http://chaselibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Chase Liberal Democrats en-GB Chase Liberal Democrats http://chaselibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Chase Liberal Democrats 2008-07-05T09:58+01:00 United Kingdom http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000034/the_lowest_council_tax_increase_in_staffordshire.html The Council Tax increase for Cannock Chase District Council is just 2.4% that is the lowest increase of any of the District Council's in Staffordshire and well below the national average and the rate of inflation. It can be compared with increases of 4.5% at neighbouring Lichfield, 3.9% at Stafford and 4.9% at Tamworth. Unfortunately Staffordshire County Council has increased its Council Tax by 4% despite receiving a massive increase in funding from the government. 2008-03-03T20:30+00:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000033/cllr_stanleys_full_budget_speech.html Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to present my budget to you today. The proposals I am making on behalf of the Cabinet are intended to continue our policy of targeting resources to the highest priority areas and making saving where they will hurt least. I'm sure that you, and other members of the Council, will be happy to support the proposals that I am making to you. I have, as usual, circulated to all members copies of the bound document which contains a copy of this speech. Additionally, the book contains many detailed tables analysing the budget. I shall refer to a number of those tables during the afternoon. 2008-02-29T20:06+00:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000032/wind_farm_latest.html Although I have stated on many occasions that as a keen environmentalist I have no problem with the concept of developing and utilising as many alternative green energy generation methods as possible, I have, however, since first hearing of the proposal to site a wind farm on land within the former Bleak House opencast mine campaigned vigorously to prevent such an ill conceived scheme from progressing any further. Quite simply I strongly believe that wind turbines have a major role to play in the production of cleaner energy, however, careful consideration must be given to where such a resource is located. Not only has the intended site got to benefit all year round from a strong and consistent level of wind, surely the intended location should be as far away from any sizable residential area as possible It's my view that applicants should be required to prove beyond all doubt that their scheme will not adversely impact on the natural and aesthetic values of any site that they are applying to use for this purpose. 2008-02-12T20:34+00:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000031/councillors_mawle__ansell_commend_volunteers.html Following long campaigning from your local Liberal Democrats, we finally have some car speed checking units in the ward boundaries. These will be moved around to six identified locations where speeding cars have become an issue. The units flash up your speed when you approach them and we urge you to look out for them as you drive around the area. 2007-12-10T18:03+00:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000030/green_light_for_speed_watch_project.html Your local Liberal Democrat District Councillor Chris Collis is proud to announce that residents of both Heath Hayes and Wimblebury, are soon to benefit from the introduction of their very own Community Speed Watch Scheme. The purpose of which is to perform regular speed check sessions along the Cannock, Wimblebury and Hednesford roads plus John Street, all of which are unfortunately regularly abused by motorists driving well in excess of the stipulated speed limit. 2007-11-12T19:24+00:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000029/recycling__from_worst_to_best_in_just_five_years.html Five years ago Cannock Chase Council and local people was the subject of ridicule when it came to recycling. With a record of recycling just 1.5% of its waste, The then Labour run Council was listed by Friends of the Earth as one of the 10 worst Councils in Britain, and the local evening paper ran a derogatory article comparing the district as the worst in the country with Lichfield "next-door" which was then the best in the country. 2007-08-06T21:03+01:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000028/money_vital_to_ensure_that_the_prince_of_wales_theatre_is_replaced.html When Cannock Town Centre redevelopment goes ahead, the Prince of Wales Theatre will be closed and the building demolished to provide space for the new shops. The local Liberal Democrat Councillors are committed to ensuring that a replacement theatre is built, but this can only happen if money is raised to pay for it! The Liberal Democrats have said that some of the money raised from the sale of the land at and around the stadium will be used to ensure that the Prince of Wales is replaced. Indeed their plans are for an increase in size of the theatre by almost 50% in order to attract larger performances and "bigger" acts. The Labour Party has not in four years put forward an alternative way to pay for a replacement theatre. Either they are planning to oppose the redevelopment of Cannock Town Centre and the provision of major shops or they are prepared to see the Theatre not replaced. 2007-08-06T20:48+01:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000027/stadium_costs_soar_to_almost_1000_per_day.html The subsidy cost that local council tax payers now have to pay-out to keep Cannock Athletics Stadium open has rocketed to £970 per day and that is every day of the year! It is a subsidy paid by residents from Rugeley, Hednesford and indeed all parts of the Chase District, not just Cannock. The Stadium is used by the Cannock and Stafford Athletics Club, which has members from the Cannock Chase and Stafford and from other areas outside the Chase district. The Athletics club use the stadium twice a week for practices and four times per year for competitive events. 2007-08-06T19:59+01:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000026/promise_kept_in_brereton.html Liberal Democrats in Brereton and Ravenhill parish have fulfilled their promise to provide the parish with a tennis court. The new court is in Ravenhill Park between the Parish Hall and Main Road Brereton (the A51) and will shortly be available for hire by the general public. 2007-07-28T21:46+01:00 http://chaselibdems.org.uk/news/000025/days_numbered_for_speeding_motorists.html Your local Liberal Democrat Team in conjunction with the area's Neighbourhood Watch Scheme have recently launched a joint community project called Heath Hayes and Wimblebury Speedwatch, aimed at tackling the worrying and dangerous problem of speeding motorists. For sometime now people have been understandably concerned about the excessive speed at which some motorists drive on the area's roads, our man on the spot Councillor Chris Collis, fully understands these anxieties and as usual has been swift to act on behalf of the communities concerned. 2007-07-28T20:19+01:00