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Welcome to the website of the Morpeth & District Liberal Democrats
Keeping in touch ...
Reporting back ...
All year round ...
Year after year ...
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
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Wed 18th Nov 2009
"People in Wansbeck are disenchanted with Labour and realise that the Conservatives can't win here," says Simon Reed who will be the Liberal Democrat Candidate for Wansbeck Constituency when the General Election date is announced. "Labour has taken this seat for granted for years. Voting Lib Dem will be the only way to stop them winning here again. Because of the way the 'first past the post' electoral system works, voting for other parties in Wansbeck will effectively be a vote to help Gordon Brown back into power."
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Wed 18th Nov 2009
There is no overall majority on Northumberland County Council, so as the largest party, the Liberal Democrats currently run a minority administration. In practical terms this means that all measures taken on behalf of the County's residents have to be supported by one or both of the other political parties. The Council is under severe financial pressure. This is due to the global financial crisis, low interest rates, the usual annual savings imposed by Central Government and additional savings the Government assumes will be made from the new unitary structure. Discussions take place between the parties prior to Council meetings to try to take the best decisions and help the smooth running of the Council. Andrew Tebbutt, Lib Dem Councillor responsible for budgets says: "In order to make this work we need councillors to act responsibly. There must be proper debate, but there is no room for petty party politics."
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Wed 18th Nov 2009
There are now three separate planning applications pending for supermarket developments in and around Morpeth. Salisbury's want to build at the A196/A192 intersection in Stobhill, Tesco on the Coopies Lane Trading Estate and there is a proposal by Dransfield Properties (the Town centre re-developer) for a new supermarket at Low Stanners, which would include additional town centre car parking and the widening of Staithes Lane. Decisions on all these applications will be taken by the County Planning Committee. Whilst it is flattering that the supermarket giants are falling over themselves to invest in new stores in our area, there are fears that the out-of-town stores proposed by Salisbury's and Tesco could threaten the viability of the new town centre development. Additionally the Sainsbury's application would begin to fill the greenfield space between Morpeth and Hepscott. Hepscott residents and the Parish Council are strongly opposed to this. Morpeth Town Council has also formally opposed both of the out-of-town proposals. However, with some reservations, Morpeth Town Council has supported the Dransfield proposal at Low Stanners. If this development was to be approved it is unlikely to be open before 2013. Residents have the right to participate in the planning process. If you wish your views to be taken into account please write to the Planning Department, Northumberland County Council, County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF.
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Fri 10th Jul 2009
Social workers covering Morpeth are to be located with the other much larger teams in the South East of the County, but there will be no change in the level of cover provided in Morpeth. The reasoning behind the decision is that these social workers, who actually spend most of their time working outside of Morpeth, need to be based together with other child care professionals for information sharing, supervision and professional development purposes. This is especially important following the 'Laming Review' concerned with safeguarding issues in Children's Services across the Country. Also, Ofsted have indicated that the arrangement of having just two social workers in an office for high risk work is unacceptable and a closure recommendation for was anticipated after a forthcoming inspection. The accommodation for the two social workers based at Morpeth had also been deemed not 'fit for purpose' which reinforced the decision.
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Mon 8th Jun 2009
In this question and answer session Simon Reed explains why yet another Labour win Wansbeck Constituency is not a foregone conclusion.
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Wed 18th Feb 2009
Network Rail has been lobbied over a number of years by SENRUG, Castle Morpeth Borough Council and Morpeth Town Council, supported by Liberal Democrat councillors, to make improvements at Morpeth Railway Station. At long last, improvements are on the way. Network Rail recently applied for planning permission to provide additional spaces by constructing an overflow car park on the opposite side of the road to the Station to be used when the existing car park is full. The plans involve the introduction of a daily charge. Whilst welcoming the proposals, Morpeth Town Council, has suggested train travellers should be able to reclaim all or part of the charge (this should be possible when the Station Office opening hours are extended) and that there should be designated spaces for disabled people to meet the national minimum standard, a bus only turning circle and appropriate additional yellow lines along adjacent Coopies Lane. In the longer term (probably some time between 2012 and 2015) Network Rail has plans to make the Station DDA compliant. The preferred solution involves installing a lift with an emergency telephone at each end of the existing subway, but this will require Department of Transport support.
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Wed 18th Feb 2009
A massive administrative change will take place on 1st April when the new unitary council for Northumberland takes over all the responsibilities of the old Northumberland County Council, Castle Morpeth Borough Council and the other 5 District Councils. Morpeth Town Council and other parish and town councils will continue as before.
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Archive of earlier news stories.
 News Story Feed (v1.0).
Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY.
Promoted & published by Alan Jones on behalf of Morpeth Liberal Democrats, all at 10 Queensway, Morpeth, NE61 2BG
The views expressed are those of the party, not of the service provider.
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| Quotes of the Week |
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"Anyone who wants to pass laws in this country should pay this country's full taxes and not hide behind the special offshore status of non-doms. Non-doms have to tell the taxman that their first allegiance is to another country. No-one should be a British lawmaker whose first allegiance is not to Britain. "
Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
www.libdems.org.uk - 2 March
"I think people are entitled to expect a sensible, stable government at a time when the country is facing very, very acute choices. We take what the markets are worrying about immensely seriously. We will not take any risk with the creditworthiness of the economy. "
Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Financial Times - 3 March
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