What do the Liberal Democrats stand for?

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. 
We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, we acknowledge and respect their right to freedom of conscience and their right to develop their talents to the full. 
We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity.  We believe that the role of the state is to enable all citizens to attain these ideals, to contribute fully to their communities and to take part in the decisions which affect their lives.

Party Leader - Nick Clegg

It’s time for real change in Britain.  Families are struggling and the economy is in a mess.  Only the Liberal Democrats have the fresh ideas you need.
We’re offering real solutions to the problems you face every day.  Lower taxes for ordinary families, a green future for your children, and public services we can all be proud of.  Together we can make it happen.

Shadow Chancellor - Vince Cable

Liberal Democrats have long warned that the British economy was unbalanced and over reliant on a consumer borrowing spree and fantasy house prices. That the mountain of personal debt would come crashing down and that the housing bubble would burst. That a heavy price would be paid for the Thatcherite destruction of mutual building societies and the weakness of bank regulation.
I don't claim that we got everything right; but, unlike the Tories, the Liberal Democrats consistently identified the structural weaknesses of the house that Gordon built.
For their part, the Tories give the impression that they are absolutely loving every minute of this crisis.
They calculate that the worse it is, the easier it will be to obliterate the memory of the two Tory recessions and the easier it will be, once in office, to make savage cuts in public services.

Safety in both urban and rural communities ia all important and we will do all we can to ensure that Suffolk is as safe as possible.

We will:

Enforce speed limits in our towns and villages

Ensure all schools that need them have ‘20’s plenty’ signs installed.

Work effectively with the highways agency – lobbying to improve safety and reduce accidents on our major roads across the county.

Work with district and borough councils in Suffolk to keep our major roads clear of litter.

Improve our partnership with the Police to cut crime and the fear of crime

Increase Trading Standards Funding - the Conservatives have continually eaten away at the funding for trading standards. We want to reinvest in the service, to better protect the public against scams, loan sharks and dangerous counterfeit goods.

Work with the fire service to promote community fire safety - it is vital that the Council support fire safety work. Publicising measure to help individuals prevent fires is essential for safer communities

A good education is one of the most valuable assets in life, yet over the last four years we have seen a drop in GCSE results and the disruption of the education of our children and young people in 3 tier areas.

We will:

Halt the closure of middle schools - the Conservative administration has pushed ahead with closures, despite overwhelming public opposition.  Liberal Democrats across Suffolk have been opposed to middle school closures from the start For stage 1 areas we would consult again with parents, children and the local communities to ask them what they want.

Improve educational attainment - the exam results in 2009 highlight our need to support Suffolk’s schools to improve their results.

Introduce free School Transport for all children and young people - to enable young people from lower income families to stay on in education post 16.  It will also discourage young people from driving to school and college.

Adopt the ‘Rights Respect and Responsibilities’ plan in schools across the County - this improves behaviour, reduces exclusions and increases school attendances and attainment.

Provide greater funding for youth activities - to provide positive activities for young people.

Continue to support the University Campus Suffolk - to provide a first class education to a new generation.

Scrap tuition fees - this national party policy is extremely important to ensure that our children don’t grow up saddled with debt.

The County Council will be going through difficult times so we must make sure that the organisation runs as efficiently as possible, reducing red tape but protecting front line services

We will:

Tightly control top salaries - under the conservatives the number of employees earning more than £50,000 has mushroomed, costing the taxpayer an additional £10m in the last three years. There must be a freeze on salaries over £50,000

Consult Honestly with you - many people feel that the Conservatives are ignoring the results of consultations if it doesn’t suit them. We promise to listen to the public and take their views seriously.

Introduce further opportunities to hold the council to account.  If the public feel strongly about an issue, they should be able to ask for it to be examined.

Ensure the continuation of European funding for Suffolk - we have already seen the benefits from previous funding on such projects as the Waterfront in Ipswich, and the A14 Haughley Bends. Liberal Democrats at European County or Local level are also lobbying to upgrade the rail line from Felixstowe to Nuneaton, to take freight off the roads.

Ethical investment policy - recent events have shown that ethical investment is prudent as well as morally right. We will ensure that the tax payers money is invested safely without causing damage.