At yesterday’s Annual Meeting of Hertfordshire County Council (May 19), the Liberal De​mocrats, who form the official opposition on H​ertfordshire County Council,​ revealed a new Shadow Cabinet.

The new Shadow Cabinet is as follows:

Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey) – Leader of the Opposition, Hertfordshire County Council

Malcolm Cowan (Handside and Peartree) – Deputy Leader of the opposition, Hertfordshire County Council

Nick Hollinghurst (Tring and the Villages) – Environment, Planning, W​aste and Community Safety

Paul Zukowskyj (Hatfield South) – Resources, Performance and Localism

Mark Watkin (Nascot Park) – Education, Skills and Children

Ron Tindall (Hemel Hempstead St Pauls)- Adult Care and Health

The Opposition leads for the Councils overview and scrutiny functions are Malcolm Cowan for Overview and Scrutiny and Chris White (St Albans Central) for Health.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst said: “At a time when Hertfordshire Conservatives are making ideo​logical cuts to vital services such as bus routes it is vital that we have a strong opposition in place to hold their actions up to scrutiny.​

“I am delighted to have such an excellent team, full of ideas and keen to serve the best interests of Hertfordshire residents.

“It is our duty to make sure that vital services such as w​aste d​isposal, e​ducation, s​ocial c​are and looking after vulnerable children all happen to an excellent standard, but while making the most of every penny of taxpayers’ money. The Liberal D​emocrat team will hold the Conservatives to account for every shortsighted decision and ill-advised service cut.​”

Congratulations to Sam Rowlands for winning Clarence and to Matt Jones for a splendid result in St Peter’s where the Greens crashed to fourth place.

Clarence

St Peter’s

For text click here: Manifesto 2015

The Liberal Democrats in St Albans have today launched their manifesto for the District Council elections in St Albans which take place at the same time as the General Election on 7 May.

The manifesto, entitled ‘Time for a New Approach’, contains details of the Party’s programme for the local council including:

• a commitment to local travel plans, increased cycle facilities and the transition streets movement
• a reversal of some of the key car parking charge increases imposed by the Conservatives
• a commitment to make the district business friendly
• a plan to give local people a much greater say over local facilities such as play areas
• an increase in affordable homes while protecting the green belt.

Commenting today, group leader Chris White said: ‘It is important for the district to focus back on the core issues.

‘The Conservatives have lost interest in the city centre as a key part of the economy, being content to drive shoppers away from St Peter’s Street to out of town shopping centres. Labour likewise are actively encouraging people to desert the high street. We are the only Party locally which is standing up for those who still would prefer to come to central St Albans.

‘But the key issue is the environment. We need to green the entire district – and this means providing better cycle facilities as well supporting the transition streets movement as a way of reducing our collective carbon footprint.’

Chris added: ‘It’s also important that we have an administration which stands up for the area. The local Conservatives have just rolled over in front of their masters at county hall, taking no interest in the Conservative decisions to cut household waste sites, cut bus services and cut the quality of pavement and highway maintenance.

‘We will offer a much more robust response to the constant attack on the health and appearance of the district.’

St Albans City and District Council has just published the updated map online at http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/sports_physical_activity/cycling/. Free printed copies of the map are also available from the St Albans Tourist and Information Centre, Parish Councils and local libraries. Members of the St Albans Cycle Campaign provided the Council with assistance to update the map.

The massive Helioslough lorry terminal could now go ahead thanks to the decision by Eric Pickles to support it and the failure of the recent legal challenge by St Albans Council. Now it is all down to Hertfordshire County Council and whether it decides to sell the land.

Please sign the petition asking them not to do that here and get all your friends and neighbours to do so too.

This petition has been tabled by St Stephen parish councillor Jay Baillie. It points out that Hertfordshire County Council’s prime duty is to look out for the interests of Hertfordshire residents.   Not to sell this Green Belt land is in the best interests not just of local people but of all residents in Hertfordshire, both now and for generations to come, given the important Green Belt role it plays in protecting local communities from coalescence.

Volunteers dedicated to supporting disabled athletes in St Albans can take part in essential training, thanks to a local county councillor.

1. Prosperity for all
   Balance the budget fairly and invest to build a high skill, low carbon economy
2. Fair taxes
   Cut your taxes by an additional £400 by raising the tax-free allowance to £12,500
3. Opportunity for every child
   Guarantee education funding from nursery to 19 and qualified teachers in every class
4. Quality health care for all
   Invest £8bn to improve our NHS and guarantee equal care for mental health
5. Our environment protected
   Protect nature and fight climate change with five green laws

Liberal Democrats surged into second place in the Marshalswick South by-election with an exceptionally strong performance from candidates Mark Pedroz and Liz Needham. The Conservative majority was slashed with their worst performance in the ward since 2002. Labour started second but slumped behind one of the Green candidates. UKIP also saw their vote fall.

“This was the last real test of voting intention in St Albans before the General Election,” said Sandy Walkington, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate. “The five percent swing from the Conservatives to Liberal Democrats is more than enough to overturn Anne Main’s Westminster majority. The Liberal Democrats are now confirmed as the clear main challenger in St Albans.”