the Cabinet on 1 November, the same day as the tables were published, the Leader of the Council said; 'Our number one priority is looked after children'. At the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Communities Select Committee on 16 November the Leader restated that looked after children are his personal priority. It is time for the Leader to ensure Surrey's Children in Care and adopted children are not left wanting." NOTES: 1. The league tables can be found here (Excel spreadsheet). 2. The text of the motion (proposed by Hazel Watson, seconded by Fiona White) reads: On 18 November the Cabinet Member for Children and Families sent out two emails to Members highlighting some good news about Surrey's Adoption Service in the light of National Adoption Week. However, the Child in Care and Adoption Performance Tables, published by the Department for Education on 1November 2011, showed many major failings by Surrey County Council in its performance for children in care and adoption services. In fifteen key indicators, Surrey was in the bottom half of the country in nine, and in the bottom quartile in four. Council calls for urgent action to: Ensure that looked after children have a stable home life with a minimal number of placements and that they are fully supported so that they fulfil their full potential in education, training and employment.Ensure that young adults who were formerly looked after are living in suitable accommodation.Strive to maximise the number of looked after children who are adopted and to improve the speed of adoption. Council calls on the Leader to establish a cross party Member Working Group to urgently examine the issues highlighted by the Department for Education performance tables and to learn from the best practice of other authorities. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

The controversial waste processing development in Charlton Lane, Shepperton has been given clearance to go ahed by Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, despite calls from local residents' representatives for a call-in for review of Surrey County Council's decision by his department. After months of delay and uncertainty, he has ruled that there is no need to further review the decision to grant planning permission for this development, which is designed to deal with 60,000 tonnes of household rubbish and 40,000 tonnes of food waste, intended to help Surrey County Council towards achieving its long-term aim to eliminate the use of landfill. Eric Pickles spokesperson said "The Secretary of State has carefully considered this case against call-in policy, as set out in the 1999 Caborn Statement. In his opinion, the proposals do not conflict with national policies or have significant effects beyond their immediate locality, nor does he consider that there is any other sufficient reason to call the application in for his own determination. The decision to grant planning permission will therefore remain with Surrey County Council." However Lib Dem county councillor Ian Beardsmore (Ashford Common and Sunbury Common) described the spokesperson's statement as "a cop out". Ian was one of the two Lib Dems who were the only County Councillors who voted against SITA's proposal when it was considered by the county council's Planning & Regulatory Committee in June. The one Spelthorne Conservative Councillor on the committee abstained, thus failing to oppose the development, even though the Planning Committee of Conservative-controlled Spelthorne Borough Council had earlier objected very strongly to the plan. "However, the Conservatives controlling Spelthorne Borough Council did nothing practical to try and prevent this damaging development being dumped on Spelthorne", said Ian. "In response to persistent questioning by Lib Dem councillors, the Tory leader of Spelthorne consistently refused to voice any opposition to SITA's plans. This passive acquiescence was in marked contrast to other Surrey boroughs, who had made their opposition perfectly clear and have been prepared to help fund legal challenges - something Spelthorne refuses to do". "Local residents presented overwhelming evidence against the so-called Eco Park but were completely ignored. This development represents untested technology on an unparalleled scale in an unsuitable location which already has unsatisfactory air quality." "Spelthorne Tories shouted long and hard against the incinerator. This is nothing more than a cosmetic U-turn against the idea that they have supported for so long. This change of attitude fools no one. Spelthorne's Tories were not prepared to put their money where their mouth is and support local residents in their legal challenge to Surrey's shameful decision, which flies in the face of science, logic and common sense. It has more to do with where Surrey Conservatives want to dump their waste, whilst retaining grant funding of millions of pounds from DEFRA." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats have launched a Facebook page to increase the County Council group's social networking profile in campaigning on issues for the residents of Surrey. The page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/surreycclibdems Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge Commenting on the announcement that the Coalition Government will not go ahead with a planned 2% increase in the maximum amount by which train operators can raise fares, Co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee for Transport, Julian Huppert MP said: "This is good news for train passengers. The Liberal Democrats are determined to stand up for passengers and I am glad the Coalition has done the right thing and protected them from the planned increase." "Liberal Democrats want to see rail fares come down after years of Labour pushing them up above inflation, but as the Coalition deals with the mess we inherited from Labour it has not been possible to go as far as we would like. Liberal Democrats have cut taxes for working people and scrapping the fare hike is another sign of how we are determined to do as much as possible to give people practical help in difficult times." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Surrey County Council's Liberal Democrats have welcomed the major U-turn by the Conservative administration in its plans to turn a further nine libraries into "Community Partnership Libraries", but say it doesn't go far enough. The U-turn, announced today by the Council Leader sees nine libraries; Ash, Caterham Hill, Frimley Green, Hersham, Horsley, Knaphill, Lightwater, Shepperton and West Byfleet saved from the plans, but the original ten libraries; Bagshot, Bramley, Byfleet, Ewell Court, Lingfield, New Haw, Stoneleigh, Tattenhams, Virginia Water and Warlingham still being pushed ahead to be managed by volunteers, although it was also announced they would receive one member of staff for 20% of their opening hours. Cllr John Orrick, the Liberal Democrat Communities Spokesperson on Surrey County Council, says: "Liberal Democrats have consistently argued for many years that all of Surrey's libraries should remain open. We have argued against two tiers of library, with no second class libraries, and we want professionals at the heart of Surrey's library network. "The Conservative County Council have effectively admitted by their U-turn on the plans for the second tranche of libraries that the idea is disastrous, they should go further and announce that the whole plan is going to be scrapped. Throwing the ten threatened libraries a crumb from the table of one member of staff for one fifth of their opening hours will do little to remove fears of a downgraded service and eventual closure." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

The Coalition Government has announced ambitious measures to kick start house building, help first time buyers get on the housing ladder and make social housing fairer. Andrew Stunell MP The housing strategy has two main aims. First, to help drive local economies and create jobs. Unblocking the market will provide a much-needed boost to employment. Secondly, these plans are designed to spread opportunity in our society. The Strategy will receive £400m of funding and will target those schemes that have stalled through lack of development finance. This will help to unlock the construction of 16,000 homes and support up to 32,000 jobs. The strategy includes measure to help home buyers; help house builders; improve fairness in social housing; support the private rented sector; act on empty homes; support green housing; support older people to live independently; and extend Right to Buy while ensuring any social home bought is replaced. Liberal Democrat Housing Minister, Andrew Stunell MP said:"The Liberal Democrats are determined to kick start the economy by getting houses built." "This hugely ambitious strategy won't just boost the economy, it will help first time buyers who are priced off the housing ladder, make social housing fairer, help to end the scandal of empty homes and boost green housing." "These are things the Liberal Democrats have campaigned on for years and now we are delivering them in government." The measures include: Help for home buyers Help for house builders Improving fairness in social housing Support for the private rented sector Action on empty homes Supporting Green Housing Supporting older people to live independently Right to Buy * * Importantly, the new Right to Buy will also involve replacing every social home sold, with no loss of social housing. Click here for more details of this announcement. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Sir Graham Watson MEP On the first day of the UN's climate change summit in Durban, South Africa, UK Lib Dem MEP and President of the ELDR party Sir Graham Watson,has urged the EU to join forces with smaller nations in trying to urgently secure a new climate agreement. Ahead of his own arrival at the talks in Durban next Sunday, Sir Graham who is also Chairman of a global network of MPs and MEPs from all mainstream political parties campaigning for investment in renewable energy and electricity supergrids called the Climate Parliament, said: "The curtain is up, the show has begun, and yet the 2011 climate summit in Durban seems already to be under threat thanks to the sheer cowardice of the world's big players. But it would appear that it isn't just the usual suspects such as the US, Russia and Japan, but now also Brazil and India, that are lacking in backbone." "As the Chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with India, and the chair of the Climate Parliament, this is disappointing indeed. I urge Obama, Medvedev, Noda, Roussef and Singh to change their tune." "I therefore call on the European Union, more than ever the global leader of the fight against climate change, to forge an alliance with smaller developing and developed countries - both those such as small island states who are in immediate danger from climate change, and those who still understand that our common future as a planet depends on taking collective action fast - to make sure a strong new climate agreement comes into force as quickly as quickly as possible, not in 2015." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

By Tim Prater, Lib Dem County Councillor for Folkestone West, Kent County Council. [Originally published by Tim Prater with the title "Access to Meetings: The Government View".] While some Councils seem to still want to stop public reporting of what happens in Council meetings through Facebook, Twitter and other routes, it's worth looking at the advice sent by Bob Neill MP, the Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to Councils in February this year. In that letter, Mr Neill says "There are recent stories about people being ejected from council meetings for blogging, tweeting or filming. This potentially is at odds with the fundamentals of democracy and I want to encourage all councils to take a welcoming approach to those who want to bring local news stories to a wider audience." Here is the full text of the letter from Bob Neill to Council Leaders and Monitoring Officers in February 2011: As part of the Government's transparency drive I want to highlight the importance of your council giving citizens the opportunity to access and experience their local democracy using modern communication methods. It is essential to a healthy democracy that citizens everywhere are able to feel that their council welcomes them to observe local decision-making and through modern media tools keep others informed as to what their council is doing. The mainstream media also needs to be free to provide stronger local accountability by being able to film and record in meetings without obstruction. Councils are now faced with important budget decisions affecting the day to day lives of people living and working in their communities. Council meetings have long been open to interested members of the public and recognised journalists, and with the growth of online film, social media and hyper-local online news they should equally be open to 'Citizen Journalists' and filming by mainstream media. Bloggers, tweeters, residents with their own websites and users of Facebook and YouTube are increasingly a part of the modern world, blurring the lines between professional journalists and the public. There are recent stories about people being ejected from council meetings for blogging, tweeting or filming. This potentially is at odds with the fundamentals of democracy and I want to encourage all councils to take a welcoming approach to those who want to bring local news stories to a wider audience. The public should rightly expect that elected representatives who have put themselves up for public office be prepared for their decisions to be as transparent as possible and welcome a direct line of communication to their electorate. I do hope that you and your colleagues will do your utmost to maximise the transparency and openness of your council. I do recognise that there are obligations on whoever is filming or publishing information - be it the council itself or a citizen or mainstream journalist - under the Data Protection Act 1998. But I do not see these obligations as preventing access for journalism. Nor are there grounds for any council seeking to obstruct a citizen or other journalist from processing information. The Information Commissioner's Office has told us that: In the absence of any other legal barrier to comment, publication, expression and so on, the Act in and of itself would not prevent such processing of information. In the majority of cases the citizen blogging about how they see the democratic process working is unlikely to breach the data protection principles. In the context of photographing or filming meetings, whilst genuine concerns about being filmed should not be dismissed, the nature of the activity being filmed - elected representatives acting in the public sphere - should weigh heavily against personal objections'. Moreover there are within the Act itself exemptions from the data protection principles which might apply in the circumstances of the citizen journalist. The first exemption relates to processing of information for journalistic purposes (section 32), the second for the processing of information for domestic purposes (section 36). In short transparency and openness should be the underlying principle behind everything councils do and in this digital age it is right that we modernise our approach to public access, recognising the contribution to transparency and democratic debate that social media and similar tools can make. I copy this letter to your monitoring officer given their responsibility for advising on your council's procedures and decision-making arrangements. Bob Neill MP Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Nick Clegg MEP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister, has launched the Youth Contract, a £1billion programme to get every unemployed young person earning or learning again before long-term damage is done. Across the UK, youth unemployment has risen to 21.9%. Nick Clegg said: "We cannot afford to lose the skills and talent of our young people - right when we need them most. We need the next generation to help us build a new economy. We owe it to them to make sure that even in tough economic times, we will do everything we can to find them a job, training or education. That is why today I have committed the Coalition to investing £1billion to tackle youth unemployment." "Young people have been hit particularly hard in the recession, but even in the boom years, Labour failed to tackle the issue. During Labour's 13 years, youth unemployment rose by 40%. With Liberal Democrats in Government, we won't allow the children brought up in the boom to bear the brunt of the bust. The next generation must not pay the price for my generation's mistakes. So the Coalition Government won't sit on our hands and let a generation fall behind." "The aim of the Youth Contract is to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long term damage is done. Over three years, it will provide a work experience place for every unemployed 18 to 24 year old who wants one." "Because we know businesses are struggling to take young people on, we will pay half their basic wage for six months. There will also be a new programme to help the most disengaged 16 and 17 year olds - getting them back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training." "This is a £1bn package and what's different about it is gets young people into proper, lasting jobs in the private sector; but it's a contract, a two-way street. If you sign up for the job, they'll be no signing on for the dole; you have to stick with it. We want to give every young person a reason to get up, a reason to go out, and a reason to feel great at the end of the day; but young people have to meet us halfway. If you break your side of the bargain, don't just expect to live your life on benefits." The Youth contract includes: 410,000 new work places over the next three years. 160,000 wage subsidies. 250,000 more work experience places over the next three years, taking the total to 100,000 a year. 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices, taking the total to 40,000 next year. Extra support through Jobcentre Plus, with weekly signing-on meetings, more time to talk to an adviser and a National Careers Service interview. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar, and former leader of the Liberal ALDE group in the European Parliament, Sir Graham Watson MEP has been elected President of ELDR, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party, at their annual congress in Palermo, Sicily. ELDR is the European political party federation to which the Liberal Democrats belong, along with 55 other Liberal parties across Europe including the German FDP, the Netherlands' VVD and D66 parties, Denmark's Venstre and Russia's PDU and Yabloko parties. 8 of the 27 European Commissioners and 2 current European national Prime Ministers, Andrus Ansip of Estonia and Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, are amongst its ranks. After his election, Sir Graham Watson MEP said: "I am honoured that ELDR has chosen me to lead our great party. I pledge to strengthen European Liberalism, support Liberal parties across our continent and build up the ELDR party by opening its doors to new members. I take inspiration from our strong base of Liberalism here in my South West constituency and the great work done by activists, Councillors and MPs. From the work of Ashdown to Penhaligon, the experiences and lessons we learn here will be emulated across the continent." "My three main goals will be to expand our Party, to update its campaign techniques and to build it into a party which is truly pan-European in its thinking. It is our job as Liberals to explain how we offer a real, principled and economically responsible alternative to the behemoths of conservatism and socialism. And as President of ELDR I intend to do just that." "The multiple crises we are currently mired in - economic, political and environmental - are an opportunity for Liberals to show what we are made of." Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP has congratulated Sir Graham on his election, saying: "In uncertain times we need strong leaders in Europe who are prepared to do the right thing in very difficult circumstances. Sir Graham will be a great leader for Liberals in Europe. His skill and wealth of experience will be invaluable as he brings people together to face these huge challenges. I have known Sir Graham for many years and he has always been a strong, passionate voice for the cause of Liberalism." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Lib Dems in the South East celebrated a by-election win this week, after taking a seat from the Tories who were knocked into third place. Alex Slater moved the Lib Dems up from third place to win the Hazlemere South seat of Wycombe District Council in Buckinghamshire. He polled 412 votes ahead of the UKIP candidate who came second with 365, pushing the Tories who had previously held the seat into third place with 228. A Lib Dem candidate also pushed the Tories into third place in a by-election in the South-West. In the Wendron seat of Cornwall County Council this week, John Martin polled 262 votes, ahead of the Tory candidate with 227. The seat, which was previously held by an Independent, went to the Cornish Nationalist party Mebyon Kernow who polled 427 votes. Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

South East England Lib Dem Euro MP Sharon Bowles, Chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, welcomed proposals on Eurobonds presented to her committee by European Commissioner Olli Rehn, but noted that they will not solve the crisis in the short-term. Eurobonds, where individual states issue bonds that are effectively backed by the entire Eurozone, are widely considered by the markets as the best solution to the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, but Germany has consistently been opposed to introducing them, at least until much greater integration is achieved. Sharon Bowles believes that issuing one year "Euro-bills" in the meantime, as an interim measure, would help countries such as Italy in the current crisis and help to keep their reforms on track. Sharon said: "Germany cannot afford to bail out Italy and Spain and the ECB refuses to be lender of last resort. Yet the ECB and Germany appear to be looking for an unusual type of Pareto optimum: putting the maximum pressure on countries to reform up to the moment where they go bust. This approach has broken the Eurozone sovereign debt market. Unorthodox options such as Eurobonds should be considered." "The European Commission has done well to come forward with options for Eurobonds as a measure for helping Eurozone countries pool their debts in the future. These options are plausible for two years down the line, but what about now? One such interim option is for common issuance of one year "Euro bills". The average for one year bills at present would be 2% interest." "Interest could be differentially distributed under a contract so the weaker countries are in effect purchasing the mutuality. There would also be an incentive for countries to stay on track with their reforms - if they did not keep on track they would not get to reissue the Eurobills next year. This is a time limited and finite plan so attracts the same constitutional permissibility as the scheme from the German wise men." Published by Hazel Watson on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both at 27 Highacre, Dorking RH4 3BF Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY