BRENTFORD, CHISWICK, HOUNSLOW & ISLEWORTH
TODAY
THIS IS THE DAY TO MAKE A CHANGE
today@hounslowlibdems.org.uk
Lib Dems on the Up! Liberal Democrats
+5.2
JOIN THOUSANDS TURNING THE LIB DEMS INTO THE WINNING TEAM
April 2005
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Tory
Guaranteed maternity pay rise for new mothers
Campaign to scrap tuition and top-up fees
-5.2 Labour Change in percentage share of the votes in Brentford & Isleworth between the General Elections of 1997 and 2001
COUNCIL TAX SCANDAL £1
B ,6 an 14 d a E ye ar
£1 Ba ,2 nd 36 a H ye ar
IS THIS FAIR?
Hounslow Borough has been hit by yet more Council Tax rises, this year an increase of 4.6%. This means that Hounslow’s Council Tax has more than doubled in just ten years. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to abolishing the Council Tax and replacing it with a local tax based on people’s ability to pay.
Local Semi (Band E) If the occupants were a retired couple with a joint income of £16,000 Hounslow council tax bill 05/06: £1,614 (10% of income)
COST OF IRAQ WAR TO THE BRITISH TAXPAYER? Photo: In-Focus
£3.5 BILLION AND COUNTING…
Taxpayers are paying for the war in Iraq at a rate of £135 million a month, with no end in sight. The Lib Dems were the only party that voted against the war that Blair claimed was to rid Iraq of ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ which were never found. Menzies Campbell MP, Lib Dem Shadow Foreign
Prime Minister's residence, 10 Downing Street (Band H) Occupants: Mr & Mrs Blair, estimated joint income: £380,000 Westminster council tax bill 05/06: £1,236 (0.3% of income)
Secretary, said: ‘What we all remember is his assertion that there was a “serious and current threat”. It now seems that the Prime Minister was willing to go to war even if there was no risk to Britain.’ The cost of the war compares with just £200 million pledged by the Government to help Asian Tsunami victims.
Lib Dem Prospective MP, Andrew Dakers commented: ‘Hounslow
Borough already has the fourth highest tax rate for Band D home owners in Greater London. Property value can no longer be used as a basis for local taxation. Only the Liberal Democrats will axe a tax that punishes the least well off because of where they live.’ The Government’s looming revaluation of Council Tax bands for all homes in England is planned to start this year with revised bills being issued in 2007.
AXE THE TAX I/We call for the unfair Council Tax to be scrapped and replaced with a system based on people’s ability to pay.
Name and Address ............................................... ................................................................................ ................................................................................ Phone ..................................................................... Email ...................................................................... Please return to: Liberal Democrats (Axe The Tax), 127 Central Avenue, Hounslow, Middx TW3 2RQ. The TODAY team may contact you from time to time to keep you informed on issues we think you may find of interest. Please let us know if you do not wish the information above to be used for this purpose. Printed by Mortons Print Ltd, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Horncastle LN9 6JR. Published and promoted by R N Banerji on behalf of Andrew Dakers (Liberal Democrat), both at 127 Central Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex TW3 2RQ.
BRENTFORD, CHISWICK, HOUNSLOW & ISLEWORTH TODAY
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TODAY IN BRIEF THAMES WATER FACE MOGDEN OBLIGATIONS Years of work by local campaigners in Mogden Residents’ Action Group (MRAG) have recently been rewarded. Twickenham Lib Dem Vince Cable (pictured right), who recently opened a debate in the House of Commons on Mogden, has received new assurances from the Environment Minister: ‘After years of campaigning we are at last getting somewhere in making Thames Water face up to its obligations. The Government has to impose tough but clearly defined standards’. It has been announced that over £40 million will be spent on the plant. The technology currently used there is very similar to that employed when it was built in 1936 serving an original population of 1.25 million. It now treats the effluent of some 1.8 million.
HOUNSLOW PUPIL OVERCROWDING DOUBLES Andrew Dakers has revealed that the number of pupils in Hounslow’s secondary schools being taught in classes of 31 or more has rocketed by 98% since Labour came to power. This is way above the average outer London increase of 46%. In addition, the number of pupils in classes of 26 or more has gone up by 25% in outer London.
SCRAP TUITION FEES Liberal Democrats in Hounslow are supporting the campaign to scrap university tuition and top-up fees in England and Wales.
BRENTFORD, CHISWICK, HOUNSLOW & ISLEWORTH TODAY
TIME FOR CHANGE...
The Lib Dems have already fulfilled this pledge in Scotland.
Audrey Maclean
Andrew Dakers, Prospective MP for the area, said that thousands of young people living in Brentford, Chiswick, Hounslow and Isleworth, would be better off under these plans. ‘I have spoken to many young people in the area,’ said Andrew, ‘and I am constantly hearing of their concern about the massive debts Labour expect young people to take on while studying. Many have told me they will therefore not go on to university. ‘This is government policy at its worst. We need young people to go to university and improve their education. That way we will have a better workforce and become more competitive and wealthier as a nation.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lib Dem Prospective MP Andrew Dakers last month joined student campaigners to fight for the scrapping of tuiton fees. ‘But Labour’s tax on students will put off hundreds of young people in Hounslow Borough from ever going to university. ‘However, the Tories’ plans are just as bad. They would make students pay through commercial interest rates on loans instead of tuition fees. The poorest 30% of students would pay 25% more for
Do you agree with scrapping tuition fees? To vote, text libdem scrapfees yes or libdem scrapfees no to 60300. Texts cost 25p plus your standard operator SMS costs.
To join the campaign, visit www.scraptuitionfees.com their education than under Labour’s full top-up fees. ‘Only the Liberal Democrats will give students a fair deal, paying for education (and other
policies), by raising the tax rate on earnings over £100,000 a year to 50%.
Chiswick has the 8th highest number of university students in the UK. They are all suffering under Labour’s tuition fees, which the Lib Dems are commited to scrap.
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‘The Budget just seems like a false promise… they’re giving us money back this year because they want us to vote for them again, but you can bet that next year they’ll make sure they get it back!’
Shahzad Akhtar ‘I’m just tired of Labour’s empty promises. It’s time for a change but I don’t think that the Tories are any better – I just have to remember ten years ago! Hounslow needs to elect a local MP like Andrew Dakers who will do the work.’
Kirsty Armstrong ‘I really hoped that they’d lift stamp duty properly [in the recent budget]. £120,000 is not going to help anyone trying to buy somewhere to live in London.’
‘I supported Labour for years, but I can’t after the war in Iraq. The Lib Dems were the only party to stand up against the war and they’ll be getting my vote this time. I just can’t vote Labour again while Blair is Leader.’
NEW COMMITMENTS TO WOMEN TURN UP HEAT AS ELECTION APPROACHES This pledge stands as an alternative to the current Statutory Maternity Pay, set at £102 per week and would guarantee at least £4,420 for working mothers when starting a family. Lib Dem leader Charles
Kennedy commented: ‘Women have made great progress over the past few decades. But many of the old injustices and inequalities still remain.’
new mums mark just one part of a Liberal Democrat drive to introduce policies that benefit women – young and old.
Changes to maternity payment for
Liberal Democrat Priorities for Women
Waste piles high as Labour fails to deliver on the environment PARMJIT SINGH GILL WELCOMED TO HOUNSLOW GURDWARA Parmjit Singh Gill, Leicester South Lib Dem, was welcomed last month to Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Hounslow. Parmjit was joined by Andrew Dakers and Satnam Kaur Khalsa, who together spent an hour meeting the Gurdwara’s women’s group and touring the Gurdwara. Parmjit said, ‘I am very impressed with the amount of local support behind Andrew, Satnam and the Liberal Democrats. Clearly there is great momentum building across the Borough of Hounslow with support moving away from Labour to the Liberal Democrats.’
RAIL DELAYS SOAR UNDER LABOUR Delays on South West Trains services are nearly three times as common since Labour came to power, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows. In1997, 10% of South West Trains services arrived late. Now it is an astonishing 27.7% – more than a quarter of all services! Liberal Democrats would get the railways working again by streamlining the system: fewer, larger franchises given longer contracts in return for more investment and better services.
Figures obtained by local Liberal Democrat Prospective MP Andrew Dakers reveal that since Labour has been in power the volume of waste in the UK has been spiralling out of control. Although Tony Blair has consistently said he would put the environment at the centre of policy making, last year alone it can be estimated that: 5,000,000,000 disposable nappies were BURIED ◆ Over 10,000,000 tyres were BURIED and nearly one million more were illegally FLY-TIPPED ◆ There were 5,000 reported incidents of FLY-TIPPING ◆ 94,000 Fridges – DUMPED ◆ 5, 600 tonnes furniture, equivalent to 82,000 double beds, DUMPED ◆ 42,000,000 bags of rubble – DUMPED ◆
Over 310,000 vehicles were ABANDONED ◆ 1,635,300,000 plastic litre bottles were BURIED ◆ 360,180,000 glass litre bottles were BURIED ◆ 32 Million printer cartridges – BURIED ◆ 2 Million mobile phones – BURIED ◆ 468 Million batteries – BURIED
has gone up by 9%
Since 1997: ◆ Total Municipal Waste has gone up by 19%, increasing at a rate of 3.4% each year. ◆ The number of abandoned cars has risen to more than 300,000 this year. ◆ The amount of high level radioactive waste
‘The Liberal Democarts have warned before of the growing fridge mountain in this country, now there is evidence of growing tyre and car mountains.
◆
Dee is a London-wide member of the Greater London Assembly (GLA) and chairs the Economic Development & Planning Committee, which is currently investigating London’s night-time economy, plans for ‘super casinos’, and apprenticeships. Dee is a member of the GLA’s Health and Public Services Committee, where she is taking part in investigations into the growing problem of sexually-transmitted diseases, and health and safety among construction workers.
◆ Equal pensions for women: £100 more pension every month ◆ Childcare: reduce class sizes for 5-7 year olds, create 3500 Children’s Centres, extend pre- and after-school care to all schools and increase nursery care for 3-4 year olds.
DEE’S PRIORITY ISSUES Housing and homelessness in London is the worst in the country. Dee is campaigning for genuinely affordable housing, targeted at the people who need it most, such as lowpaid public-sector workers. ‘Super Casinos’ The government may allow several super casinos to be built in London, but will they boost tourism and jobs, or will they bring problem gambling and noise? The Economic Development and Planning Committee will be producing a report with focused recommendations for ‘super casinos’. Water pressure drop Thousands of residents face huge bills following Thames Water’s decision to reduce water pressure across London. Dee is campaigning against this decision.
Maternity pay: equivalent to the minimum wage of £170 per week for six months after the birth of their first child. ◆
Andrew Dakers (right) commented: ’Under Labour the amount of waste this country produces has increased dramatically while our rate of recycling has remained abysmal.
‘Dumping and burying waste is not a long-term solution. If our recycling rate does not improve, the
DEE’S ROLE ON THE ASSEMBLY
Dee is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on economic development/wealth creation; social development; culture; sport and tourism; health and public services; and spatial development/ planning in London.
◆ Free Personal Care for elderly and disabled people: care when people most need it, for as long as they live
Britain is currently at the bottom of the European recycling league with only 12% of household rubbish being recycled.
WORKING FOR YOU ON THE GREATER LONDON ASSEMBLY
Tim Haigh
Don’t waste your vote. For more information on the how to use your vote visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
The Liberal Democrats will guarantee maternity payment to new mothers, equivalent to the minimum wage of £170 per week for the first 6 months after the birth of their first child.
DEE DOOCEY
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IN THE DOG HOUSE
country will become one big rubbish dump. Labour must act to cut Britain’s waste mountains.’
Confusion reigned over Conservative economic policy after a Tory frontbencher effectively disowned his party's spending plans. The James Report, which Michael Howard stated showed ‘exactly how we will deliver lower taxes and better value for money’ was rubbished by Mark Prisk, one of his whips.
Under pressure from the Lib Dems’ Vince Cable, about the Tories' proposed £1 billion of cuts in social housing Mr Prisk said on the Daily Politics programme, ‘as you know perfectly well the James Report is not Conservative Party policy’. He was later forced to admit that the James Report was Tory policy and they were proposing £1 billion of housing cuts.
Dee at the London Sports Awards, with the 800m Paralympic Champion, and the Junior Sportsman of the Year
KEEP IN TOUCH! If you have any questions, or problems, or if you’d like to receive Dee’s regular newsletter, please e-mail Dee Doocey at dee.doocey@london.gov.uk or write to Dee at City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA. If you’d like to find out more about Dee’s work on the GLA, visit her website at www.deedoocey.com
BRENTFORD, CHISWICK, HOUNSLOW & ISLEWORTH TODAY
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ANDREW DAKERS PROSPECTIVE MP FOR BRENTFORD & ISLEWORTH
FACTFILE Date of birth: 30 April 1979 Qualifications: MSc Development Management, The Open University Professional experience: IT - BBC; Communications - United Nations; Comms & Business Change - GlaxoSmithKline Interests: Local development issues; theatre and cinema; hiking, cycling and scuba-diving. Memberships: Brentford Independent Association of Supporters; United Nations Association UK; Friends of the Earth Best ever experience: My current role as Lib Dem Prospective MP has to come close! Travelling round the constituency has allowed me to meet some truly inspirational people. Worst ever experience: Having the worst food poisoning of my life when I was teaching in East Africa... I was so ill that days of my life just passed by without me noticing. Favourite food: Probably a curry at one of Hounslow’s excellent Asian restaurants. Last book you read: ‘The Point of Departure’ by Robin Cook – it simply confirmed that Blair had inadequately considered the potential consequences of the Iraq conflict when he took our country to war.
Bees on top form in the FA Cup Congratulations to Brentford FC for their fantastic achievement in the FA Cup this year. The Bees got through to the fifth round replays and showed a lot of grit and determination coming through some tough ties. Andrew was down at Griffin Park for the Bees’ match against Southampton. Now their focus turns to gaining promotion from League 1 and we want to wish Martin Allen and his team every success for the rest of the season.
LIB DEMS ARE THE REAL ALTERNATIVE ‘Style over substance’ is the verdict after two terms of Labour government. The endless ‘spin’ and the many unopposed decisions that are made by Tony Blair and his government have led many people to believe that it is now time that Britain had an effective opposition to offer a constructive alternative. The Conservatives under Michael Howard, have failed to do that siding with Tony Blair on almost every major issue. Even the Tory press has given up hope that they can win the next General Election. Speaking recently, Lib Dem party leader, Charles Kennedy said, ‘Only the Liberal Democrats stood against the Iraq war and they have also provided strong opposition to the government’s plans on ID cards, anti-terror measures and taxation.
ANDREW DAKERS’ 5 PLEDGES TO YOU 1. I will be a local MP who will continue to live in our constituenc y and have an office open 7 days a week.
‘People want a credible, principled political party which offers a different vision of what Britain can be.’ “Andrew Dakers would make an excellent MP for your area. He is committed to being a hard-working MP and would run regular local surgeries.” Charles Kennedy, in a recent message to supporters
COMPARE ANN KEEN’S RECORD WITH HOW ANDREW WOULD HAVE VOTED ON KEY ISSUES ◆ Identity cards (Dec ’04) MPs voted on the second reading of the government's identity cards bill. The Tory frontbench supported the measure, with Labour and Tory rebels voting against. ◆ Anti-war amendment in Iraq debate (Feb ’03) The amendment was not carried. Rebels voted in favour. ◆ Home Office anti-terrorism legislation (Nov ’01) Vote on the controversial bill giving the government the right to detain foreign terrorists without trial. Rebels voted against. The motion was passed. ◆ Opposition to cuts in student funding (June ’98) Motion to oppose government plan to cut student funding. Motion was lost.
Keen (Lab)
Dakers (LibDem)
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AGAINST
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2. I will hold advice surgeries at least every two weeks to help ALL the people of our constituency. Emails, letters and phone calls will be responded to within 14 working days. 3. I will campaign to improve health services, increase police numbers, save our Post Offices and clean up the area. I will kee p you informed of my work in quarterly progress reports. 4. I will bring together a Community Forum every four months where local residents, pres s and any other organisation can rais e issues and concerns and hold me accountable at a local level. 5. I will not claim an MP housing allowance. Find out more about Andrew Dakers’ views on a range of issues at www.andrewdakers.com
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Name ................................................................... Address ................................................................ ............................................................................... .............................................................................. Phone ................................................................... Email .................................................................... The TODAY team may contact you from time to time to keep you informed on issues we think you may find of interest. Please let us know if you do not wish the information above to be used for this purpose. Printed by Mortons Print Ltd, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Horncastle LN9 6JR. Published and promoted by R N Banerji on behalf of Andrew Dakers (Liberal Democrat), both at 127 Central Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex TW3 2RQ.
Printed by Mortons Print Ltd, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Horncastle LN9 6JR. Published and promoted by R N Banerji on behalf of Andrew Dakers (Liberal Democrat), both at 127 Central Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex TW3 2RQ. Paper from sustainably managed forests.