Louise Harris joins Dodington Parish Council

Liberal Democrat Focus Team member Louise Harris has been co-opted to fill a vacancy on Dodington Parish Council. She will be representing the North West Ward, which covers the Shire Way and the south side of Rodford Way.

Louise has a lot of council experience, having previously been an elected member in London and Hampshire.  She grew up in the Bristol area and moved back last year.  Louise works for a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities. She is a committee member of Abbotswood Action Group and Chair of Yate Fairtrade.

South Glos budget passed with £36m in cuts and 5.99% council tax increase

On Wednesday the Conservatives on South Gloucestershire set a budget containing £36 million in cuts in 2019-2022, including over £16 million from adult and children's social services. This was despite a 5.99% council tax rise, including 3% for social care services.

Last week Claire Young chaired a detailed scrutiny of the budget where the Conservatives admitted they don't yet know how many of these cuts will be made. While the Liberal Democrats support some elements, such as the ongoing commitment to keeping free parking to support our town centres and  money for school improvement, we could not support a budget with so many holes and no proposals of how to fill them.

Councils across the country are being squeezed by the Conservative Government. An amendment, seconded by Claire, was passed noting with dismay the ongoing reduction in central government Settlement Funding for South Gloucestershire Council and its impact on the council's core spending power.

Lib Dems welcome government-funded Council tax freeze

South Gloucestershire Lib Dems have welcomed government funding for a council tax freeze. The funding, equivalent to a 2.5% rise in Council Tax, is being provided to Councils who freeze Council Tax, to help them meet demand for services without having to pass the burden on to local people.

Cllr Ruth Davis, Leader of the Lib Dems on South Gloucestershire Council, said, “The Lib Dems will not support any increase in South Gloucestershire's Council Tax for residents in the coming year. In these tough economic times it would be daft to turn down the extra government funding and instead place the burden on local people. Cutting waste and bureaucracy must be the priority for savings not cuts to youth services or rural bus routes. The Lib Dem group will fight to protect frontline services such as libraries, street cleaning and services for the vulnerable and elderly, which may be under threat in a number of the Conservative administration's service reviews and proposed budget. We offer an honest commitment of working closely with you to allow you to make real choices for your communities.”

Thornbury and Yate MP and Pensions Minister Steve Webb said, "In these difficult times, my colleagues in Government have set aside an extra £650 million to help local authorities in England freeze their council tax this year."