I am proud to be a Liberal Democrat and am proud of Liberal Democrat policy. No, I am not proud of some things the Coalition has done but yes, I am proud of the many things LibDems have achieved in government, despite having less than 10% of commons seats and 15% of government seats. No income tax for those earning less than £10k, ending detention of asylum-seeking children, delivering £2.5bn of pupil premium, and protecting freedom of speech are just some of those achievements. I should say also that Oxford LibDems are not in coalition with the Tories.
There are no Tories on Oxford City Council. It is run by Labour with a LibDem opposition.
So what have we LibDems done and what do we care most about in Oxford? We totally oppose the Council’s cap on the numbers of shared houses and its financial penalties on Colleges and University building purpose-built student accommodation. Both these things just make your rents higher and I believe damage the city for everyone. We believe students, as residents just as much as anyone else, have every right to equal housing access. They are an essential part of Oxford’s life and economy.
On homelessness, an issue I know many care deeply about, I believe Labour missed a huge opportunity by rejecting a LibDem City Council budget amendment recently to give its support more money following the Tory County Council’s cuts. I am proud that two of our LibDem candidates, Jean and Conor, nominated the Chair of Oxford Homeless pathways for a Lord Mayor’s Certificate of Honour – which she received.
The Covered Market is a jewel in Oxford’s crown and we’ve been appalled at how the Council has tried to bleed it dry with incredibly high rent rises and has reneged on its promise to set rent at the rate recommended by an independent arbitrator recommended. LibDems think the covered Market is much more important than that and support it fully.
We also have a good track record of pushing hard for safer cycling in Oxford – we want more cycle safety boxes and much better road surfaces and cycle lanes for cyclists.
On detention of LGBTQ asylum seekers, and indeed detention of any asylum seeker, I think my views are clear that human rights are being abused; asylum seekers come to the UK because they are running for their lives, they are not lazy!
It is just not acceptable to send an LGBTQ person back to a country where their liberty or even the life would be at risk because of the sexuality or gender identity.
On immigration, again, I see diverse groups of people and people coming to work in the UK as a really good thing. It boosts our economy and gives much better world-vision and harmony to our country. I abhor the sense that some people are more valid or welcome than others just because of their nationality – that’s absolutely wrong. I note that LibDems are the only party that have pinned our flag clearly to the mast on EU membership too. Labour and the Tories are still dithering.
The full C+ investigation into the local elections can be found here.
