The West Lancashire Liberal Democrats are taking a stand against a proposed housing developent at Little Moor Hall Gardens.

David Thomas, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson and candidate for Aughton and Downholland Ward, where the proposed development would be located, said:

"Of course Britain needs many more houses, especially low cost starter homes and social housing. But the priority must be to build on so-called brown-field sites and on preserving our green belt".

Speaking in the wake of this year's West Lancs Council budget settlement, local Lib Dem spokesperson David Thomas has criticised the Conservative government for failing to provide more support for council services, which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

"Now is the time when the Conservative government should be reversing previous cuts and providing more financial assistance to local councils who are having to spend more on vital community services because of the pandemic", he said. "Instead, we hear they are planning to cut council budgets further".

Labour and Tories refuse to back Lib Dem budget proposals at County Hall

In the recent budget debate at Lancashire County Council, Labour and the Tories refused to back Liberal Democrat budget proposals that would have brought big investment in road repairs and environmental schemes, cut councillors' allowances and expenses, and capped the council tax rise at 1.99%.

Auditors issue damning report into 2020 management of South Ribble Borough Council...

Published report highlights litany of failures including:

• £275,000 written-off after plans for a Health and Wellbeing campus were cancelled
• A potential £2m pension liability
• Rules and procedures at the authority had been "consistently breached"
• The council did not have "proper arrangements to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources"
• Potential for so-called "management override of control" - the ability to circumvent rules put in place to preserve financial integrity
• "Under performance" and delays within individual service areas, including food safety inspections, planning and tree maintenance

What's the political news in 2021? Joe Biden has become the 46^th President of the United States of America, whilst from 1^st January, there is now an official branch of the Liberal Democrats, focused on working exclusively for the people of West Lancashire.

The Branch has approaching 100 members and registered supporters, and will be campaigning across the area at the forthcoming Borough and County Council elections on 6^th May.

The long-term future of the Liberal Democrats relies on encouraging new younger members to support the activities and introduce new policy ideas.

There are so many ways young members can get involved, from leaflet dropping and helping create literature to discussing political issues that matter to them with others.

• Liberal Democrats believe in a modern Britain of genuine openness and equality without exception.
• We aim for a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect irrespective of their background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other part of their identity.
• In South Ribble and West Lancashire our aim is that our membership (and our Executive) is truly representative of all in our area and of all parts of our area, and that each member feels able to contribute and participate.
• Diversity and inclusion are right at the heart of our constitution, which you can read here.
• Click this link to download a recent guidance document entitled 'Whose vote are you missing?' which outlines top tips on engaging people from different backgrounds.

We are all living in strange and unprecedented times.

The impact of COVID-19 on our lives has shaken even the strongest of our societies and economies.

So much has been done already to combat the virus' spread. The road ahead, however, is still filled with obstacles. For the foreseeable future, we will all have to live in a world dominated by this pandemic.