Yesterday I introduced a bill in Parliament to legalise cannabis for recreational and medicine use.
The evidence is clear - prohibition isn't working.
The war on drugs has been a catastrophic failure, leaving young people vulnerable to dangerous strains of cannabis sold by dealers who have absolutely no interest in their welfare.
Meanwhile, the Government's botched reforms on medicinal cannabis are still leaving thousands of people in chronic pain every day.
We need a system that puts public health first.
A system that allows people safe and legal access to cannabis - and takes the market out of the hands of criminals.
My bill offered a rational, evidence-based alternative.
It would have allowed governments to control
But the Conservatives once again marched through the voting lobby to block reform of our harmful and outdated drugs laws, while the Labour Party shambolically sat on their hands and abstained.
The Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign for a legal and regulated cannabis market, with an age limit of 18 and strict controls over the price and potency of what people can buy.
The tide is turning on cannabis reform. We can protect our young people and end the suffering of thousands.
Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk
Published and promoted by James Thellusson on behalf of Hounslow Liberal Democrats at 25, Mayfield Avenue, London W4 1PNChiswick Liberal Democrats ask TFL to investigate 'on-carriageway' and alternative solutions to ensure CS9 works for all.
While being fully supportive of increasing the use of walking, cycling and public transport to improve health, air quality and safety, Chiswick Liberal Democrats say they have concerns about the proposed Chiswick section of the CS9 cycle super highway in its current form.
"In our view TFL have failed to provide evidence that the CS9 scheme will deliver on these benefits for Chiswick. It's the right principle but is being implemented incorrectly", said Helen Cross, Liberal Democrat Council Candidate for Turnham Green Ward.
"This scheme is expected to cost up to £70 million pounds and should support all the forms of transport it is supposed to. This appears to be a classic case of top down targets driving decisions with little consideration of local needs. Chiswick Liberal Democrats want TFL to investigate 'on-carriageway' and alternative or complementary solutions to ensure CS9 works for all", she continued.
Our survey among local Lib Dems showed that while many want a 'greener' Chiswick, there were many concerned about the impact of the scheme on pedestrians, public transport, traffic and businesses. Following this feedback, Helen and fellow Turnham Green candidate Chris Gillie reviewed the TFL proposals. They highlighted the following concerns:
1. Wrong solution for community, consumers and business: The proposal of a fully segregated off-carriageway cycle route treats Chiswick High Road as a commuter 'through road' and is at odds with its crucial function as the community and local shopping hub for Chiswick. The proposed plans make crossing the road more difficult (all pedestrian crossing times are up significantly, some by 400%), impeding the ability of people to access businesses and amenities on both sides of the road. TFL's own planning guidance advises against putting fully segregated off-carriageway solutions on 'high street' type roads.
2. Reduced accessibility: This planning approach has led to an over emphasis of cycling at the expense of walking and public transport in Chiswick. We believe this presents significant accessibility challenges for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups (those with disabilities, children, or the elderly) as buses are one of the most affordable and accessible forms of transport. TFL have projected generally increased bus travel times, by as much as 5 - 10 minutes at peak times eastbound, and they have failed to publish any assessment of the critical E3 and 272 bus routes that connect north and south Chiswick.
3. Diminished pedestrian experience: Due to reduced pavement size, generally increased traffic journey times and having to cross a two-way CS9 lane to get to bus stops, Chiswick High Road will be more crowded, feel less safe and potentially have increased pollution. The current design of CS9 in Chiswick is also fundamentally at odds with the Healthy Streets Approach adopted by TFL that is supposed to encourage pedestrians and communities. The plans conflict directly with 6 of TFL's 10 Healthy Streets Indicators, and we are particularly concerned that an impact assessment on levels of pollution has not been carried out.
"Chiswick Liberal Democrats want to work with TFL to get the right CS9 approach for Chiswick. The current proposal diminishes the experience for pedestrians, impedes access to public transport for vulnerable groups, potentially increases pollution and is bad for local businesses. We will continue to push TFL to take concrete actions to address our concerns and develop a better solution that works for all."
See our detailed analysis and demands of TFL here. This document was submitted to the consultation on 31 October 2017. For further comment, contact Chiswick Liberal Democrats at liberalchiswick@gmail.com.
The Healthy Streets Approach document is available here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/healthy-streets-for-london.pdf with the 10 Health Streets Indicators at page 12-13.
For the original Healthy Street Check document from Lucy Saunders and Brian Deegan for TFL, please click here.
Published and promoted by James Thellusson on behalf of Hounslow Liberal Democrats at 25, Mayfield Avenue, London W4 1PNUp to 1,493 children living in poverty across Hounslow will have their lunches taken away under Theresa May's plans to abolish universal free school lunches for infants, Liberal Democrat research has revealed. In total 8,835 children in Hounslow are set to lose out under the plans.
Those families losing out are expected to have to pay around £440 per child per year for their school lunches.
The Liberal Democrats have also calculated that under Conservative costings of just under 7p per child's breakfast, each child could expect to receive either half a boiled egg, one slice of bread with 12 baked beans or 37.5 cornflakes and 100ml of semi-skimmed milk.
Commenting on the figures, JOE BOURKE, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Brentford & Isleworth said:
"Theresa May's cruel policy will mean 1,493 children living in poverty in Hounslow will lose out on free school lunches.
"This will mean greater inequality and struggling families having to pay hundreds of pounds on lunches a year.
"The Conservatives' promise of a free breakfast is cynical and clearly not designed to reach all children. They have set aside a meagre 7p per breakfast per child, the price of half a boiled egg or just one slice of bread with 12 baked beans.
"The Liberal Democrats will stand up against this mean-spirited vision of Britain and extend free school lunches to all primary school children."
Notes to Editors
250,000 children in poverty across England & Wales to lose out on free school lunches
During the Coalition, the Liberal Democrats introduced universal infant free school meals for all pupils in reception, year one and year two. Prior to that, when free lunches were means-tested, the Children's Society estimated that half of all school aged children living in poverty - 1.2 million - were not accessing free school meals (https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/fair_and_square_campaign_report.pdf). This was the result of a combination of an eligibility criteria that punished low-income, working families and the stigma associated with claiming them. Based on these Children Society estimates we have calculated that 250,000 children living in poverty will no longer claim a free, hot lunch at school.
The 250,000 figure has been broken down by local authority is here and constituency here. For example, in Theresa May's constituency of Maidenhead, 260 children living in poverty are set to lose out.
In total, more than 1.7 million children will lose out on a free lunch under the Conservatives' plans.
Many working families will have to pay around £440 per child per year (£2.30 per meal) for their school lunches, a substantial expense. A single parent earning the minimum wage (£7.50 per hour) and working 16 hours per week (earning £6,240 per year) will therefore have to pay approximately 7% of their annual income for each child's school lunches. A parent with 2 children aged 5-7 faces a bill of nearly £1,000.
Income amongst families of the 700,000 children living in poverty, but not eligible for free school meals, is less than £10 per head per day (after rent has been paid). Making these families pay for school lunches will take up a substantial portion of this income.
What a Conservative 7p breakfast could buy
The Conservatives claim that they will be able to provide free school breakfasts for all primary pupils at a cost of £60m per year. If the UK's 4.62 million children in state-funded primary schools were fed a free breakfast for the 190 days of the school year, each breakfast would cost just 6.8p.
This means that a child for 7p would receive around:
Pricing based on:
Aisling Kirwan, founder of the Grub Club, claims that a nutritious breakfast costs at least 25p per pupil on average, though this only provides porridge with milk. She says a more filling portion costs 85p (link). Even if only 20% of primary school children took up free breakfasts, the cost of provision would be £174 million, once costs such as the increase in staffing required to extend the school day is taken into account. A breakfast delivered to every primary school child would cost £800 million.
Published and promoted by James Thellusson on behalf of Hounslow Liberal Democrats at 25, Mayfield Avenue, London W4 1PNJoe Bourke, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Brentford & Isleworth has accused Hounslow's Labour Council of riding roughshod over local opinion on two recent key issues.
"First there was the decision by Hounslow Planning Committee, railroaded through by Labour councillors, to depart from the Brentford Local Plan to grant planning permission to Essential Living to redevelop the Morrison's supermarket site in Brentford High Street by building 225 flats despite local people thinking the scheme was huge, ugly and completely out of character for the area, and even despite the local Labour councillors voting against the proposal! The flats built for the private rental market would be too costly for those needing affordable housing. So much for Labour, both locally and nationally, trumpeting the need for affordable housing," said Joe.
"Secondly, Hounslow has the most congested roads and heaviest traffic in Britain, according to Department of Transport figures. How has the Labour group responded to this? By closing Church Street, Isleworth (in spite of huge local opposition and a protest march), making the already heavily congested Twickenham Road even more of a nightmare experience for local residents and increasing the already dangerous levels of air pollution in the area," said Joe.
Joe also mentioned that in Chiswick, the Chiswick High Road has long been a cash cow for the local Labour council, generating over £1,000,000 of the £5,000,000 plus in parking fines collected from unsuspecting motorists across the borough.
"These traffic and public health problems are set to get much worse when the Conservative government presses ahead with a third runway at Heathrow," added Joe.
"What these high-handed actions of Labour, locally, show is the need to elect Lib Dems who are prepared to listen seriously to the needs of local people and act upon them wherever possible," said Joe.
Published and promoted by James Thellusson on behalf of Hounslow Liberal Democrats at 25, Mayfield Avenue, London W4 1PNThe Liberal Democrats have today announced that they will add another £1 billion for mental ill health care through putting a penny on income tax. Approximately £4.5 M of the party's additional health funding would be spent in Hounslow Borough tackling the historic injustice faced by people with mental ill health.
Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron and Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb have unveiled a Five Point NHS and Care Recovery Plan to increase funding for health and social care services, including a penny on income tax to provide a £6 billion funding boost.
Local Liberal Democrats announced that approximately £4.5 M of this extra money would be ring-fenced as dedicated funding for mental health services in Hounslow.
This would help to deliver on 12 key priorities, including improving waiting time standards for mental health care on the NHS and providing support for pregnant women and young people suffering from mental health problems.
The Liberal Democrats will also set out to end the inappropriate use of force against people with mental ill health, end out of area placements for mental health patients and prioritise national action to reduce the number of suicides.
Commenting on the plan, Joe Bourke, Lib Dem candidate for Brentford & Isleworth said:
"The Liberal Democrats' pledge to spend £4.5 M in Hounslow is important, as it demonstrates our commitment to ending the historic injustice against people with mental ill health.
"Health, particularly mental health is a key issue on the doorstep. People want action, not just words and only the Liberal Democrats are addressing this - neither Labour nor the Conservatives have outlined how they will fund mental health services.
"We will invest in improving waiting time standards for mental health care in Hounslow, end the scandalous use of force against people with mental ill health and prioritise national action to dramatically reduce the number of people who take their own lives.
"The Liberal Democrats are the real opposition to the Conservatives, and the only party fighting for genuine equality for those who suffer from mental ill health."
Published and promoted by James Thellusson on behalf of Hounslow Liberal Democrats at 25, Mayfield Avenue, London W4 1PN