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The FOCUS Newsletter is produced and delivered by volunteers in and around the SOUTH WERRINGTON and NORTH GUNTHORPE local area. For more details on the team please visit our community website. http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/SWNGTRANSCRIPT
FOCUS
Funding agreed for local groups Local Liberal Democrat councillor
Darren Fower has agreed to give
several groups money from the
Community Leadership Fund – a
small amount of money which each
councillor is given to spend on
projects in his or her local area. Darren has agreed to give:
£300 for Christmas lights on the
Green in Werrington.
£560 to Gunthorpe Harriers
Football Team to enhance training
facilities.
£122 for the Village Play Group
to develop outside facilities.
£774 to the Werrington
Neighbourhood Council to
continue its community work.
If you have a funding request for
a group or community event that
needs some help, please contact
Darren (details above).
DAVID HEDGES SEEKS YOUR SUPPORT AT POLLS
David Hedges, Editor of FOCUS and chairman of Werrington
Neighbourhood Council, has been selected as the Liberal Democrat
candidate to fight the Werrington South and North Gunthorpe seat in
the local elections on 5 May this year. If he wins the election he will join Liberal Democrat councillor Darren
Fower on the city council, giving this area two hard-working local politicians
to represent it at the Town hall.
“Over the past few weeks I have been joining Darren at his regular
surgeries” said David, “And I have been amazed at the amount of work he
does. He currently has a caseload of 80 problems brought to him by residents.
“I thought the number of issues that I deal with on behalf of the
Neighbourhood Council was high but the work that Darren does cannot
be praised too highly.
„I have promised Darren, and I promise you, that if I am elected I will
share the work. We will then be able to do so much more for our
community.”
www.peterboroughlibdems.org.uk
Edition: 47
“Working All Year Round”
SOUTH WERRINGTON and NORTH GUNTHORPE RESIDENTS’ NEWSLETTER
Edition: 62
TEAM CONTACT DETAILS:
Councillor: Darren Fower FOCUS Editor: David Hedges Tel: 07860 649578 Text or call Darren’s mobile: 07581 711 434 Email: SWNG_FOCUS @peterboroughlibdems.org.uk
Ward website: www.campaigns. libdems.org.uk/SWNG Darren’s website: www.darrenfower. mycouncillor.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/SWNG. FOCUS.Team Post: Cllr Darren Fower, Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough PE1 1HG
Printed by P’boro Lib Dem Printing Soc c/o 37 Swift Close, Deeping St James PE6 8QQ. Published and promoted for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats by Peter Chivall, 88 Elmfield Rd, P’boro PE1 4HB
Lib Dems opposing local library cuts Despite all the alternatives that compete
for the use of our spare time, reading
remains one of the most educational and
fulfilling pastimes. This is why the FOCUS Team is appalled
at the cutbacks in opening times at
Werrington library.
The written word is a precious thing and
many residents who were able to spend time
browsing will now find that the opening
hours are so inconvenient that they might not
even have the chance of a quick look round!
Local Lib Dem councillor Darren Fower
and candidate David Hedges are totally
against the cuts in their current form. They
are critical of the city council‟s decision to
hand the responsibility for leisure services to
an „independent‟ trust which is, sadly,
leading to a lowering of quality in every area.
Arson concerns in Coverdale Walk Residents living in and around Ainsdale
Drive and Foxcovert Road have
contacted the FOCUS Team to raise their
concerns after a litter bin in Coverdale
Walk was set alight recently. This was the fourth such incident in just a
couple of weeks.
Local Lib Dem councillor Darren Fower
has spoken with residents who enquired
about the possibility of the council installing
a non-flammable bin at this location?
Commenting, Darren said: “The residents
have done their job by reporting the incidents
to the police via the non emergency number.
However, the problem has persisted.
“It is not feasible to have 24-7 monitoring
on this area but simple suggestions like not
having the bin positioned near a wooden
fence or foliage are just a few cost effective
solutions that the council could take up to
prevent something more serous occurring.”
Darren to chair AGM Cllr Darren Fower will be chairing this
year‟s Paston & Gunthorpe Community
Association AGM, after a formal request
from the association. The meeting, takes place on 19 May 2011,
at the Paston and Gunthorpe Community
Centre in Hallfields Lane, starting at 7.00 pm.
For further information or to request
attendance at the event please email
MAKE YOUR MP WORK HARDER
VOTE YES! ON 5thMAY
Lib Dems urge ‘Yes’ vote in 5 May referendum As well as electing local councillors on 5 May you have an
opportunity shape the voting system of the future. There will be a
referendum to decide if the UK should switch to the „Alternative
Vote‟ – or AV – system for future general elections. Liberal Democrats across the UK are campaigning for a „Yes‟ vote in
the referendum – to make MPs work harder.
Too many MPs have „jobs for life‟ in the safe seats that the current
system has created. AV gives these complacent MPs a wake-up call.
A simple system
An election winner should have the support of a majority of the people.
So, under an AV system, if no candidate has 50% support, the last
placed candidate drops out and their voters‟ second preferences come
into play. This elimination of the least-favoured candidates continues
until one candidate has majority support.
Under the existing „First Past the Post‟ system you get just one choice.
And that has meant that most MPs – 2 out of every 3 of those elected in
2010 – get to parliament with less than half of voters on their side.
With AV, successful candidates will have to do more to secure
majority support. They will have to work harder and try to represent
more of their constituents‟ interests. And they won‟t be able to take the
people for granted any more.
Your ballot
An AV ballot paper will look exactly the same as a „normal‟ one.
Instead of only putting an „X‟ in just one box, you will be able to put a
„1,2,3…' and so on in as many boxes as you please. If you only want to
support one candidate, you can.
It is simple, effective and – above all – fair. That’s why we will be
voting ‘Yes’ and are asking you to do the same.