Liberal Party Local Election Announcement

The Liberal Party is proud to announce its list of candidates in this May’s regional and local elections.

Party President and city councillor Steve Radford will be contesting the mayoral election in Liverpool and well as standing for re-election in the Tuebrook and Stoneycroft ward.

The Liberal Party is standing 28 candidates across 27 wards in Liverpool include a by-election in Croxteth.

In the Sefton constituency Angela Preston will be contesting the Blundellsands ward. 

Byron Hadley is contesting the Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach seat in the Cotswold division of Gloucester County Council.

In Cornwall Paul Holmes is seeking election in Four Lanes, Beacon & Troon and Paul Nicholson are contesting Ludgvan, Madron, Gulval & Heamoo within the unitary authority, whilst at a parish level 4 councillors have been re-elected with a further 5 gains all returned unopposed.

Within Lincolnshire County Council Charles Shaw is contesting the seat of Carholme and Jason Blackmore is contesting the seat of Washingborough having secured the parish seat on Bracebridge heath parish council uncontested.

John Edge is contesting the Hyde Godley Ward of the Tameside borough council.

Finally, Stephen Graham is contesting the Norcot Ward of Reading Borough council.

Help needed

If you are fit and able, please reach out to support candidates where possible. They will all need help with delivery, canvassing, election day activities and ballot count scrutiny. If you are able to help contact details can be supplied by the NEC team for individual candidates.

Covid-19 restrictions do inhibit the election campaign, but it is important that after a delay of a year in the electoral cycle we are able to offer the electorate a liberal alternative at the ballot box.

Bramley Moore Dock

Historic England think again – Open Letter:

Having been brought up on Rugby and having a profound disinterest in football I think I could be considered a more than objective member of the Planning Committee hearing the case by Everton to move to and develop the Bramley Moore dock site.

In the presentation, I was impressed that Everton was committing to invest in public transport at the Sandhills Station.

The call in by Historic England. I fear is totally the wrong approach. Most Northern cities are littered with listed buildings which are supposedly “protected”.

In reality, they are mothballed and allowed to deteriorate over time to the point of no return. The best way to actually preserve and open up Heritage sites is to adopt them to become commercially viable sites whilst at the same time enhancing the heritage features into a community use.

At Bramley Moore Dock the historic railway lines are to be kept and the hydraulic tower to be saved and developed as a visitor facility.

I hope the Secretary of State will take note this proposal was supported by all parties, Labour Liberals and Lib Dems, on the Planning Committee in dare I say a rare case of unanimity.

I would urge Historic England to actually take a more realistic approach to supporting historic sites being developed for a long term future and being opened up to the public rather than left to deterioration behind closed walls.

Cllr Steve Radford
Leader Liberal Party Group

Sustainable life for future generations

Sir David Attenborough has worked throughout his adult life to keep us in touch with nature, he has identified the real dangers the planet will face in our immediate lifetime unless we change our ways of living, he has spelt out his vision and the realistic and achievable things we must do to save our planet and build a sustainable life for future generations. 

Read the book ‘A Life on Our Planet’ watch the video which has the same title on Netflix. 

Our time to take action is now!

The Liberal Party adopts his vision to guide the establishment of policies that support the delivery and promotion of practical solutions.

As we revise our green and environmental policies to reflect the current scientific consensus, come and join us, help us to make our planet a safe place for future generations and all species. 

Liberal Party Policy Statement – Post Brexit UK

The Liberal Party is confident that the period after December 2020 will be more hopeful for the UK, than at any period since the UK definitively voted to leave the EU.

We must now turn our attention to actions we can take independent of the EU.

We must encourage investment to return manufacturing and diverse and sustainable agriculture and horticulture to the UK.

We must secure our fishing waters and invest in delivering sustainable forms of fishing to our costal fishing communities.

We must support local growers to reduce waste by ensuring more of the product they grow is sent to market or to a local processing cannery to be preserved to meet future needs or export.

We must enter into trade deals favourable to the commonwealth and other developing countries and the goods and services they supply.

We must form strategic trade and reciprocal migration alliances with our closest allies. It’s time for the UK to take its place in CANZUK.

We must exploit our world leading role in medical science, research, banking and other professional services to the benefit of the UK and our strategic partners.

In all endeavours, we must ensure that standards are maintained or improved.

Liberal Party calls for APWG to deal with Food Poverty

The Liberal Party notes with dismay the defeat of the Parliamentary motion to extend free school holiday meals for disadvantaged children.

We believe that such privation should be dealt with throughout the pandemic and therefore call on government to commit the public purse until after Christmas to provide holiday meals for the 2.2 million children who currently receive free school meals.

We feel a quarterly review would be appropriate to identify changing needs, for creating certainty and for managing budgets and we call on government to establish an all-party working group (APWG) to make recommendations for future actions.

According to data from The Food Foundation more than 1.4 million children experience food insecurity during the school holidays, such a shameful situation must be addressed as part of a broader review of social policy in this country.

UN should accept Palestinian application

In September 2011, the Palestinian Authority applied for membership of the United Nations. Since then the threat of further illegal settlements and now annexation of their lands has continued unabated.

We call upon the United Kingdom government to send a clear message against illegal settlements, forced evictions and failure by Israel to give genuine recognition of Palestinian rights and interests, by supporting the Palestinian Application to the United Nations. Also, in a clear gesture of support to extend an invitation for Palestine to join the Commonwealth, should they wish to do so.

We should not remain silent and timid in the face of brutal evictions and annexation in the West Bank

The consequences of the Israeli annexation of the West Bank

The Liberal Party notes with grave concern increased media reports that the Israeli Government intends to annex sections of the West Bank as early as July of this year.

Such a move would effectively end any prospect of a viable Palestinian state by reportedly taking control of 30% of the disputed area and thus deny Palestinians the right to self-determination and statehood.

Any such annexation must be roundly condemned by the international community and pressure brought to bear on the Israeli Government to accept a workable two-state solution which guarantees Palestinians the right to self-government.

The party again reiterates its call for the British Government to actively and urgently promote Palestine’s entry into the United Nations as a full member and for an invitation to join the Commonwealth, to be extended to Palestine immediately, with an offer of tacit and practical support to ensure they meet the criteria for membership if they wish to apply.