John Shaw: Why I'm standing as Lib Dem candidate for MP for Basingstoke
I've lived in Basingstoke for over two decades. It's a great place and I'm proud to call it home, but I know it could be better.
2 May 2017
Local News
2 May 2017
Tory mess as Government confirms DIY waste should be disposed of for FREE
Liberal Democrat councillors in Hampshire are delighted that following a question in the House of Lords by Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Baroness Kate Parminter, it has again been confirmed that DIY waste should be disposed of for free. The Conservative Minister Lord Bourne, stated in a written answer on 20th March 2017 that DIY waste is household waste and should therefore be disposed of for free. However Conservative-run Hampshire County Council continues to charge for the disposal of waste from DIY claiming that it is not household waste. Cllr Gavin James, Liberal Democrat group leader on Basingstoke and Deane Council said: "The reply from Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, a Minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government clearly states that there should not be any charges for DIY waste disposal. We once again call on Hampshire Conservatives to scrap these unlawful charges, and this time we expect them to take notice of us as we clearly have the Minister's support. Surely Hampshire County
10 Apr 2017
Basingstoke - Our Roads are in Terminal Decline
The 2017 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey has found that nearly 20% of roads are in "poor" condition. Whilst the Tory government is planning to invest £1.2 billion in roads this year, including repair and maintenance, local authorities say it will take an average of 12 years and £12 billion to bring our roads up to scratch.
4 Apr 2017
Every school in Basingstoke will see budget cuts
Every school in Basingstoke will see budget cuts before 2020, even after new funding plans are put into place warns Liberal Democrat Group Leader Gavin James. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an urgent change of policy.
21 Mar 2017
Conservative MPs have betrayed EU nationals in Basingstoke
The Liberal Democrats have criticised Conservative MPs for voting against the right of thousands of EU nationals in Basingstoke to stay in the UK, as a majority of MPs gave the final go-ahead to a hard Brexit. There are 5,184 residents from elsewhere in the EU living in Basingstoke. There are 343 staff from other EU countries working for the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (that covers Basingstoke) including 65 doctors and 92 nurses. MPs overturned amendments backed by the Liberal Democrats to give Parliament a vote on the terms of the deal and to guarantee the right of EU nationals to stay after Brexit.
16 Mar 2017
2025 Local Elections
Recent local election results should come as no surprise. Most citizens would tell you that “Britain is not working” and it certainly is not working for them as they struggle with the cost of living crisis and failing services.
Recent local election results should come as no surprise. Most citizens would tell you that “Britain is not working” and it certainly is not working for them as they struggle with the cost of living crisis and failing services. Amidst the uncertainty caused by the incompetence of our two major political parties, long the pillars of our political establishment, as citizens we have lost hope in a better tomorrow.
Whilst Conservative mismanagement of the economy and its destruction of services did us all no favours, Labour has failed to fulfil its election promises. Badly. From winter fuel payments to job taxes and destroying family farms through ill judge inheritance tax changes, we have seen it all.
Furthermore, we have recently suffered from a stitch up in the cancellation of the elections in Hampshire. This was proposed by the Conservative County Council and adopted with speed by the Labour government. All in the interests of efficiency as we move to Local Government Reorganisation. This has led to a major democratic deficit, and we have a Conservative administration which in all probability would have been voted out of office. If you run a business £200,000,000 in the red and not delivering on its contracts, then you would go to the wall. In the case of Hampshire County Council, it is clear that turkeys do not vote for Christmas.
This also raises problems for Local Government Reorganisation where the primary local driver, Hampshire, has no democratic mandate. It also appears to be driven by narrow self-interest rather than the public interest which we deserve. How do we move forward? Rather than adopting a justified “plague on all your houses”, voters should look at the values and competence of the candidates and parties. Clearly Labour and the Conservatives are not the answer.
Councillor Luigi Gregori
Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson NW Hants