Aylesbury Liberal Democrats are heading to their spring conference in Birmingham later this week hoping it will be a springboard to success in the coming General Election.

Leading the team of those attending is Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Steven Lambert who is aiming to become the MP for the Aylesbury Constituency, which includes Aston Clinton, Wendover, Stokenchruch and all of Aylesbury in the General Election, which is due in just a few weeks’ time. 

Steven said “this weekend I will be meeting Party Leader Nick Clegg and will be discussing with him the issues that are really important to residents in the Aylesbury Constituency, such as the closure of Rayners Hedge Brain Injury Rehab Unit.

I will also be meeting our Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable to discuss the impact on of the job losses at HBOS  and of the Liberal Democrats’ plans to ensure no one pays tax on the first £10,000 of income.  I know in our area, thousands of people on low and middle incomes will benefit from this tax cut. 

I also plan to meet our Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne to talk to him about issues of policing in after the launch of the Safer Streets policy a couple of weeks ago which confirmed  the Liberal Democrats commitment to ensuring 3000 more police officers to help make our streets safer.” Steven Continued “I have spoken to many local residents and there is a strong view that we need more local police officers patrolling our streets.

Within weeks, voters will get the chance to decide on who their new MP will be. We are looking forward to the campaign with confidence and will be looking forward to the General Election where the Tory majority is just 7000 and that means we have a real chance of returning a Lib Dem MP for Aylesbury to Parliament.”

Notes for editors

At Lib Dem Conferences Parliamentary Candidates get time set aside to meet leading Parliamentarians. On Friday Steven is meeting Nick Clegg and will be talking about the closure of Rayners Hedge Brian Injury and Neuro Rehab unit, smaller class sizes and the school places crisis in Buckinghamshire’s schools.  On Saturday Steven is meeting Vince Cable and will be talking about the banking crisis and the 800 job loses at HBOS in Aylesbury and Lib Dem plans to put money back into families’ pockets by not charging Tax on the first £10k of earnings. Steven will also be meeting Chris Huhne on Saturday and will be talking about safer streets, scrapping National ID cards and the English Defence League protest being planned in Aylesbury.

Following our recent success at Conference at getting a free Universal Health Visitor Service as a Lib Dem policy (see earlier posts), to support families as their children grow up, me and my colleagues are now calling for free childcare for every family and are supporting an online petition set up by Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer.

Life is a real struggle for many parents. The Government has not made things easy and the Tories look set to make things worse if they win the General Election. Parents who need to go back to work must be properly supported. I believe that parents should be entitled to 20 hours of free, high quality childcare for each child from the age of 18 months to when they start school. Successive Labour and Tory governments have failed our families. It’s time to change this once and for all.

My friend and colleague Lib Dem County Councillor Jenny Puddefoot, said “the campaign for free high quality child care is very much linked to the Lib Dem plans for a Universal Health Visitor Service which will see help and advice given to all families by a qualified professional Health Visitor from when a baby is born to the age of five. It’s been proven beyond doubt that the more you invest in a child in their early, the better life chances that a child will have.”

I couldn’t agree more with her! Why not join us and sign the petition for free child care at this link FREE CHILDCARE CAMPAIGN

One thing that really annoys me is when the Government sneaks things in that make people’s lives harder.

Recent changes to the Local Housing allowance sneaked through by Labour in the last budget mean that once again, Aylesbury’s residents will feel the brunt of Labour’s failed economic policies.

The government is destroying the original intention of Local Housing Allowance which was to bring choice and flexibility to the benefits system while also combating poverty. Anyone who has had to get by on a low income or manage a household budget will know that every penny counts and a £15 is a significant amount to lose from your family budget without any warning. How many people who qualify for help because they need it are now going to lose out.

The people who are going lose out under this proposal are poorer than those who would have been hit by the 10p tax debacle, and will be hit even harder. Worse still, the government will not actually save any money by clawing back these £15 payments. I’m supporting the Lib Dems in Parliament and calling on local Tory MPs David Liddington and John Bercow, to protect low income families by signing the Early Day motion in Parliament.”

Last week, Nick Clegg challenged Gordon Brown directly over the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions and the Liberal Democrats in parliament will continue to do all they can to oppose this latest government assault on some of the very poorest families in the country.

Join me in protesting at this shameful kick in the teeth of ordinary people by Gordon Browns’ Labour Government, by getting our MPs to sign the Early Day motion in Parliament.

After attending the reception for returning armed forces personnel at Judge Lodgings on Monday, I signed up to the Royal British Legion’s manifesto for the next election. I also laid a wreath at the ceremony on Remembrance Sunday in Aylesbury’s Market Square alongside South East MEP Sharon Bowles.

I think it’s crucial that we honour the commitment and sacrifice of our armed forces. Too often they have been let down by our government. Labour has sent our brave young men and women into battle without adequate kit with which to do their jobs. The average wage for a private in the army is below that of other public service workers. And, of course, sending our troops into Iraq was a massive blunder that cost so many lives. We must take better care of those who are prepared to put their lives on the line for their country.

The Liberal Democrats have an ongoing campaign to get the Government to stop short changing our armed forces. To find out more, follow this link. Don’t short change our Armed Forces.

After some considerable thought , earlier on in the year, I put myself forward to the Lib Dems to stand against David Liddington at the next General Election.

Over the past few months I have attended local and national party meetings, interviews a tough assessment centre and finally, a packed hustings meeting of the constituency party members on 25th September.

I am delighted to be selected to fight for the Aylesbury constituency. Aylesbury is my home and I care about what happens here. With the economy in such a dire state and the loss of faith in remote politicians because of the MP expenses scandal, now is the time for people to take a fresh look at the Liberal Democrats. We are the only party who have an agenda for real change and real reform not just on political reform, but also taxation, schools and hospitals.

I’m sure that many think that this is a solid Tory seat, held since 1924. I disagree. People I speak to on the doorstep and at the many public meetings I go to, often complain that politics is broken and that it needs to change to make it relevant. 

I offer a credible alternative to 83 years of Tory MPs for this seat and the party is a real alternative rule in blue red red blue flip flop of power between the Tories and Labour in Government.

The General Election will be held in the next 9 months. If you are a disillusioned Labour voter or a Tory that frankly, doesn’t like ‘Dave’ and his mates, who are someone who has listened to Vince Cable and thought “he is the only one making sense!” Then, remember. The Lib Dems are the only opposition in Bucks. Take fresh look at the Liberal Democrats. Start choosing a different and better future right now and join me and the Lib Dems fight for Aylesbury.

DOn’t forget that the Aylesbury constituency includes the twelve wards of the District of Aylesbury Vale:- Aston Clinton, Wendover; four wards of the District of Wycombe:- Bledlow and Bradenham, Greater Hughenden, Lacey Green, Speen and the Hampdens, Stokenchurch and Radnage

The Fuel Poverty Bill was ‘talked out’ by the Government last Friday because not enough MPs turned up to support it. It needed 100 MPs but it only got 89.

This is a crying shame. With millions of people across Britain struggling to afford to heat their homes, this Bill is desperately needed. With such a narrow margin of failure it is really disappointing that our local Tory MPs John Bercow and David Liddington were not in Parliament to support this important Bill.

The Bill, which was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP David Heath, would deliver a massive home insulation programme which would halve the energy needed to heat the average home. And it would end the scandal of those who use pre-pay meters – generally the least well-off – paying higher rates for their gas and electricity.

I am appalled that this bid for a warmer future for the most vulnerable failed and that the Aylesbury Vale MPs helped it fail by not attending the debate. This would have made a big difference to so many people in Aylesbury and this chance has been thrown away. Just how much do our two MPs care about the most vulnerable of society?

Our best hope now is to put as much pressure as possible on the Government to change their minds and support the Bill. Without government support I am afraid it looks doomed. Campaign groups such as Consumer Focus and Age Concern have also condemned the Government for blocking the Bill’s progress. Help the Aged have said that, “Millions of older people… will be devastated and dismayed by this result.”

Those present to support the Bill (89 who voted for closure plus two tellers) were -
45 Lib Dems (71% of all Lib Dem MPs)
25 Labour (7% of total)
20 Tories (10% of total)
1 Independent
0 SNP or Plaid Cymru