Members of Kenilworth and Southam Liberal Democrats have condemned the decision announced about HS2 today, and have called on local MP Jeremy Wright to consider his position as a Conservative Party Whip.
For nearly two years local Lib Dems have joined with other LibDem constituency parties along the planned route to campaign alongside members of the STOP HS2 and AGHAST groups to try to change the proposals. Local Lib Dems have agreed that the business, economic and environmental cases for HS2 are each fundamentally flawed and instead have argued that the need for High Speed Rail in the UK, as a way of reducing North-South inequalities in the UK, can best be achieved by other means, in particular by changes to the West Coast Mainline and extending the length of trains and platforms on the Chilterns line.
Delegates arriving at the Liberal Democrats' Autumn Conference in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon found themselves face-to-face with a very large white elephant! It was there to advertise a fringe event that evening organised by the Lib Dem HS2 Challenge Group, entitled "A Better Alternative to HS2?"
In his keynote speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference, Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined his goals for the Government and the country over the coming years. He reiterated his commitment to liberal values on the environment and human rights and his determination to ensure a fair chance for every child, saying "every child can do good things, great things, if only we give them the opportunities they deserve."
This consultation response has been submitted on behalf of Kenilworth & Southam Liberal Democrats, the local party representing Liberal Democrat members living in Kenilworth & Southam parliamentary constituency. The proposed HS2 route would bisect the constituency, entering it near Wormleighton in the south and leaving it at Burton Green in the north.
Against the background of difficult election results for the Liberal Democrats nationally last week, there were mixed fortunes for Lib Dem candidates in wards covered by the Kenilworth & Southam constituency.
In Kenilworth Abbey, Ann Blacklock held her District Council seat fairly comfortably, with strong performances from our other candidates Kate Dickson and Pat Ryan although falling short of the numbers of votes needed to win either of the other two seats from very well established Conservative councillors. Also in Abbey ward, both Kate and Pat were victorious in the Town Council elections, with Kate getting elected to the council for the first time.
The full text of the manifesto is reproduced after the images below.
The Legacy
The District Council has suffered from four years of weak Tory leadership with a complete lack of vision for the future of the district, its services and its residents. This is despite of increasing the size of the Executive; compared to the previous Liberal Democrat / Labour joint administration; from 7 to 9.
The Liberal Democrats manifesto for the Warwick District Council elections 2011 is now available on this web site.
Also available on the web site are full details of the Lib Dem candidates standing for election in WDC wards failling within the Kenilworth & Southam parliamentary constituency.
