Go Green on May 5th - Vote Yes!

A group of environmentalists and campaigners passionate about a sustainable future have come together to support Yes to Fairer Votes. They have written this letter outlining why they believe that the alternative vote will help us to deal with some of the pressing issues affecting our planet. They say:

In less than a week's time we will be asked if we want to move to a fairer voting system or stick to the status quo. Our current rules for electing MPs to Parliament were designed for a different age, when 95% of us voted for the two main parties; at the last election this fell to 65%, the lowest in Europe. Man made climate change, nuclear power, degradation of ecosystems, depletion of resources and food waste are environmental problems which cut across ideology and partisan interests and can slip through the cracks when the big parties fixate on the preoccupations of the floating voters in marginal seats who currently decide elections.

The Alternative Vote will allow voters to rank candidates and mean MPs will need the support of 50% of their constituents to get elected, a test currently met only by one in three Members of Parliament. MPs will have to reach further and speak to people who are not their ‘ideologically natural’ supporters, opening the door to others, especially those worried about a degrading environment to put their concerns on the map. But this is bigger than the interests of any one party.

It is about the health of our democracy. The alternative vote will make it easier for independent minded people, inside and outside political parties, to be vocal about the environment and for different political parties to emerge if existing parties don’t pick up peoples’ concerns.

If our voting system cannot cope with the most pressing challenge of our times then it must be reformed and May 5th is our one and only chance to do so.

Signed by:

Jonathan Porritt, Environmentalist & Writer

Caroline Lucas MP, Leader of the Green Party

David Puttnam, Member of House of Lords

Tim Smit, Founder of Eden Project

Tony Juniper, Environmental Campaigner & Writer

John Elkington, Founder of Volans & Founder of SustainAbility

Sara Parkin, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future

Joanna Yarrow, Broadcaster, Author and Founder Director of Beyond Green

Ed Gillespie, Low Carbon Traveller and Writer

Wayne Hemmingway, Designer

Colin Hines, Co-director of Finance for the Future

John Grant, Author & Co-Founder of Ecoinomy

Melissa Sterry, Design Scientist & Futurologist

Dale Vince, Founder of Ecotricty & OBE

Simon Goldsmith, Founder of Principled Sustainability

Polly Higgins, International Environmental Lawyer

Richard Reynolds, Founder of Guerilla Gardening & London Leader

Joss Garman, Campaigner & Writer

Tamsin Omond, Founder of Climate Rush

Amisha Ghadiali Vice-Chair of Yes to Fairer Votes & Ethical Fashion Campaigner

Crosby's Iron Men? This way...

Recently reported by The Formby Times, the on going saga surrounding the increasing number of visitors loosing their way to Another Place - the site of Crosby's Iron Men - has now hopefully been concluded.

Thanks to the continued campaign by Crosby Liberal Democrats, agreed increases in road signs directing tourists to Another Place have now been erected.

James Ludley told FOCUS: “By making the directions to the Gormley statues clearer it will allow new visitors to our area to navigate their way back easier, which in turn should allow a greater balance between the attraction itself and the benefits to local businesses in Crosby and along Bridge Road.”

Brakes Put On NHS Health Reforms

Save Our Cheque Victory??

News has appeared that could see the Chequebook service retained. The pressure that has been put on the Government in recent months, including the significant contribution that has come from Sefton, is making an impact.

The Guardian has the following story which opens:

Abolition of cheques to be reconsidered

MPs will examine decision by Payments Council to dispose of cheques in 2018 following consumer pressure

Cheques could be reprieved as a result of a Treasury Select Committee inquiry into their abolition, following pressure from consumer groups and charities.

The inquiry, chaired by Andrew Tyrie MP, will focus on how doing away with cheques will impact on millions of vulnerable individuals, small businesses, charities, clubs and hospices.

Only time will tell if our efforts have come to fruition - but this is excellent news and a step in the right direction! Watch this space...



We’re saying No to the BNP, and Yes on 5th May.

Nick Griffin and the BNP are campaigning for a No vote in the coming referendum because they know the Alternative Vote will hurt them. Billy Bragg and Simon Woolley, head of Operation Black Vote, joined campaigners to launch a national ad campaign with one simple message – Say No to the BNP – Say Yes on May 5th.

The BNP have won dozens of seats in local elections across the country under First Past the Post, but only because the old system allows candidates to sneak in on a tiny minority of the vote. AV penalises extremist parties by forcing candidates to reach out to the majority of voters.

The news comes as leading experts have comprehensively debunked desperate smears from the No campaign that the BNP might somehow benefit from AV. As election expert Professor Dennis Leech argued this week extremists will be “locked out” of national politics in the event of a Yes vote. Yesterday, the IPPR think tank has published research which backed up these claims.

As Billy Bragg, a long serving Anti Fascism campaigner, said:

“What really stinks is that the Nos just won’t run an honest campaign. We’ve heard a lot of nonsense from them on the BNP, so we’re setting the record straight. AV would hurt the BNP, and that’s why they’re fighting for a No vote.”

Simon Woolley from Operation Black Vote added: "This should kill the myths and half-truths peddled about the Alternative Vote and the BNP. A fairer democracy demands we say Yes to AV”.

Today you can be an MP today with less than 3 in 10 voters on your side. It’s that arithmetic that has opened the doors to the BNP in town halls across Britain.

The BNP have no interest in the mainstream majority, and no interest in a voting system that forces candidates to reach out to the wider community.

We’re saying No to the BNP, and Yes on 5th May.

Yes to Fairer Votes!

Yes to Fairer Votes have just launched the final leg of their campaign, before the country goes to the vote on electoral reform on 5 May.


The country deserves a voting system that makes MPs accountable to their electorate – watch this video to find out more about the campaign from Eddie Izzard and friends.


Find out more about how you can help, and how you can send a “YES” message to your friends and family here.

The Andrew Lansley Rap (posted better late than never...)

How I missed this I am not sure...
Possibly the Lib Dems' favourite YouTube clip?

Opinion: James Ludley For Manor Ward

April sees the delivery of two of the key pledges made by the Liberal Democrats in our General Election manifesto. The personal income tax allowance is being raised by £1,000, which will particularly help those on low and middle incomes. Indeed, almost 1 million low earners will be freed altogether from paying income tax. The link between the state pension and earnings is also being restored, for the first time since Mrs. Thatcher abolished it in the early 1980s. In future, the basic state pension will have a “triple guarantee” – it will go up by the highest of earnings, inflation or 2.5% each year. In time, that will create a real boost to the value of the pension.

 Not only are the Liberal Democrats using our position in Government to deliver our policies – on pensions, tax, extra money for schools through the pupil premium, and a referendum on electoral reform – we are also ensuring that where there are proposals which are unfair or need rethinking, then there is a strong voice in the Government to ensure this happens. For example, in local news recently we have witnessed how Southport MP, Dr. John Pugh, is leading the charge with former Crosby MP and Lib Dem Peer, Baroness Shirley Williams (pictured), against the NHS Bill. A clear example of how the Liberal Democrats are keeping a check on the Conservatives in Government.

It is not just at a national level that Liberal Democrats are keeping a check on Coalition partners. On Sefton’s hung Council it is the Liberal Democrat Councillors who had to take the lead in forming a Council Budget last month, with Labour Cabinet Councillors abdicating their paid responsibility. I have Blogged many a time about this over the past few months, yet, there seems to be little shame or apology coming from the Labour camp.

Coalition at all levels requires us to make compromises – not all of which are welcome. Fairer voting would entrench the need to compromise, and that would be no bad thing for Britain.

Over the next month the Manor Ward Focus Team’s direction is firmly on the elections in our area – for our Council and for the referendum on a Fairer Voting System. Sefton deserves strong leadership; I want to see Liberal Democrats continuing to take the lead in Sefton and contributing to winning the crucial referendum on voting reform. Let us work hard together over these next few weeks to deliver those hugely important objectives.

On Thursday May 5^th vote Liberal Democrat and vote YES! to Fairer Votes.

Lib Dem Action Down Sefton Drive

After being agreed by the Area Committee, the damaged and tired looking Sefton Drive street sign has been properly repaired now!


The Before photograph can be found here.


Any Manor residents suffering similar problems, please get in touch via the contact details on the right of the Blog.


The make up of a good area is the way in which small things, such as this, are cared for. So do get in touch with your hard working FOCUS team.

A Stark Contract Between Labour Party Colleagues

Both Birkdale LibDems and Victoria LibDems are active Bloggers. So much so, that they started the ball rolling with the story about Labour's Leader of Liverpool City Council, Joe Anderson’s, letter in today's Liverpool Post. Manor Ward's good friend, Peter Hough, got in there first with his Blog. In the letter, Cllr Anderson is responding to the Militants who urged him not to set a budget and to take on the government he writes:

“There is no such thing as not implementing the government cuts.
Government gives the city 80% of its funding through different types of
grant. They have chosen to give Liverpool a 22% or £91m reduction. They
simply have not given us the money.

If someone’s household income is reduced by 22%, then they can’t just
ignore this, or they’d go bankrupt. If the city ignored its cut from
the Government, then quite simply we would run out of money by November
of this year, with no money to run social services or pay wages. That
chaos will not happen under my leadership.”

Well under the Leadership of Peter Dowd in Sefton that is the chaos that we may well have faced as he - despite being in the Cabinet - rejected almost every cut. They even voted against a 25% cut in senior and middle management. 

Peter's blog spells out the detail.

When I was Deputy Head at Chesterfield High School, in Crosby, Joe Anderson was working at the school. Although not having much to do with him, it was clear he was a formidable, principled character and one who didn't stand any messing. It is a shame that Sefton Labour councillors have NONE of the principles of their Liverpool Labour colleagues.



The Liberal Democrats in Sefton have taken an identical view to the Labour leaders in Liverpool.  We feel that we should have more cash than we have been given by government.  We have lobbied government about this.  We shall continue to lobby government about this. But we shall not desert our residents in these most difficult times.

"Sefton roads to benefit from pothole windfall"

This week's Champion carries an article about pothole budgets for Sefton. And it's good news...:

A £200m windfall given out by the Government to councils across the country will be used to help repair potholes on West Lancashire's roads, it has been confirmed.
The Department for Transport said that the money had been given to all local authorities following last week's Budget to help repair a nationwide menace to motorists, and although a specific amount hasn't been allocated to West Lancashire yet the amount given to Lancashire as a whole stands at nearly £3.8m, while the amount given to dealing with the problem on Sefton's roads stands at more than £600,000.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said:

“Potholes are a menace to all road users and I want councils to make fixing them a priority. That is why, when more funding became available, I agreed with the Chancellor that we would double the amount of money we are providing for repairs to be carried out.

"This represents a significant investment in road maintenance at a time of severe fiscal restraint, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to maintain our infrastructure to support motorists and businesses."

The funding is in addition to the £831 million already provided to councils for road maintenance this year and the £3 billion the Government has committed over the next four years, the Department for Transport added.

Lancashire County Council, who have been given the £3,792,323 to spend on repairing potholes, have welcomed the boost, and will use the funds to repair potholes created by last winter's severe weather.

”Repairing our roads following three harsh winters in a row is one of our top priorities and the council has already committed around £25m in the budget for the next year.

“We are well on with the job of repairing potholes caused by the harsh winter – last year we fixed over 20,000 potholes. This extra money will allow us to catch up on the backlog of pothole repairs. Not only that, we'll be able to do more full resurfacing schemes so the repairs will be of better quality and last longer.”

Sefton Council, who have been given the £613,026 to spend on repairing potholes, declined to comment but Councillor Tony Robertson, the council's leader, told The Champion he welcomed the investment,

"Any money we can get to help keep our roads up to scratch is most welcome as last winter's deep freeze had a terrible effect on many road surfaces across the borough," he said.

To promote greater transparency and accountability, all local highway authorities, including Lancashire County Council, have agreed to publish information on their website by 30 September 2011 showing where this extra money has been spent. 

(Article by David Simister. Picture is of Birkdale Councillor, and friend of Manor Ward, Simon Shaw.)

29% vs 0% ?? A simple no brainer...

The really big message about the Sefton Council budget for 2011/12 is that there will not be an increase in the hated Council tax. That was a very clear objective of Liberal Democrats in these hard economic times when family budgets are stretched.

However, if Labour’s voting throughout the budget process had been in the majority, Sefton’s Council tax rise would have been an eye watering 29%!! Lib Dem colleagues, Councillors Iain Brodie-Brown and Simon Shaw have covered this in detail since the Budget.

"What is this AV thing all about?"

On the doorstep the other night, I was asked: "What is this AV thing all about?". So here goes the Manor Lib Dems' attempt at breaking 'this AV thing' down...

What is this AV thing all about?

·         On May 5^th, at the same time as voting in the local election for Sefton Council, you will also be asked to vote for or against a change in the way we elect our MPs next time.

How does AV work?

·         It’s easy as  1, 2, 3 ...Changing to the AV (Alternative Vote) system just means numbering the candidates on the ballot paper in order of preference – instead of putting an ‘X’ against one name. An AV ballot paper will look exactly the same as it currently does. Instead of only putting an ‘X’ in just one box, you will be able to put a ‘1, 2, 3…' and so on in as many boxes as you like.

·         You can vote for as many or as few candidates on the list as you want to. With AV, if your favourite doesn’t win, you can still have a say in who is elected. But if you only want to support one candidate, you can - just mark an ‘X’ as you did before.              

                                                                                                         

·         In a democracy, MPs ought to have the support of a majority of their constituents. Under AV, if no candidate commands 50% support, the last placed candidate drops out and their voters’ second preferences come into play. This continues until one candidate has majority support. The reallocation of votes over several rounds is not complicated to organise and forms a part of many efficient and fair voting systems in this country and around the world.

So why change what we have ?

·         Under our current ‘First Past the Post’ system for electing MPs, you only get one choice. That means that most MPs – 2 out of 3 of those elected in 2010! - get to parliament with less than half of voters on their side. With AV, candidates have to do more in order to gain public support. They have to consider the interests of a much wider group of the public than just relying on looking after the interests of their own party supporters.

Would we still have one MP just for the Sefton Central Constituency - like we did under the ‘First Past the Post’ system?

·         Yes! You will still have one MP in your area, and they will speak for the majority of the community.

·         This is about more than just who is MP for Sefton Central. It is also about who runs our Government. Too many MPs have got used to ‘jobs for life’ in the safe seats the current system has created. AV would give these complacent MPs a wake up call.

·         For the millions of people forced into tactical voting just to keep out a candidate they don’t like, AV offers the chance of an honest vote. Political parties who can currently just focus on a handful of voters in marginal seats to get into power will have to secure much wider support in future.

More information can be found at:  http://www.yestofairervotes.org/  

Animal Farm - writes Councillor Hough

Friend of Manor Ward, Councillor Peter Hough, has an interesting piece of opinion posted on his website.


It is well worth 5 minutes, opening:

There were two callers on Radio Merseyside this morning taking part in a discussion on stereotyping. They complained they were discriminated against on their trip to London for the demonstrations, because they were 'scousers'. 

What emerged though was that both these men (one a retired trade unionist) had travelled by first class rail,  paid for by the unions. 

Increase in Income Tax Threshold thanks to Lib Dems in Government

900,000 low-paid workers are set to be taken out of Income Tax altogether from April, thanks to the Lib Dems in Government. Many more people throughout Merseyside will receive a tax cut.

"This will help reduce the gap between rich and poor," says Manor Ward Lib Dem Councillor, John Gibson, who welcomes the news. Inequality increased over 13 years of Labour government. Lib Dems insisted, as part of the Coalition agreement, that this should be reversed. "The merging of Tax and National Insurance will also make it clearer to people what rate they are really paying. National Insurance has not been any form of real 'insurance' for many years. It has been used as a hidden tax by successive Prime Ministers, especially by Tony Blair” added Cllr. Gibson.