The rejection of the plans to build on the Victoria Road playing field was covered yesterday by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
As the article points out, this is “one of the only inner-city green spaces in Leeds” and “the only area suitable for a grass playing field for local primary schools”, so the decision to preserve it is extremely welcome.
Headingley Liberal Democrats are very pleased to congratulate Sarah Olney on her election to Parliament after another amazing by-election win in Richmond Park.
Sarah overturned a huge 23,000 vote majority to win, ousting pro-Brexit MP Zac Goldsmith and sending a thumping message to the Conservative Government.
Liberal Democrat support is now growing across the country as we show we are now the only party standing up against hard Brexit and for a properly funded NHS.
Many traditional Conservative and Labour voters are now switching to back the Liberal Democrats because of their clear, positive message on Brexit and the NHS.
Three reasons to get involved NOW!
The news has come today that the proposed Leeds NGT trolleybus scheme has been ruled ‘not suitable for development’ by the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
The project attracted huge controversy after local communities protested that it could not deliver the improved journey times being promised, and would damage the local environment, local businesses and precious green space. The decision today follows an extensive public inquiry undertaken in 2014.
The £173m which the government would have contributed to the trolleybus scheme will still be retained for spending in Leeds, however. This means that the door is now open for a proper discussion about what transport solutions might actually work for our community: for example light rail, a tram or improvements to the existing bus services.
The full story is covered here by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Since the news broke that Headingley Post Office is to close, local residents have lost no time voicing their opposition to the plan. Over 1300 people have now signed the petition calling on Post Office Limited to halt their plans, and the campaign also features in the February edition of North Leeds Life.
Did you know? Every time a new signature is added to the petition, it generates an automatic email to the Post Office Limited board of directors, telling them that yet another person opposes their plans. You can add your voice here.
Today, George Osborne will make his autumn statement. We don’t know yet what it will contain, but it’s pretty clear that it will include further severe cuts to the welfare budget.
This morning, Tim Farron has written for the Huffington Post about how the Liberal Democrats would approach this year’s spending review, including five things we would like to see in the autumn statement:
Yesterday, Tim Farron was elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. In a rally held to mark his election, Tim explained what he thinks the Liberal Democrats are for:
We are the party that sees the best in people not the worst. We are the party that believes that the role of Government is to help us to be the best that we can be, no matter who we are or what our background…..
That’s it. That’s our mission.
We see people as individuals not as opposing tribes, lined up against each other across borders. We favour co-operation over isolation – your failure is not my success. We stand up against the abuse of power, for entrepreneurship and individual endeavour.
We see immigration as a blessing not a curse and value the contribution every single individual has to make to this beautiful country of ours.
As the world changes around us, we see the opportunities and not just the dangers. Because we see the best in people. We trust people.
That’s why we stand up for the individual against the state. Why we stand up for the minority against the majority. Why we stand up for the outsider against the establishment. Because that is not just what we do, it is who we are!
You can read the full text of Tim’s speech here, or watch the video here:
Today has been a bruising day nationwide for the Liberal Democrats, but we’re proud that the people of Leeds North West chose to re-elect Greg Mulholland as their MP. Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post after the election count, Greg said:
I’m delighted and honoured to have been elected for a third time in Leeds North West and very happy to be able to get on with my job in the constituency.