Liberal Democrats remain intact after tough local election campaign

It was certainly a tough local election campaign. So many leaflets delivered, so many people spoken to and so many roads walked on. And pairs of shoes (and legs) worn out!

Me with new Councillor Gary Busuttil and Andrew Steed

Thankfully the Southfield and Ealing Common ward Liberal Democrat Councillors retained their seats as the Tories were punished. The number of Conservative councillors was halved.

Gary Busuttil topped the poll in his first election in Southfield! Well done Gary as you have been a great local campaigner. So many people agreed with the campaign you led to stop the Council from closing day centres.

In Southfield ward three Liberal Democrat councillors were returned with an increased share of the vote compared to four years ago.

Further west in Ealing Common, Councillor Jon Ball was re-elected and there was nearly a second Liberal Democrat councillor elected, but Jenni Hollis missed out narrowly. They worked so hard and with all elections some great people miss out.

Ealing Council's CEO announcing the Southfield result

The only Lib Dem loss was in Elthorne where the energetic and hardworking Councillor, Nigel Bakhai, lost his seat to Labour as voters across Ealing turned their anger mainly on the Ealing Conservative party.

The Conservatives lost 12 councillors and their leader has since stepped down.

The Liberal Democrats locally have avoided what some said would be a wipe-out because we work locally and have policies that will help the residents of Ealing. Protecting vulnerable residents from the impact of any cuts is one of our top priorities, for instance protecting the vulnerable users of Carlton Road Day Centre.

The next four years will be interesting and difficult but the 69 Councillors who were elected (30 new ones) only a few days ago, need to get on and do the job to help their resdients.

Lib Dems against Council selling the Carlton Road Day Centre

Gary Busuttil and the Southfield Liberal Democrats are against the Council selling the Carlton Road Day Centre in Chiswick.

The Council papers that the the Southfield Liberal Democrats have seen show that the Labour-run Ealing Council want to see the Carlton Road day centre, which would leave many profoundly disabled users, with nowhere to receive care.

Gary Busuttil

Labour-run Ealing Council has voted to close three day centres despite opposition from vulnerable users and their carers. They now plan to close even more day centres.

Read the article about this as seen on ChiswickW4.com

The Liberal Democrats believe Ealing Council should treat the most vulnerable users with more respect.

Southfield candidate Gary Busuttil has been busy collecting signatures to show Ealing Council they should not sell of the Carlton Road day centre.

Please sign the petiton.

Liberal Democrats will treat vulnerable residents as a priority

In the run up to the local and European elections many residents in our seven town centres will be making the decision as to how they might vote.

The coalition government with Vince Cable’s assistance has turned around the economy with not only growth, lower levels of inflation and importantly more jobs.

Councillor Gary Malcolm

Locally while more people are gaining employment we see the current Labour administration continue to fail in a number of areas:

• Closing day centres which means that many profoundly disabled or other vulnerable residents will suffer
• Over the past few years it was reported that Ealing Council has fined residents £24 million in parking fines. Many residents contact me to say they were fined and when I investigate the cases I often find that they should not have received a parking ticket.
• Too many people are kept waiting to get through on the phone as well as being forced to use the internet for many services when some elderly residents do not have a computer
• Allowing our streets and parks to be un-swept and dirty. The recent re-negotiation means that the contractor gets the same money for doing less!

The Ealing Liberal Democrats have been active in making sure that we promise only what we can deliver. The Conservative party promise the earth and often do not follow through with positive actions.

One example was where the Conservative party in Ealing have twice refused to sign up to measures that would reduce the number of deaths for cyclists. Liberal Democrats want to see our streets safer for all users. Sadly this does not appear to be true for the Conservatives who will allow dangerous trucks to be on our roads.

Alongside the backdrop of the elections is the need to continue the campaign to protect our hospitals that residents across the borough use. Having saved the Accident & Emergency wards in Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals we need to carry on the fight.

So the Labour party have failed in Ealing. What would my party, the Liberal Democrats do? We have our published manifesto but a summary is listed here:

• Freeze Council Tax for the next four years
• Invest more in our roads and pavements
• Remove the garden tax and improve recycling facilities
• Sell the Southall car park to fund vital projects
• Protect our day centres
• Get our streets and parks clean, free from uncollected waste
• Make the Council easier to contact

Ealing Council has been selling off our day centres, left our streets and park s dirty and charged for collecting our garden waste. The Liberal Democrats will be tough as nails, with contractors who are providing a poor service and we will freeze Council Tax for the next four years to give some stability to residents' finances.

We are the only party who treat our vulnerable residents with a priority.

Only the Liberal Democrats would sort the waste contractor out and only a Liberal Democrat Council would be cleaner, safer and fairer.

Liberal Democrats release Local Election Manifesto

The Ealing Liberal Democrats launched their local election manifesto today. They are the effective opposition in Ealing, given that they are the only party who has costed policies to deal with the key local issues that residents are concerned about.

In Ealing we have a growing membership

Ealing Council has been selling off our day centres, left our streets and parks dirty and charged for collecting our garden waste. The Liberal Democrats are the only party who have costed policies. We will be tough as nails with contractors who are providing a poor service and we will freeze Council Tax for the next four years to give some stability to residents' finances.

The ten key areas of the 2014 manifesto where we will take action on include:
• Protect the vulnerable - save day centres like the Carlton Road day centre and local health services
• Freeze Council Tax for the next four years – cut costs not services
• Cleaner streets and fine contractors for poor performance
• Safer Ealing – more Bobbies on the Beat in high crime areas
• Restore free garden waste collection
• Freeze parking permits and vouchers
• More investment in roads and pavements
• Increase social & affordable housing supply
• Make the Council easier to contact
• Protect green spaces & prevent “garden grabbing

The Liberal Democrats have produced an alternative budget every year during this 4-year electoral term, while the Conservatives have not done so. The Conservatives have not done so, preferring instead to make statements about what they would do without proving that they could afford to do it. This is further evidence of how seriously the Ealing Borough Liberal Democrats take their duty to the electorate.

The Labour party have left Ealing far worse than we were in 2010 and the Conservative party's financial plans do not add up. Only the Liberal Democrats can improve Ealing giving fairness to how our council money is spent. We are the only party who treat our vulnerable residents with a priority.

On May 22nd vote Liberal Democrat to get hard working Councillors and a party that will focus attention on avoiding problems for the vulnerable in society.

Southfield Lib Dem Councillors help out in clearing up St Albans Church

On a cold Saturday morning, Southfield Lib Dem Councillor Andrew Steed and I helped out a large number of local residents to clear up St Albans Church.

Me removing a wooden pallet behind the church

This involved throwing away masonry, cutting back overgrown trees and lots of other rubbish that had accumulated over the years whilst the church had not been open to the public.

This community work followed the successful victory over developers who wanted to convert the church into ten luxury flats.

It is crucial for the site to be brought back into use. This type of work is vital and it has prepared the ground for future works to make repairs to the church itself.

Lots of overgrown trees were cut back.

Lib Dems alternative budget would increase spending on roads and pavements and cancel the Garden Tax

At an Ealing Council meeting last night Liberal Democrats put forward an alternative budget which would have meant an extra £1.6 million would have been spent on roads and paving across the borough, as well as getting rid of the garden tax.

Sadly the Ealing Labour Party voted against our fully costed and approved budget it will mean that residents will still have to pay £40 to have their garden waste collected on top of the Council Tax.

On the doorstep we are constantly are told that people are sick of having to pay the garden tax. It is a stealth tax. Only the Liberal Democrats put forward proposals to ensure the Council spend more on maintaining our roads and pavements. Both the Tories and Labour party voted again this sensible plan.

Ealing Lib Dems

In my speech I gave a summary of what Labour-run Ealing Council has done over the past four year and it does not read well...

• Cutting of enviro-crime officers
• Cutting of many Park Rangers
• Cutting respite care
• Cutting transport services for the vulnerable
• Cutting Sheltered Housing provision
• Culling of numerous day centres. Numbers of disabled and vulnerable residents will suffer. Elderly and the disabled. I expected more of Labour!
• Then cuts to the very sheltered housing
• People waiting too long to speak to staff when they call the Council
• Our streets dirty and unclean - STILL

Looking at my home ward of Southfield, only two roads have been resurfaced in the past four years. The Liberal Democrat amendment would have helped many roads in Southfield as well as the whole borough.

In the forthcoming local elections on May 2012 people will have the choice to vote Lib Dem for a party who are hardworking all year round and in opposition focus on what the Council needs to do to treat residents fairly, whether the administration does not agree to sensible proposals.

Lib Dems: working for better and a safer transport system

Over the New Year period many of us either leave London to visit relatives or stayed here in what feels like a deserted Ealing. We expect a reduced transport services at that time of year but hope for a better transport system in 2014.

We saw the government reduce transport fares across the country but due to mistakes from the Mayor of London, residents in Ealing are paying higher fares than necessary. On top of this it is expected that the Mayor will close many of the ticket offices which will not help make Ealing a welcoming place for tourists if there is no one to help with ticket enquiries.

The Liberal Democrats have worked with Ealing Council in supporting many cycling initiatives such as the hub outside Ealing Broadway centre and the improvement of many cycling facilities across the borough.

It is clear in Ealing that the Conservative party have continued to block or to pour cold water on many positive initiatives that Ealing Council have been working on to improve the safety of cyclists. As the number of cyclists increases it is crucial that both facilities are improved and training of both children and adults takes place to ensure that cycle users stay as safe as possible.

In Southfield ward, covering Acton and Chiswick, the three Liberal Democrat councillors have been proactive in consulting residents about a possible 20mph zone. After the consultation, which involved a public meeting, about 70% of respondents were in favour of the scheme.

Me at a cycle ride around Ealing in 2010

The 20mph zone should reduce the number of people injured or killed on our streets as well as making it less stressful and safe for those walking or those cycling. The safer we can make walking and cycling, perhaps we can encourage people to be fitter and healthier.

Looking to Ealing Broadway station, one of the busiest stations in London, Crossrail offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for Ealing residents to get a fit-for-purpose station they deserve.

The Mayor of London’s Crossrail plans fail to provide an escalator and includes only tiny lifts. When passenger numbers rise dramatically, the bulk of passengers will be forced to push their way down narrow and dangerous steps to catch a train or the tube. If there was an emergency I do not think people could be evacuated, especially those in wheelchairs or the less mobile, quickly enough.

Ealing's Labour-run Council and Ealing Central's Conservative MP should hang their heads in shame that they have failed to win a better station for Ealing.