PETERBOROUGH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

WERRINGTON & GUNTHORPE RESIDENTS’ NEWSLETTER

Issue number 100

Your Lib Dem FOCUS Team – councillor Darren Fower, councillor Julia Davidson and Andrew Bond

Keeping in touch – working all year round

www.peterboroughlibdems.org.uk

Local Liberal Democrats pick a ‘winning team’ The Liberal Democrats have picked a ‘winning team’ to fight the local elections which take place in Werrington and Gunthorpe in May of this year. In the new ward that will officially be known as ‘Gunthorpe’ the three

council seats will be contested by existing councillors Darren Fower and Julia Davidson together with FOCUS co-ordinator Andrew Bond.

Left to right: Councillor Darren Fower, councillor Julia Davidson and FOCUS co-ordinator Andrew Bond – the Liberal Democrat team for Gunthorpe ward.

In the new ‘Werrington’ ward the Liberal Democrat candidate will be Anthony Church. Werrington Liberal Democrat chairman Mike Holland said: “We have

picked a winning team that has already established an excellent reputation with local people. Daren and Julia are long-standing councillors who have proved that they are effective campaigners on behalf of the area and its residents. “Andrew and Anthony have been working, often ‘behind the scenes’,

to support them and will be excellent councillors if voters support them at the polls in May.”

Happy birthday to local FOCUS This is the 100th issue of FOCUS for Werrington and Gunthorpe. Your regular newsletter from the

Liberal Democrats was launched by Darren Fower, now a Lib Dem councillor for Werrington and Gunthorpe, back in 2007. Since then Darren and the team have produced 100 issues – all written, paid for and delivered by volunteers. The first issue of Werrington FOCUS.

Darren said: “FOCUS is a real team effort. I would like to pay tribute to all the people who have helped over the years – in particular, our band of volunteer deliverers who go out in all weathers to ensure that FOCUS reaches every house across the area. “Thanks to the support of the team we

have come a long way since our first issue. We are now printing in colour and distributing to a much bigger area.”

DOG FOULING REPORTED FOCUS is getting complaints from residents about dog mess on paths and grassed areas. Local Lib Dem councillor Julia Davidson recently

reported concerns from residents in Lincoln Road to the council’s enforcement officers. Julia said: “If you see people allowing dogs to make a

mess without clearing up, take a photo with your phone if you can and let us have it to pass to the council.”

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Published and promoted for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats by C Wiggin, 24 Delves Way, Peterborough PE7 8GJ

CONTACT FOCUS By phone: Darren Fower – 07572 463 904 Julia Davidson – 07506 536 627 Andrew Bond – 07761 563 465

By post: Darren Fower or Julia Davidson Town Hall, Bridge St, Peterborough PE1 1HG

By e-mail: werring-gun@peterboroughlibdems.org.uk

COME AND TALK TO US Visit one of our ‘ward surgeries'

6:00 to 7:00 pm First Friday of every month

Community Centre, Church Street

9:00 to 10:00 am Third Saturday of every month

Brookside Church, Gunthorpe Road

Search for Darren

Fower, Julia Davidson

and Andrew Bond or ‘Peterborough Liberal

Democrats’

Printed on ‘green’ FSC certified paper

New littering fine - and a new attitude The focus of this article is to raise

awareness of the increase in the fine that

people will face if they are caught littering. The changes will double the current fine to £150

in an attempt to curb the increasing levels of litter

we face every time we go to a park or public place.

The council has a responsibility to provide and

empty litter bins. However all the bins in the

world will not help if people do not use them.

This is why our attitude towards people who we

see littering must change. We must challenge

them on it and make them aware that littering is

detrimental to an area and will not be tolerated.

I try to ensure litter is picked up, as do the rest

of your FOCUS team, but we need your help.

I am not asking you to have a shouting match

with a stranger for littering. However, if you do

see an individual littering and there is a bin in

the local area, just point that fact out politely.

If you are aware of any areas which have a

particular litter issue or if there is a bin which

requires emptying, repairing or replacing please

contact me or councillors Julia Davidson and

Darren Fower. All of our details are printed below.

The best way to build an environment that we

all benefit from is through working together.

Thanks and kind regards

Andy Bond

Local Lib Dems make sure that Manor Drive MATTERS Liberal Democrat city councillors have secured a promise of urgent discussions between the council and bus operators to find ways of providing public transport to the rapidly growing Manor Drive area.

The agreement was achieved via a motion presented by councillors Julia Davidson and Darren Fower at a meeting of the city council. The Tories had at one point threatened to oppose the motion but after a couple of amendments the motion received a majority vote.

Commenting, Darren said: “The Manor Drive development, including thousands of houses and industrial and commercial premises, has been developed by the Tories with no services for the community.

“In particular the development has been delivered without any bus service, despite the fact that it is separated from existing bus services by a considerable distance and a busy parkway!”

Darren also secured confirmation from the Tory leader of the council that new schools will be developed in the Manor Drive area in the next couple of years.

So what would we do? FOCUS is often critical of the Tory council and residents sometimes ask what the Lib Dems would do differently if we were running the city council. It’s a good question – and over the next few issues we

will highlight some Liberal Democrat policies for the city council – things we would do if were in charge at the Town Hall. We start this month with a group of policies we have put

under the heading of ..

Improving where we live

We would introduce more ‘community ownership’, for example helping local groups to adopt the bowling greens which the council last year threatened to close.

We would devolve power to local communities to do things like introduce 20 mph speed limits, fine people who park on grass verges (and plant trees to stop cars getting onto verges in the first place) and clear rubbish from the streets.

We would auction licences for alcohol stores and houses where rooms are let to different individuals, instead of just giving the licences away – helping to raise money for local communities.