Voters appreciate our Lib Dems work - published Sale & Altrincham Advertiser May 2012

Trafford Liberal Democrat council group leader Raymond Bowker MBE and I were delighted and honoured to be re-elected as Trafford councillors this week for the Village and Timperley wards respectively.

It was undeniably a challenging election for the Liberal Democrats in Coalition Government; however, people have clearly recognised what we stand for locally and connected with the strong identity we as Liberal Democrats have in the area. 

We have a long record of hard work for our community and local action on local issues.  By positively engaging with the local community people have recognised the difference we do make and continue to vote for us confident that they will elect councillors who are contactable and reliable.

These Liberal Democrat wins in Timperley and Village were delivered with solid majorities and it was heartening to see that Timperley ward again had the highest turnout in Trafford at 43% and one of the highest in Greater Manchester.  It’s great to see local people engaging in local democracy!

Just as in national Government, your Trafford Liberal Democrats are keeping the Tories in check.   Our success means we can stand up for local people and provide an alternative to the Conservatives here.

The Lib Dems in Timperley and Village wards are a dedicated, local teams that works hard all year round. We campaign on issues that matter to local people like dog fouling, potholes, our environment and road safety. 

Across the country people are still joining the Liberal Democrats, from across the political spectrum, who recognise that local Liberal Democrats are standing up for local services that matter to people.

Well done to all Trafford Liberal Democrat candidates! The Lib Dems win both Timperley and Village wards in Trafford, Greater Manchester, therefore holding all seats.

Timperley ward - (Lib Dems 43.4% of the vote)
Liberal Democrats 1553 - Cllr Jane Brophy , Conservative 1246, Labour 630, Green 150. Turnout 43%

Village ward - (Lib Dems 45.3% of the vote)
Liberal Democrats 1398 - Cllr Ray Bowker MBE, Conservative 890, Labour 604, Green 191. Turnout 41% 

Chris Davies MEP (North West) with Cllr Jane Brophy in Timperley ward April 2012

Published and promoted by Richard Martin Elliott on behalf of Jane Brophy and the Liberal Democrats, all at 25 Park Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 6NX. (Hosted) printed by A Nice Place of 33 Old Meadow Lane, Hale Cheshire WA15 8JT on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, of 43 Park Road Timperley WA15 5AD.

It’s polling day for the local elections in Trafford on Thursday 3^rd May. I’m standing in Timperley ward again having experienced 12 years as an elected Councillor. First in the Village ward and now in Timperley ward working closely with Lib Dem Councillor Neil Taylor.

Many Labour voters are supporting me this time to stop the Conservatives getting in here.

• No Labour councillor has ever been elected here
• Labour finished a distant 3^rd here at the last local election
• Less than one in five voted Labour here last time

Reasons to vote Lib Dem in Timperley ward.

1. Keep the Conservatives in check

Just like in Government, the Lib Dems are keeping the Conservatives in check in Timperley. Electing Jane Brophy will help us stand up for local people and provide an alternative to the Conservatives here.

1. Eight years of action in Timperley

The Lib Dem FOCUS team have been working in Timperley since 2004. That’s eight years of working hard, keeping in touch and making a real difference for local people.

1. A hard working Lib Dem councillor

The Lib Dems in Timperley are a dedicated, local team that works hard all year round. We campaign on issues that matter to local people like dog fouling, potholes and road safety. 

Published and promoted by Richard Martin Elliott on behalf of Jane Brophy and the Liberal Democrats, all at 25 Park Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 6NX. (Hosted) printed by A Nice Place of 33 Old Meadow Lane, Hale Cheshire WA15 8JT on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, of 43 Park Road Timperley WA15 5AD.

Trafford Lib Dem article "Party's voice is heard" published today in the Sale & Altrincham Advertiser (page 40).

This year the Liberal Democrat Group in Trafford have supported the proposal to freeze council tax, providing extra money for youth services and ensuring no services are closed. Finding savings of £16.2million without affecting services for our residents is a huge task which the Lib Dems thought best solved by the input of all Parties. That’s why we’ve worked with the ruling group to get the best results, although in some services, such as libraries and adult social care we would like to have seen more services protected.

The Liberal Democrats support the freezing of Council Tax for the second year in succession, which is made feasible by the Coalition Government Grant of £2.2million.

For years, Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Ray Bowker MBE has stressed the importance of Trafford Youth Services, urging the administration to increase its funding. Our voices have been heard this year as the Youth Services budget will be increased by £30,000 per annum for the next three years.

Cllr Ray Bowker says that more services for youth reduces boredom, anti-social behaviour and vandalism, and at the same time teaches character building, discipline, self respect and respect for others. Investing in the youth of today who will be the citizens of tomorrow will provide for a better society in the future.

Our  influence  has been instrumental in the decision to retain all of our Children’s Centres.  These centres are outstanding in quality and effectiveness of their provision for children, parents and families. 

We believe the changes to Adult Social Care is unfair to people who have saved and prepared for old age. Is it fair to impose increases of 56% for meals and 100% for transport on for this vulnerable group? These increases will impact on shopping, pension collection, cleaning and laundry. Lib Dems have made very strong objections to the proposal to decrease the threshold level from £50K to £23.5k. 

Finally, the Lib Dems are dissatisfied with the principle of moving qualified library staff to other Trafford Libraries and replacing them with volunteers.  We believe Trafford’s very high standards of library services should be maintained.

Trafford Council notes:

1. The Department of Transport’s recent strategic road safety framework suggesting that local authorities should consider 20mph limits on streets where business on foot is important and on lesser residential roads in cities, towns and villages. Regulations have been relaxed to enable 20mph zones and limits to be introduced more efficiently and with less bureaucracy. The changes mean that councils can now use 20mph logos painted on the road instead of requiring extra signposts and humps.
2. Last month Manchester Council Members unanimously agreed to support the principle of reducing the default speed limit on non-major residential roads in the City to 20mph, and instructed Officers to do a feasibility report. Their next step is to look into funding options.
3. Road safety, traffic flow and pedestrian safety will all increase when we implement more 20mph speed limits. This can be done without increasing road humps and would improve air quality, reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel and repair bills.
4. The current default speed limit for built-up areas is set at 30 mph. If you are struck by a passing car in your street at 30 mph there is a 45% chance that you will be killed. This shocking fatality rate has an impact not just on those involved in collisions, but creates a wider fear of traffic speed that in turn adversely affects how we use our streets. At a traffic speed of 20 mph, the pedestrian survival rate is immediately increased to 97%.
5. 20mph limits can smooth traffic flow and reduce pollution, and they encourage more people to walk and cycle. All these benefits help create a more pleasant environment for us to live in. Road safety is a Trafford priority especially for our younger and more vulnerable residents.
6. Across the UK, 7.5million people live in areas that have already committed to an area wide default 20mph limit.

Trafford Council therefore resolves to:
1. Instruct Officers to initiate a feasibility study to implement more 20mph speed limits within Trafford for residential roads.
2. Recommend that the focus for 20mph speed limits be around schools and shopping areas.
3. Introduce public consultation, to ensure open and transparent public involvement for making decisions on 20mph in Trafford, through the existing democratic structures.

Article by Cllr Jane Brophy "More 20mph zones needed" today's Sale & Altrincham Advertiser

At a recent Trafford Council meeting I suggested that to improve road safety, smooth traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety we should implement more 20mph speed limits particularly near to our children’s schools.   This could be done without increasing road humps and doing so would improve air quality, reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel and repair bills.

The Executive Member for Highways and Transportation indicated that Trafford Council only considers 20mph limits where it might reduce traffic flow or encourage drivers to use main roads and the Council could not justify any such schemes in Timperley.

The current default speed limit for most areas is 30 mph yet half of drivers admit to regularly driving significantly above this limit.  Being struck by a car at 35mph means only a shocking 50 per cent chance of survival.  This affects not just those directly involved but creates a wider fear of traffic for us and our children yet at 20mph the survival rate jumps to 97 per cent.

Our streets should be safe and pleasant places for everyone to share. They are where we live, shop and travel, hopefully in harmony with our neighbours. 20mph limits can smooth traffic flow and reduce pollution, and they encourage more people to walk and cycle. All these benefits help create a more pleasant environment for us to live in. Road safety is a priority especially for our younger and more vulnerable residents.

Last June Liberal  Democrat  Minister Norman Baker announced measures to make it easier for councils to introduce 20mph limits. The changes mean that councils can now use 20mph logos painted on the road instead of requiring extra signposts and humps. Across the UK, 7.5million people live in areas that have committed to an area wide default 20mph limit.

Last month, following Lib Dem initiatives, Manchester Council unanimously agreed to reduce the default speed limit on non-major residential roads in the City to 20mph. Trafford Council should now consider doing the same.