The 2017 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey has found that nearly 20% of roads are in "poor" condition. Whilst the Tory government is planning to invest £1.2 billion in roads this year, including repair and maintenance, local authorities say it will take an average of 12 years and £12 billion to bring our roads up to scratch.
Every school in Basingstoke will see budget cuts before 2020, even after new funding plans are put into place warns Liberal Democrat Group Leader Gavin James. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an urgent change of policy.
The Liberal Democrats have criticised Conservative MPs for voting against the right of thousands of EU nationals in Basingstoke to stay in the UK, as a majority of MPs gave the final go-ahead to a hard Brexit. There are 5,184 residents from elsewhere in the EU living in Basingstoke. There are 343 staff from other EU countries working for the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (that covers Basingstoke) including 65 doctors and 92 nurses. MPs overturned amendments backed by the Liberal Democrats to give Parliament a vote on the terms of the deal and to guarantee the right of EU nationals to stay after Brexit.
Cllr Gavin James has written to the leader of Hampshire County Council demanding and investigation into why the County Council failed to send anyone to the scrutiny committee to support joint working on improving schools in the borough. The Lib Dem group leader who has children attending local schools slammed the County Council sayings "This simply isn't good enough" and called for a "culture change in the attitude the County Council appears to have towards the people of Basingstoke and Deane." Gavin James says "It is time the County Council started working with us not against us and putting people first." The letter was sent after a meeting of the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council scrutiny committee held to understand the performance of secondary schools in Basingstoke which is behind that of both Hampshire and national outcomes.
Richard has lived in Old Basing since moving to Basingstoke in 2010. He is a dentist based at Gwynne Dental in the town...
Liberal Democrats on Basingstoke and Deane took the unusual step of voting for both a Labour and Conservative motion on the future of children centres at the Full Council meeting on 31st March.