At the Lib Dem Conference in Bournemouth last week the party set out the following clear priorities for the country:

Build a sustainable economy
Make society fairer
Reform our broken political system

Key policies agreed by the Lib Dems include:

Investment in green jobs
The Lib Dems will switch Government spending into environmental projects
that will create jobs and build a greener future.
This will include investment in public transport infrastructure and major
energy efficiency schemes.

Fairer tax system
The Lib Dems will raise the basic allowance to £10,000 - taking millions
of people out of paying tax altogether and saving low and middle income
earners £700 a year. This will be paid for by closing many of the tax
loopholes which benefit the best off.

Invest in education
The Lib Dems want to increase spending on education, paid for by cutting
lower priority spending. They will fund smaller infant class sizes and
provide extra funds for pupils from the poorest backgrounds.
The Lib Dems reiterated their opposition to Tuition and Top-Up Fess.

Reform politics
The Lib Dems agreed a range of measures to reform the political system.
They want to give voters the right to sack MPs who have been shown to be
guilty of fraud. They also want to curb big donations to political parties
so that no-one can Œbuy‚ our political system.

“Overcrowding on Greater Manchester’s Trains could get worse,” says Transport Chief Keith Whitmore

Overcrowing on Greater Manchester’s trains could get worse if Department of Transport (DFT) rules lead to five trains, currently used betweeen Oldham and Manchester, being mothballed next month,” says Cllr Keith Whitmore - the first-ever Liberal Democrat Chairman of the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA).

Cllr Whitmore said:
“Due to Transport Authority activities in Greater Manchester, we will next month begin conversion of a train line from Oldham to Manchester to carry Trams. When this happens, five trains will become available. We believe that the DFT’s super profits, raised from North West rail companies, should be used to allow those five trains to continue operating in Greater Manchester, where they will be invaluable in relieving some of the chronic overcrowding we experience.”

“The DFT has refused to make any funding available and have instead decided that these trains will be put into cold storage, very likely never to see the light of day again in our area. This is frankly scandalous.”

Andrew Stunell MP has started a petition on this isuue which can be signed here.