15 Most Recent Stories From Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats News Stories

Wed 18th Aug 2010:

"Through a glass darkly".

The Lib Dem group at County Hall has pressed the Conservative administration to be more open and transparent by publishing more information and by making decisions more openly.

Mon 16th Aug 2010:

EU proposals to reduce animal testing.

The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament has approved plans to reduce the number of animals used in scientific experiments. These plans are expected to be endorsed by the European Parliament and the European Council in September.

Wed 11th Aug 2010:

Progress report refused.

In July 2009 the County Council's Interim Chief Executive Mr Michael Frater published a highly critical report about the County Council. At that time the Conservative administration said that Mr Frater would be invited to review the Council's progress one year following the publication of his report.

Mon 9th Aug 2010:

MEPs axe illegal timber trade.

MEPs have taken an axe to the illegal logging trade by banning the sale of illegal timber in Europe and setting up strict penalties for those caught doing so. Illegal logging is estimated to represent 20-40% of global industrial wood production, and contributes heavily to carbon emissions and the destruction of biodiversity.

Wed 4th Aug 2010:

Common Agricultural Policy - MEPs back Lib Dem reform plan.

The European Parliament has overwhelming supported a Lib Dem blueprint for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). George Lyon, Lib Dem MEP for Scotland, has drawn up a report with detailed proposals to make the CAP fairer, greener and more sustainable.

Mon 2nd Aug 2010:

Surrey 'World Class'? - Residents still don't think so!

The Conservative administration at County Hall has stated its ambition for the Council to be World Class but has not provided any definition of this term. However, it is clear that Surrey residents believe that the County Council has room for considerable improvement.

Wed 28th Jul 2010:

Bank stress tests cannot be a half-way house.

The EU's bank watchdog, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), is to publish the results of its bank stress tests. Stress tests were implemented last year in the US to identify banks that would require additional capital to survive in case the recession got worse.

Tue 27th Jul 2010:

Surrey Liberal Democrats Welcome the Pupil Premium .

The Coalition Government has announced a Pupil Premium to target extra money at schools taking disadvantaged pupils. The proposed Pupil Premium would provide additional per pupil funding on top of the existing funding provided to schools. Schools will be free to spend the additional funding as they choose to raise the achievement of disadvantage pupils. This was a key manifesto commitment and one that Nick Clegg made clear was one of his absolute priorities.

Mon 26th Jul 2010:

Sharon Bowles MEP most influential woman in European finance.

South East Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has been named the most influential woman in European finance, according to a Top 100 list published in the Financial News.

Wed 21st Jul 2010:

Surrey Lib Dems call for reduced speed limits.

The Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have called for the council to fund the reduced speed limit schemes already approved by the council's local committees.

Tue 20th Jul 2010:

Thousands of new members join Lib Dems.

Lib Dem party membership grew by a remarkable 14% in the first half of this year, according to official figures released by the party in England. Thousands of new members have joined the party since the election and the coalition agreement was reached, with the party also having greater success in retaining current members than in previous years.

Mon 19th Jul 2010:

Lib Dem MEPs use Lisbon Treaty to safeguard citizens' privacy.

The European Parliament has approved a reworked EU-US agreement on access to European citizens' banking data for the tracking of terrorist finance, after rejecting an interim deal in February on the grounds that it insufficiently safeguarded privacy. Work to improve the data protection safeguards, such as shorter storage times and stronger supervision and redress rights, was led by MEPs from the ALDE (Lib Dem) group.

Sat 17th Jul 2010:

Sharon Bowles MEP slams UKIP and BNP for voting against caps on bankers´ bonuses.

South East Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has slammed both UKIP and the BNP for voting against the tough new laws to introduce caps on top bankers´ cash bonuses, which was overwhelmingly voted through the European Parliament by 625 in favour to 28 against, with 37 abstentions. In effect, UKIP and BNP MEPs voted against the legislation in order to keep the status quo, which has seen huge bonus packages continue to be handed out despite unprecedented government intervention.

Sharon Bowles MEP hails victory over bankers´ bonuses and casino banking.

South East Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles, who chairs the European Parliament's influential Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, has hailed the new EU law to rein in bankers´ bonuses as a landmark success. The tough new rules voted through the European parliament will be implemented in time for this year's bonus payout. This will stop bank directors such as Fred Goodwin walking away with excessive bonus style pension pots if their bank fails.

Tue 13th Jul 2010:

Surrey Lib Dems oppose Tory cuts.

The Conservative administration at County Hall has today announced cuts to the County Council's budget. Responding to the allocation of the cuts, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat main opposition group, Cllr Hazel Watson said: "I disagree with the allocation of the cuts by the Conservative administration. The £3.9m cut to front-line services for Children and Young people is excessive. This will be very damaging to services for vulnerable children and young people in Surrey. It was only about two years ago that children's services were rated inadequate by Government and these cuts will not help to improve the service."

Earlier Stories

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Surrey County Council Liberal Democrats News Stories, provided by Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/.

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