Chingford and Woodford Green Liberal Democrats

Over 20 million working people will be better off next year after Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government delivered the biggest ever increase in the income tax personal allowance in the Budget.

The massive £3.5bn tax cut for working people delivers:

• The biggest ever single uplift in the tax threshold
• A personal allowance of £9,205 in April 2013
• 21 million working people getting an extra £220 tax cut
• Brings the total tax cut for basic rate tax payers to £550
• Brings the total number of people lifted out of tax to 2 million.

Cllr Richard Hoskins chaired a residents meeting called by Iain Duncan-Smith MP, to discuss their concerns. These included late night openings. rising burglary rates and anti-social behaviour in South Woodford. 150 residents packed the meeting on February 10 that Derby Road Methodist Church. The panel including Iain Duncan-Smith, the Borough Police Commander Sue Williams, Church End ward Councillor Hugh Cleaver, Council Leader Keith Prince and Cllr Mrs Ruth Clark Chair of Licensing..

Working with officers we have arranged for residents in streets adjoining the existing scheme to be asked if they wanted to be included in the scheme. Residents in only two streets in Church End ward did.They were Lincoln Road and Radleys Lane. This will be done. A second consultation was then arranged to see if residents wanted the scheme area split into two zones. An inner one around South Woodford Station for residents of those roads, and outer zones. At the same time we will see if more parking spaces can be created, also review the operation of dropped kerbs and double yellow lines. We will report back on this again in the next Focus

For the second year running the Council has reduced funding available to pay for the many needed council services. Meanwhile the rapidly rising numbers of children entering local schools, and our growing elderly population require more money to meet the increasing needs.

Few would choose this outcome
Last March the Council had to decide how to cut its overall spending over the following 3 years. Some £25million savings (cuts) had to be made. The Council has now finally budgeted for this second year of cuts in funding. There have been few changes possible from what was decided last year. But the cuts agreed then are already hidden in the budget that was recently proposed for next year - 2012/2013.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg used his speech to the Party's Spring conference in NewcastleGateshead to call for the forthcoming budget to be a "budget for fairness" and pledged that it would help working familes.

The Deputy Prime Minister pledged that by 2015 Britain would have seen an end to control orders, the first gay marriages and the first elections to the House of Lords.

Fairer taxes, promoting green jobs, protecting your civil liberties - these are just some of the achievements of the Liberal Democrats in government.

We're building a freer, greener and more liberal country - and stopping some of the worst excesses of the Conservatives. Find out more in this infographic.

In his keynote speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference, Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined his goals for the Government and the country over the coming years. He reiterated his commitment to liberal values on the environment and human rights and his determination to ensure a fair chance for every child, saying "every child can do good things, great things, if only we give them the opportunities they deserve."

On 5th May you have a choice. You can keep the discredited First Past the Post system to elect our MPs, or you can choose a new and fairer system - Alternative Vote (AV). Back the campaign for change at www.YesToFairerVotes.org

AV is a small change that makes a big difference.

Saying YES! to Fairer Votes Means:

Our thanks to LibDem members and non-members alike for the physical and moral support you have given us in the past few weeks. Whether leafletting, canvassing, telling on polling day or simply writing letters of support, knowing that others were behind us was encouragement in our campaign to get the Liberal Democrat voice heard in the national and local elections.

LibDem parliamentary candidate, Dr Geoff Seeff, has issued a powerful personal appeal to the voters of Chingford and Woodford Green. He has sent an e-mail to supporters in which he sets out what he regards as the most compelling reason for voting LibDem on this occasion and he asks that they forward it on to friends and relatives in the constituency who they think might agree with the sentiment. Geoff hopes that within a few days some 20,000 households will have received the message.