The Conservatives have announced that their road maintenance contractor is proposing to build a tarmac plant, concrete batching plant and gully waste plant along North Quay in Newhaven – just along from the Incinerator they dumped on us.

Your local Liberal Democrats and South Heighton Parish Council have strongly opposed the proposals.

Lib Dem campaigner, James Gardiner said: “These plans will create over 45,000 additional heavy lorry movements a year, the majority of these would use the A26 and A27. The A26 is already crumbling from current levels of use and the people in Newhaven are already suffering from an almost permanently congested road network”.

The road chaos is set to be made even worse as the proposed plant will be serviced by 40 ship visits a year, equating to 80 bridge openings.

The plans outline that some parts of the huge structure will be operational all day and night, causing noise, smells and traffic continuously. We know from the Conservatives’ incinerator that despite what they say about how carefully noise, smells and dust will be handled that they are a major problem for many people.

Lib Dem County Councillor for South Heighton Darren Grover said: “The Conservatives are continuing to treat Newhaven, and by extension Denton and South Heighton, as a dumping ground. They want us to live with these smelly, noisy and dirty developments that they don’t want in their villages.

“The air quality in our area is already very poor because of the traffic congestion and the incinerator, this is simply unacceptable and will only be made worse by these plans. These proposals do not reflect the ‘clean, green and marine’ businesses we were promised and that would help to revitalise the area”.

There has been anger and disappointment when it was recently revealed that the Conservative run District Council had failed to put fire sprinklers in newly built Lewes District Council owned properties.

It was back in October 2013 when the Liberal Democrats introduced a Council motion for all District Council housing to be fitted with sprinkler systems. Whilst the Lib Dems wanted to see fire sprinklers introduced for all Council owned properties, the Conservatives only agreed to put them in any new properties built after October 2013.

However after Lib Dem Councillors raised the issue at a recent council meeting it was revealed that out of the 20 plus new properties which had been built and should have been fitted with a sprinkler, to date not one of them had been.

Thanks to pressure from the Lib Dems an apology has been made, and it has been agreed that all these new properties will have sprinklers retrofitted, though this will cost about twice as much as fitting them during construction.

James Gardiner who is standing in the Ringmer by-election said, “This is a disgrace, not only have the Tories failed to keep their promise on protecting properties from fires but they have ended up wasting money from our council taxes by only fitting them after the buildings were completed.

“It is thanks to the Lib Dems that this has come to light and shows how only the Lib Dems can be a strong opposition to the Conservative District Council. If elected I will call for sprinklers in all council properties. Sprinklers are by far the best way of dealing with fires, and we should fit them where we can, especially where the vulnerable live.”

On September 7th residents will have a chance to choose a District Councillor for Ouse Valley and Ringer who will work hard for them on the issues they care about and knows what it means to be a part of this community.

James Gardiner is standing for the Lib Dems and cares passionately about making sure local residents get the representation they deserve.

James has lived in the Ringmer area for most of his life. He is a qualified teacher and used to teach at Laughton school. As many parents will know, through his Ringmer based company James has worked with many local schools to increase children’s school day activity, which is known to help mental abilities and help deal with obesity.

James is also passionate about green issues from recycling to climate change and will work to protect our environment. James says, “Having lived in the area for many years I know how great the communities of Ringmer, Glynde, Firle and Beddingham are and I am very much looking forward to working with my fellow Lib Dems and local residents to keep it that way.”

Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has announced that the party has suspended all national campaigning until further notice. Tim was due to fly to Gibraltar today as part of the general election campaign but has cancelled the trip.

The former head of the NHS David Nicholson has today backed Liberal Democrat plans to put a penny on income tax to rescue the health and care service, in a major boost for the party.

Responding to the news UKIP are standing in just 377 seats out of 650, down from 624 in 2015, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Brake commented:

"UKIP are standing aside for the Conservatives because they know Theresa May has adopted their divisive agenda wholesale.

"As Nigel Farage has said, Theresa May is now using the exact words and phrases he has been using for the last 20 years.

"The scene has been set for a Conservative landslide that would be bad for people's jobs, our schools and the NHS.

"But it's not too late to ensure a strong opposition and a better future for this country.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party can challenge Theresa May, fight to protect our schools and hospitals and stand up against a bad Brexit deal."

Liberal Democrat former Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable has criticised the government after Nestlé axed 300 jobs and moved production of a chocolate bar to Poland. York and Newcastle will be particularly badly hit.

Vince Cable said:

“When I was Business Secretary companies like Nestlé exported chocolate bars. Now they are exporting jobs.

“Blame for this lies firmly with the Conservative Brexit government for threatening to yank Britain out of the single market and customs union, and I fear there will be many more such announcements.

“We believe that membership of the single market and the customs union is vital for the British economy and for the jobs of millions of British people. Leaving the world’s largest single market was not on the ballot paper in the referendum, it is a political choice made by Theresa May.

“You can’t have a hard Brexit and successful economy.”

After Theresa May’s remarks on the personal tax allowance Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Susan Kramer said:

“Again Theresa May is adopting Lib Dem policies in a desperate bid to ditch her nasty party image.

“It was the Liberal Democrats who raised the personal tax allowance. It was our number one demand in the coalition negotiations. Now, realising the threat they face from the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives have stolen our policies.

“Theresa May’s dogmatic pursuit of hard Brexit is going to make everyone in the UK poorer, and it is very hard to see how she will continue to be able to take more people out of tax if we end up with £100bn Brexit black hole in the public finances. You can't have a hard Brexit and a strong economy.”

The government has agreed to drop key measures to tackle tax avoidance from the Finance Bill following a deal with the opposition.

These include tougher penalties for tax evasion, changes to prevent people avoiding inheritance tax through offshore trusts and the axing of permanent non-dom status.

Liberal Democrat MP and Public Accounts Committee member John Pugh said:

"Many voters will be shocked that measures to crack down on tax avoiders are being quietly dropped.

“It seems promises to crack down on tax avoidance after the Panama Paper leaks were nothing but hot air.

“This makes a mockery of Theresa May’s claim to be delivering for the many not the few.

"Meanwhile Labour is failing in its job to hold this government to account.

“This election is a chance to change the direction of the country and ensure Britain has a proper opposition."

Today (Thursday) in Cambridge Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has blasted Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer, and said that any EU citizen that leaves the UK “should be levelled at their door”.
 
“Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer will be remembered as the two people who have failed Britain in its hour of need.
 
“EU citizens, doctors, nurses and care workers feel that the place they moved to, the place they have made their home, has changed since Brexit. The Liberal Democrats went through the lobbies time after time to protect places like Cambridge and EU citizens and their rights. But Labour sat on their hands and shamefully abstained.
 
“Brexit has exposed Labour as a party that refuses to step up when they could make a difference.
 
“This election is a chance to change the direction of our country. On one side it’s the Tories, UKIP and Labour- skipping hand in hand towards Hard Brexit. On the other side it’s the Liberal Democrats.
 
“Labour have run out of ideas, run out of plans for an open and tolerant country, and that’s why they must be run out of this city. Cambridge now has the chance to stand united against hard Brexit - they must turn again to the Liberal Democrats.”