http://herts.libdems.org/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats en-GB Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats http://herts.libdems.org/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats 2008-05-18T05:22+01:00 United Kingdom http://herts.libdems.org/news/000017/tories_complain_nationally__yet_they_are_doing_the_same_locally.html Liberal Democrats on the County Council are as annoyed at the way "purdah" regulations and advice are being ignored, as the Tories claim to be nationally. 2008-04-16T15:55+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000016/secondary_school_refurbishment_plans_in_turmoil.html Labour Government's plans to improve facilities in schools by refurbishing, rebuilding and installing state of the art facilities to enhance learning have run into problems. An announcement last week has changed the whole structure of the programme. 2008-04-15T15:08+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000015/rise_in_school_admission_appeals__who_is_to_blame.html Government's new admission criteria to give 'parental choice' create an increase in admission appeals - or is it the county not selling our schools well? 2008-04-15T11:19+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000014/tories_force_up_care_charges.html This week the Tory-run County Council has increased its home care charges, which provide services for our most vulnerable residents, by £4.68 an hour and £7.86 a day. In percentage terms these are increases are of 39% and 25%. The County have justified this with several statements that 'only 12% or 1,100 service users' are affected and that these are 'in line with Government guidance'. 2008-04-08T16:32+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000011/hertfordshire_being_robbed_by_government.html County councillors were shocked today, as it emerged that far from getting a below-inflation, but still positive amount of extra money from the government for 2008-9, they will actually get less. 2008-01-08T14:21+00:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000012/herts_police_hit_by_labour_twice.html County Liberal Democrats have denounced the Government's treatment of the Police as 'scandalous'. Liberal Democrat Hertfordshire Police Authority Member Cllr Allan Witherick said: 'Who would have thought that even the police are having to ask whether they should have the right to strike in the light of their scandalous treatment over pay' 2007-12-11T18:02+00:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000013/rail_fares_to_soar_again.html Rail passengers got their usual antidote to a happy Christmas as yet again above-inflation fare rises for next year are announced. Regulated fares will rise by an average 5% and unregulated fares (most of them) by more than that. 2007-12-03T05:49+00:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000010/herts_health_strategy_in_tatters_but_councillors_forced_to_wring_their_hands.html Herts health trusts have succeeded in avoiding a referral to the Secretary of State over their inadequate consultation process, but only because councillors felt powerless to affect the outcome. At the county Health Scrutiny Committee last week, the committee agreed that "There was insufficient evidence within the DQHC detailing the reasons why the new Hatfield Hospital had been excluded" but decided that no purpose would be served by a referral. In essence the majority of the committee accepted that the health trusts had no alternative but to conclude thanks to the restrictions placed upon them by this Labour government, the Hatfield project was now unaffordable. 2007-11-03T00:00+00:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000009/county_council_cover_up_bad_news.html Tory-run Herts County Council has been assessed as no more than 'adequate' (the second bottom rating) in two recent inspections - yet you would not have heard anything about either of them if you relied on the county council's press department for information. 2007-11-02T00:00+00:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000008/young_people_let_down_when_they_need_help_most.html This month saw the publication of yet another saddening report for Hertfordshire young people. The Youth Offending Team, while doing well in a number of areas, received a grading of 'Inadequate - does not deliver minimum requirements' - with many important shortcomings for victims and restorative justice. 2007-10-03T00:00+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000002/county_council_fines_contractor_over_grass_cutting.html Liberal Democrat County Council highways spokesperson, Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey) has revealed this week that the County Council has had to fine its grass cutting contractor, Amey, almost £26,000 for failures to correctly cut highways grass. 2007-09-30T12:07+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000005/looking_after_consumers_half_heartedly.html Tory controlled Hertfordshire County Council has one of the lowest spends on Trading Standards in the region. It's one of the few authorities which currently doesn't provide 'Assisted Advice Intervention' (where the service intervenes on behalf of vulnerable residents) yet does provide support for people who live outside of the County. This, however, will soon change. 2007-09-22T00:00+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000004/under_fire__stark_choices.html Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats were concerned to hear that lack of funding meant that the Fire Service, already hit by cuts, is being forced to choose between stark options. 2007-09-21T06:09+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000001/childrens_care_services_found_to_be_inadequate.html A recent review of Hertfordshire's services for children and young people conducted by a team of inspectors representing such bodies as Ofsted, the Audit Commission, the Healthcare Commission and the probation Service has given the service a major thumbs-down. It found the 2 critical areas of safeguarding vulnerable children and caring for its own Looked After Children to be inadequate, the lowest rating possible. 2007-09-16T08:21+01:00 http://herts.libdems.org/news/000007/threat_to_green_belt_gets_even_bigger.html The Government's housing green paper published yesterday contains a bigger than ever threat to our green fields and green belt, according to Liberal Democrat county councillor Chris White, who leads the group at county hall. 2007-09-02T00:00+01:00