Fairness At Heart Of Lib Dem Campaign
The Liberal Democrats have announced they will fight the General Election on four key principles, designed to make Britain a fairer place.
PPC for Newark Constituency, Pauline Jenkins, has set out her campaign priorities: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.
Pauline said:
"The Newark Constituency now covers a large area from Bingham in the south, to Tuxford and Rampton in the north; from Collingham in the East to Southwell in the west, as well as Newark & Balderton.
"People in this Newark Constituency have been let down by their politicians and are rightly frustrated. I am going into the election with a clear direction and a manifesto that is short, direct and to the point.
"We will introduce fairer taxes by closing loopholes for the richest, introducing a tax on mansions and tax cuts of £700 for everyone else.
"If your child is at school in Newark Constituency, we can promise investment to help reduce class sizes, improve discipline and develop one-to-one tuition.
"We would also give you the right to sack your MP. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to real reform of our political system, flushing out big money and corrupt donors and reducing the number of MPs by 150.
"And we will rebuild the economy in every part of Britain in a way that promotes green technology and creates lasting jobs. We will put an end to casino banking, bring back competition and support local entrepreneurs to make sure Newark Constituency businesses can find the money they need to grow.
"The coming months are a crucial time for politics and I will be using them to focus on these four priorities and delivering real change for Newark Constituency."
In his speech recently, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said:
"David Cameron and Gordon Brown are playing the politics of the airbrush and the focus group.
"One doesn't know what he believes. The other doesn't know what to do with the power he clings to so desperately.
"I believe the country wants something different. The Liberal Democrats are different. We offer credibility where it's needed. And hope for our common future."
Local Election Results May 2023
A spectacular set of elections both nationally and locally here in Newark and Sherwood!
Overall Lib Dem gains were 405 nationally, which posed a problem for Sky News, whose swingometer apparently was not able to contemplate a set of gains of this magnitude. We exceeded 'Exceeded Expectations'!
Our local gains at the district level saw the addition of our third District Councillor with the victory of Keith Melton in Trent Ward. We also kept 2 of 3 councillors for Southwell, now Karen Roberts and Peter Harris. We were encouraged to see the increase in our share of votes in other seats where we were able to field candidtes. Congratulations to everyone.
We had a very good performance in Southwell Town Council, gaining 10 of the 14 seats for which there were candidates, with 6 of these won in elections and 4 being uncontested. Two Conservatives, one Labour candidate and one Independent were also successful. One place on the council remains to be appointed to.
The Conservatives had a terrible set of district and parish elections, losing about half of their district councillors and many PCs. The final DC result was Conservative 14, Labour 11, Independents 11 (8 for Independents for Newark and 3 for other Independents) and Lib Dems 3. Discussions will take place for some time on the composition of the new administration, which is unlikely to include Conservatives for the first time since 2007.
On behalf of the executive, we are extremely grateful to everyone who stood as candidates, as well as everyone who performed the various roles which were necessary for the campaigns. We are a small party and many of you worked very hard.
We are very grateful for their past work to councillors who have stood down at this election, including Peter Scorer and Stuart Thompstone. Malcolm Brock has stood down from the District, though continues to serve on Southwell TC.
We welcome new members to the party, who were motivated by this campaign. This phenomenon was particularly marked in Trent Ward. Upton support has to be singled out, evidenced for anyone who drove through, by the huge number of LD stakeboards and posters.
Philip Barron
Chair, Newark Liberal Democrats
7 May 2023