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20 Most Recent News Stories
Lib Dems gain Assembly supoprt for small business rate relief
Thu 5th Feb 2009
Liberal Democrats at the East of England Regional Assembly today gained cross party support to lobby national Government in support of the automatic payment of rate relief to small businesses. Group Leader Kathy Pollard said "It is vital we do all we can to help small businesses at this time. Although measures were put in place in 2005 which entitle small businesses in England to claim up to 50% rate relief, less than half of them have applied. In 2006 the Local Government Association estimated that £400 million was left unclaimed - around £40 million for Essex alone. In Wales the payment is automatic and we are lobbying the Government to make the payment automatic in England as well."
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Read "Lib Dems gain Assembly supoprt for small business rate relief" in full (162 words).
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MORE RECYCLING MEANS NO INCINERATORS
Tue 11th Nov 2008
Recent figures release by the government, show a dramatic increase in recycling that makes the need for big waste disposal plants in Essex redundant. This undermines the county's plans for big waste disposal plants in Essex. Almost every council in the country has met or exceeded its recycling target including those in Essex.
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Read "MORE RECYCLING MEANS NO INCINERATORS" in full (225 words).
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HE SAYS YES, SHE SAYS NO - TORIES CAN'T AGREE
Tue 21st Oct 2008
There was confusion about what relief Essex residents will get from Essex County Council, after two leading members of the Conservative ruling party gave opposite views on the subject at the same meeting. At a meeting of the full council (21 October) the leader of the council agreed with a Liberal Democrats proposal to use council tax money held in reserves to help people through the current economic slowdown. However, the cabinet member for finance said that she thought the proposals were irresponsible and that reserves should remain high.
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Read "HE SAYS YES, SHE SAYS NO - TORIES CAN'T AGREE" in full (258 words).
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GIVE TAXPAYERS THEIR MONEY BACK
Tue 14th Oct 2008
Now that more people are struggling to keep up with food and fuel bills in the current economic climate, it is time for taxpayers to have some of their money back. That is the view of Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council, who will be asking the council to release some of their large reserves back into local people's pockets, at a meeting of the full council next week.
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Read "GIVE TAXPAYERS THEIR MONEY BACK" in full (250 words).
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TORY LEADER'S VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS CABINET
Thu 9th Oct 2008
Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, has by-passed his fellow cabinet members and given himself responsibility for education, in a reshuffle of responsibility for children's issues. In what has become a troubled portfolio, Lord Hanningfield is the fourth education cabinet member at the county council in as many years. The council's education performance was so severely criticised last year by Ofsted inspectors, that its overall star rating was downgraded from 4 to 3.
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Read "TORY LEADER'S VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS CABINET" in full (230 words).
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WHAT ARE OUR STREETS FOR?
Wed 24th Sep 2008
The national 'In Town, Without My Car' day passed this week (22 September) without being even acknowledged by the ruling Conservative party at Essex County Council, denying local communities any chance to participate. This annual campaign is run to remind all highway users, that our streets are shared by road and pavement users and that there are other people using the same space.
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Read "WHAT ARE OUR STREETS FOR?" in full (259 words).
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TORIES CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME
Fri 12th Sep 2008
Despite spending millions of pounds on road maintenance, less than half of local residents are not satisfied with the speed in which potholes are fixed or with the quality of the repairs. These are the findings of a review of the council's highways maintenance initiative from the Conservative led administration.
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Read "TORIES CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME" in full (315 words).
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TORIES FORCED TO STOP RUBBISHING SCHOOL CHILDREN
Tue 9th Sep 2008
Work on this year's SATS tests in schools should be turn up and thrown away, according to Conservatives at Essex County Council. The Conservatives presented a motion to annul the results, at the meeting of the full council today, but were embarrassed into withdrawing the offending words after criticism by the Liberal Democrat group.
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Read "TORIES FORCED TO STOP RUBBISHING SCHOOL CHILDREN" in full (227 words).
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Tory leader doesn't want the public to speak at council meetings
Tue 15th Jul 2008
Lord Hanningfield, Conservative leader of Essex County Council has today slammed a proposal by the Liberal Democrats to allow the public to speak directly to councillors at council meetings and to ask questions about the work of the council. The Leader made his comments at a debate on public participation at a meeting of the full council today (15 July).
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Read "Tory leader doesn't want the public to speak at council meetings" in full (222 words).
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Let the public speak at council meetings
Mon 7th Jul 2008
Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council have put forward plans for members of the public to take part in open council meetings at county hall. A motion submitted by the group, proposes a 'public questions' spot at meetings of the full council, where any member of the public can put a question directly to the administration.
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Read "Let the public speak at council meetings" in full (211 words).
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Are Tories Banking an Election Fund with Your Money?
Wed 18th Jun 2008
Conservatives at Essex County Council are underspending on services and banking up millions of pounds in reserve funds, according to a new report. The report, on the council's finances for 2007/08, was discussed and approved at a meeting of the council's cabinet at county hall.
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Read "Are Tories Banking an Election Fund with Your Money?" in full (248 words).
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Bike Week Masks Sham on Cycling in Essex
Wed 11th Jun 2008
Another National Bike Week comes and goes and still Essex languishes with poor provision for cyclists. In Essex not a single recognisable network of routes exists anywhere in the county. There is no annual programme for cycleway network development and cycling and walking have low priority in Essex.
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Read "Bike Week Masks Sham on Cycling in Essex" in full (208 words).
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Tory leader's 'Apprentice' PR stunt insult
Tue 10th Jun 2008
Commenting on Essex County Council leader, Lord Hanningfield's plans to offer a council job to whichever candidate is runner up of the BBC's 'The Apprentice', Tom Smith-Hughes, Leader of the council's Liberal Democrats' group, said:
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Read "Tory leader's 'Apprentice' PR stunt insult" in full (191 words).
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