Author Archives: Mark Valladares

I’m a veteran Party bureaucrat, having joined the old Liberal Party at university. And, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, I’ve held a range of positions since then - everything from Secretary-General of the Young Liberals to being a member of the ALDE Party‘s Financial Advisory Committee. Returning Officer, Presidential consort, committee secretary, you name it, I’ve probably done it. These days, I’m the Chair of the Parish Council for a (very) small rural village in Suffolk’s Gipping Valley, and a member of the East of England Regional Candidates Committee.
Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 22 May 2023 – apologies for absence…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 22nd May 2023 - 7:22 am

I ought to start by apologising for the sense of editorial absence in recent weeks. In truth, I’ve struggled a bit for motivation but let’s see if we can get back on the horse and push on…

We won… and wasn’t it great?

So, the world of local government in England is a rather different place, as Liberal Democrat groups across the country have found themselves, expectedly or otherwise, in a position where they may, or may not, be part of administrations. Here in Suffolk, for example, the Conservatives lost control of Mid Suffolk, West Suffolk and East Suffolk, and Liberal Democrats are part of the mix in East Suffolk and Babergh. Here in Mid Suffolk, the Greens swept to power, taking twenty-four of the thirty-four seats to become the first majority Green administration in the Northern Hemisphere (and don’t we all know it?…).

And you might recognise the theory behind Green Party claims that the new Waveney Valley constituency is in play – after all, we tend to do the same thing after local government success. But, whilst we had an excellent set of results on 4 May, there are places where we are challenged by the Greens, and we need to give some thought to addressing where we’ve been pushed into third/fourth place by them.

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Mark Valladares

20-21 May 2023 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 21st May 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • Ethics adviser must investigate Braverman
  • Braverman: By refusing investigation, Sunak is stealing page one from Johnson’s playbook
  • Coffey must apologise for the sewage scandal
  • Sunak must explain Braverman scandal in Parliament tomorrow

Ethics adviser must investigate Braverman

Responding to reports in the Sunday Times that Suella Braverman asked Home Office civil servants to help her avoid a speeding fine and points on her licence by arranging a private one-to-one driving awareness course, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

Once again for the Government, it’s one rule for them and another for the rest of us.

Suella Braverman may be in the driver’s seat at the Home Office but that doesn’t give her any excuse to appear to duck the law.

Braverman should be urgently investigated by the Ethics Adviser and add her name to the nearly endless list of Ministers who have had to undergo the same.

Time and time again we are seeing a conveyor belt of Conservative politicians run roughshod over the rules and drag our politics into the gutter. Now, the buck stops with Rishi Sunak himself to stop the endless headlines of sleaze and scandal.

Braverman: By refusing investigation, Sunak is stealing page one from Johnson’s playbook

Responding to the news that Rishi Sunak has so far refused to open an investigation into Suella Braverman, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

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Mark Valladares

12 May 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 12th May 2023 - 10:35 pm
  • GDP Stats: Britain still at the back of the growth queue
  • Profiteering supermarkets: It is absolute rubbish to oppose an investigation

GDP Stats: Britain still at the back of the growth queue

Responding to the latest GDP figures which show the economy shrank in March, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The economy continues to be on its knees after years of Conservative chaos.

This government has hit families with spiralling mortgages, rising food and energy bills and huge unjustified tax hikes.

Complete mismanagement of the country’s financial books has put Britain at the back of the queue when it comes to growth, with

…

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Mark Valladares

11 May 2023 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 12th May 2023 - 12:05 pm
  • TransPennine: Another broken Conservative promise
  • EU law bill: Conservative Party “devouring itself” while families struggle
  • Bank of England: If Hunt doesn’t meet inflation target then he must go

TransPennine: Another broken Conservative promise

Responding to the news that TransPennine Express will be brought under Government control, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport in the Lords, Baroness Randerson said:

The Government have been forced to take over another rail company. Passengers are angry that services are being cancelled and the Conservative’s failure to stop industrial action is making things worse.

Years ago the Conservatives promised to fix railway services, promising that the new “Great British Railways” would

…

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Mark Valladares

10 May 2023 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 10th May 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • PMQs: Sunak refuses to ban water company bonuses amid sewage dumping scandal
  • Retained EU Law: Govt have dug themselves into a hole
  • Victory as Lib Dems force Govt u-turn on sewage regulation bonfire

PMQs: Sunak refuses to ban water company bonuses amid sewage dumping scandal

During Prime Minister’s Questions today, Rishi Sunak refused to back the Liberal Democrat demand to ban water company executive bonuses.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrats raised the multi-million pound bonuses paid to water company executives, despite their firms destroying rivers and coatlines with sewage discharges.

Conservative MPs were heard to be laughing at the issue of sewage discharges.

In the House of Commons, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey asked:

Mr Speaker,

Last week, many lifelong Conservative voters turned to the Liberal Democrats to be their strong local champions.

They delivered their verdict on the Government’s failure to hold water companies to account for dumping raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches.

Water company bosses were paid fifteen million pounds in bonuses last year – rewarded for destroying our precious natural environment.

Three of those executives have now turned down their bonuses, but they should never have been entitled to them in the first place.

So will the Government now ban these sewage bonuses until the dumping stops?

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Mark Valladares

10 May 2023 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 10th May 2023 - 9:15 pm
  • Rise in homelessness shows ban on no-fault evictions needed now
  • Bridgen should resign and cause a by-election
  • Lib Dems force vote tonight to kill Illegal Migration Bill

Rise in homelessness shows ban on no-fault evictions needed now

Responding to the latest figures showing a rise in homelessness in October to December 2022, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

The shameful failure of the Conservatives to ban no fault evictions is directly responsible for this shocking increase in homelessness.

The Conservatives first promised to ban the practice when Theresa May was Prime Minister, yet still nothing has been done.

This ban needs to be brought in urgently before more families lose their home through no fault of their own.

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Mark Valladares

26 April 2023 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 26th April 2023 - 11:30 pm
  • Chalk streams hit by 14,000 hours of sewage discharges last year
  • ONS figures: Sickness absence days at record high
  • CCHQ inquiry needed into Tory leaflet telling voters they don’t need photo ID
  • Barclay: This Government hasn’t a shred of integrity left

Chalk streams hit by 14,000 hours of sewage discharges last year

  • Chalk streams are known as “England’s rainforest” for animal habitats and unique to England
  • Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today visit a chalk stream in Winchester with local dog walkers
  • Fears the amount of sewage dumped into chalk streams may be higher than feared with sewage monitors found to be broken

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed water companies dumped sewage into England’s chalk streams for a staggering 14,162 hours last year.

There were 2,240 incidents of sewage discharges into chalk streams by five of the country’s water firms: Anglian Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water.

Chalk streams are a unique waterway found primarily in the South of England and Yorkshire. They have been referred to as “England’s rainforest” for their special qualities which allow wildlife and plants to thrive. They are a haven for iconic species like the otter, kingfisher and salmon amongst many others. However they have come under threat from abstraction and sewage.

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Mark Valladares

26 April 2023 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 26th April 2023 - 11:05 pm
  • Brits less likely to swim in the sea due to sewage discharges, poll reveals
  • Police taking over five hours to respond to priority calls
  • Stop Voter ID: Govt are burying their heads in the sand
  • Braverman’s boasts will “ring hollow” for crime victims waiting hours for police to turn up

Brits less likely to swim in the sea due to sewage discharges, poll reveals

A new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed over three in four (77%) Brits who swim in lakes, rivers or the sea, have said sewage discharges have made them less likely to go swimming.

The poll found half of all UK adults go swimming in the country’s rivers, lakes or the sea. Shockingly, the majority of those adults are now less likely to go swimming in public areas as a result of water companies discharging sewage into waterways.

Swimmers over the age of 55 are far more likely to be put off by the sewage discharges – nearly 9 in 10 (87%) said the water firms’ actions had put them off swimming in lakes, rivers or coastlines.

Swimmers in the South East and West Midlands (83%) are also most likely to say sewage discharges have made them less likely to go swimming in lakes, rivers and coastlines.

Last year, raw sewage was pumped into rivers and seas for 1.75 million hours, an average 825 times per day, according to official Environment Agency data.

Key bathing water status locations, which attract swimmers from around the country, have been flooded with sewage. In the South West, Lyme Regis’ Church Cliff Beach bathing water suffered from 81 sewage discharges last year, lasting 1493 hours

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Mark Valladares

25 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 25th April 2023 - 11:30 pm
  • ONS debt stats: Voters will never forgive the Conservatives for their economic vandalism
  • Government announces refusal to make misogyny a hate crime
  • Sewage vote: Scandalous that Conservative MPs have blocked the Sewage Discharge Bill

ONS debt stats: Voters will never forgive the Conservatives for their economic vandalism

Responding to new ONS debt statistics which show net borrowing the 4th highest since records began, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The Government’s shambolic mismanagement added billions to the UK’s borrowing whilst leaving our economy growing at a snail’s pace. Voters will never forgive the Conservative party for the economic vandalism of the

…

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Mark Valladares

24 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th April 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • 51 million GP appointments lasted less than 5 minutes in past year
  • Five times Sunak betrayed British businesses
  • Sewage vote: Judgement day for Conservative MPs
  • Raab Urgent Question: Lib Dems challenge PM to come clean over advice on bullying complaints

51 million GP appointments lasted less than 5 minutes in past year

51 million GP appointments in the last year lasted less than five minutes, new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The figures also reveal a postcode lottery with more than 21% of GP appointments in some areas lasting five minutes or less.

The party warned that the government’s failure to recruit more GPs has meant patients are “waiting for weeks to get an appointment only to be rushed through in a matter of minutes.”

The Commons Library analysis is based on NHS figures for the year between March 2022, when the data was first published, and February 2023. It provides a figure for the first time on the number of five-minute GP appointments over an entire year, broken down by local area.

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Mark Valladares

22-23 April 2023 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th April 2023 - 9:15 am
  • 1.4 million people’s work suffering due to NHS backlog
  • Raab: Sunak must withdraw Conservative Whip

1.4 million people’s work suffering due to NHS backlog

1.4 million people currently waiting for NHS treatment are seeing their work affected by it, new figures have revealed.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said the figures showed Rishi Sunak is breaking two of his key pledges, to grow the economy and bring down NHS waiting lists. He warned this record of failure meant millions were being “left in limbo,” with many unable to return to work while they wait for treatment. The Liberal Democrats will today set out a plan to bring down NHS wait times, get people back into work more quickly and boost the economic recovery.

The Office for National Statistics survey found that more than one in five adults report they are waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS. Of these, 19% said waiting for NHS treatment had affected their work, equivalent to over 1.4 million people across the country. The survey suggests 350,000 people have reduced their hours and 140,000 have gone on long-term sick leave in the past month as a result of waiting for NHS treatment.

The latest figures showed that a record 7.22 million people were waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of February, despite Rishi Sunak’s flagship pledge to bring down NHS waiting lists.

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 24 April 2023 – anyone would think that governance matters…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th April 2023 - 7:30 am

Look, I told you. Governance matters…

I freely admit that I do “bang on” about governance quite a lot in these (mostly) weekly pieces. And that might well be because I’m a bureaucrat and the sort of person that reads constitutions so that I know what my remit is and what the rules are. But I also know that mutual respect, even when you disagree, and a mind open to enough honest doubt to accept that you might not always be right, tends to produce better outcomes.

But it tells you a lot that the Conservative response to the Raab fiasco is …

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Mark Valladares

21 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 21st April 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • Raab resigns: By-election now
  • Ed Davey on way to Raab’s constituency to a demand a by-election
  • 10 million people give up on getting a GP appointment creating “ticking time bomb” for NHS

Raab resigns: By-election now

Responding to the news of Dominic Raab’s resignation from Cabinet, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said:

Dominic Raab has shown he is not only unfit to serve as a minister, but is totally unfit to represent his constituents in Parliament. He should resign as an MP and trigger a by-election so the people of Esher and Walton can finally have the MP they deserve.

Voters across Surrey and the Blue Wall are fed up with this endless Conservative chaos and MPs who take their communities for granted. At the next election in Esher and Walton, it will be a two horse race between more Conservative party chaos or a hardworking Liberal Democrat MP who will listen and stand up for local people.

Ed Davey on way to Raab’s constituency to a demand a by-election

Today, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will be knocking on doors and speaking to Liberal Democrat activists in Dominic Raab’s constituency, Esher and Walton.

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Mark Valladares

20 April 2022 -today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 20th April 2023 - 10:45 pm
  • 4.3 million anti-social behaviour reports go unattended by police in past five years
  • Lib Dems demand food summit in Downing Street to tackle “tsunami” of rising food prices
  • Welsh Health Statistics – Emergency Social Care Plan Needed
  • Raab Report: More dither and delay

4.3 million anti-social behaviour reports go unattended by police in past five years

  • Over 2,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour went unattended by police each day last year
  • Some police forces attending fewer than one in five (19%) incidents
  • Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey calls for “return to proper community policing” with more bobbies on the beat

A staggering 4.3 million reports of anti-social behaviour have …

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Mark Valladares

19 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 19th April 2023 - 11:00 pm
  • Rise in “dental deserts” leaves millions struggling to get NHS dentist appointment
  • Inflation: Deadly price hikes cannot go on any longer

Rise in “dental deserts” leaves millions struggling to get NHS dentist appointment

    Six in ten areas have seen a rise in the number of people per dentist since 2019
  • Some areas have over 3,000 people per NHS dentist leaving people struggling to get an appointment
  • Lib Dem Leader calls for NHS dentist rescue plan to prevent desperate people resorting to DIY dentistry

Over six in ten local areas in England have seen a rise in the number of people per dentist since 2019, new analysis commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The Commons Library research shows how the rise in “dental deserts” has left people struggling to get an appointment, with some areas now having over 3,000 people for every NHS dentist. 65 of 104 local areas in England have seen the number of people per dentist rise since 2019, the figures show.

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Mark Valladares

18 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 18th April 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • ONS pay-squeeze figures: The Government simply doesn’t care
  • Rise in faulty sewage monitors as water firms accused of “covering up environmental scandal”
  • Prepayment meters: This half-measure is an insult
  • Lib Dems launch digital campaign on A to Z of Conservative sleaze and scandal
  • Calls For Welsh Labour to Take Stronger Action on Coal Mining Following Successful Lords Vote

ONS pay-squeeze figures: The Government simply doesn’t care

Responding to the latest ONS unemployment and earnings figures which saw average pay fall by 2.3% in the year to December 2022 to February 2023, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney said:

This is a damning verdict on the Government’s attempt to end the cost of living crisis.

Jeremy Hunt is the latest out of touch Conservative Chancellor to completely fail on rising prices.

The Conservative party’s gross mismanagement of the British economy has lead to inflation rising and growth plummeting. People need urgent help with rising food and energy bills, yet the Government simply doesn’t care.

Rise in faulty sewage monitors as water firms accused of “covering up environmental scandal”

  • Almost 2,300 sewage monitors found to be faulty – over one in six of all monitors
  • Number of sewage discharges potentially much higher than feared
  • Lib Dems accuse water companies of covering up environmental scandal by failing to fix monitors

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed water companies are failing to monitor hundreds of sewage discharges in coastlines and rivers.

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Mark Valladares

17 April 2023 – today’s press releases (fersiwn Cymraeg)

By Mark Valladares | Mon 17th April 2023 - 10:45 pm
  • Lib Dems Welcome Bannau Brycheiniog Name Change
  • Any Plans for Cardiff Congestion Charge Should be Put to a Referendum

Lib Dems Welcome Bannau Brycheiniog Name Change

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcome the change of name for the Brecon Beacons Nation Park to its original Welsh name Bannau Brycheiniog stating that it is a positive move to use the history of the region to help build a successful future for the Park.

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and Mid & West Wales Senedd Member Jane Dodds said:

It’s great to see the re-introduction of the name Bannau Brycheiniog today. The message put forward by the

…

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Mark Valladares

17 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 17th April 2023 - 10:05 pm
  • Keegan: You don’t need a maths A-level to see that these plans don’t add up
  • Government Pushed to Vote on Banning New Coal Mines
  • Government reported for breaking purdah rules
  • Sunak investigation: Another accusation of a Conservative PM bending the rules
  • Government defeated as Lib Dems win vote to ban new coal mines

Keegan: You don’t need a maths A-level to see that these plans don’t add up

Responding to Gillian Keegan’s morning media round about the Government’s maths announcement, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

Gillian Keegan’s empty words are an insult to millions of people who are looking to the Government for

…

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Mark Valladares

14 April 2023 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Fri 14th April 2023 - 11:15 pm

Scrap Voter ID when Parliament returns on Monday

Commenting on today’s warning from the Local Government Association not to underestimate the difficulties Voter ID will cause for local authorities, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

Today’s warning on voter ID from the LGA shows the Conservative Government cannot bury their heads in the sand any longer. This is a national scandal that could end in a disaster for our democracy.

The Government must urgently back my Liberal Democrat Bill which would end these regulations swiftly in the three weeks left before polling day.

The moment Parliament returns on Monday,

…

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Mark Valladares

13 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 13th April 2023 - 11:25 pm
  • NHS waiting lists rise to new record high as Sunak breaks pledge
  • Fly-tipping “effectively legalised” as just one in 500 incidents lead to a prosecution

NHS waiting lists rise to new record high as Sunak breaks pledge

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment has risen to a new record high of 7.22 million, new figures reveal today, despite Rishi Sunak’s New Year pledge that “NHS waiting lists will fall”.

Three million people have been waiting longer than the Government’s target of 18 weeks, while 360,498 have been waiting more than a year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an NHS rescue plan to relieve the burden on hospitals and bring down waiting lists, including recruiting more GPs to guarantee patients an appointment within a week and raising the minimum wage for care workers to fill the vacancies in social care.

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Mark Valladares

6 April 2023 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Thu 6th April 2023 - 11:00 pm

Police failed to attend over 45,000 burglaries last year

  • Over 100 burglaries going unattended by police every day
  • Postcode lottery as police in some areas attend fewer than one in two break-ins
  • Ed Davey calls for “Burglary Response Guarantee” with every case attended by police

Over 45,000 burglaries reported last year went unattended by the police, stark figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

The data, obtained by the party through Freedom of Information requests, shows there were 45,233 reported burglaries in 2022 where a police officer didn’t then visit the scene of the crime. This is equivalent to over 120 burglaries a day going unattended by police.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today call for a guarantee to ensure burglary victims are visited by a police officer and their cases properly investigated.

The figures also show a postcode lottery, with over one in two burglary reports going unattended by police in some areas. The worst performing police force was Bedfordshire, with police officers failing to visit the scene of over 60% of reported burglaries.

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Mark Valladares

4-5 April 2023 – catching up with the press releases…

By Mark Valladares | Wed 5th April 2023 - 11:15 pm
  • Social care funding halved: Elderly and disabled people will be the victims
  • Post-Brexit customs checks will mean more red tape for businesses
  • South Wales Police – Facial Recognition Technology Restart ‘Wrong Move’
  • Sunak must strip Scott Benton of the Conservative Whip

Social care funding halved: Elderly and disabled people will be the victims

Responding to reports that the social care reform budget has been halved, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Elderly and disabled people will be the victims of the Conservatives’ decision to slash funding for recruiting care workers at a time of chronic staff shortages.

By damaging social care again, Rishi Sunak is also damaging our NHS. Patients stuck in hospital will face more delays in discharge, leading to longer delays in A&E and for operations. Only the Conservatives could damage people’s care and the nation’s health at the same time.

Liberal Democrats want a new Carer’s Minimum Wage to attract workers back to the social care sector and ease pressure on family carers, GPs and hospitals. It’s shocking that the Government refuses to back our fair deal for carers.

Post-Brexit customs checks will mean more red tape for businesses

Responding to the government’s announcement on the introduction of post-Brexit customs checks, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney said:

These new checks are only going to make trade between us and Europe harder. It’s staggering that the Conservatives looked at the chaos at Dover and said, ‘more of that please’.

The Government’s claims that these plans are going to ease trading chaos are downright dishonest. Let’s be clear: these proposals mean more checks and more red tape, not less – the last thing anyone wanted.

Businesses and the public have had enough of the Conservatives’ red tape and their botched deal with Europe. If you want to grow the economy, you have to fix our broken relationship with our closest neighbours.

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Mark Valladares

3 April 2023 – some reflections as the day ends…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 3rd April 2023 - 11:50 pm

Tomorrow sees the deadline for nominations for local elections in England and, like many of you, my nomination papers are with my local District Council for inclusion on the ballot on 4 May. We take on a serious responsibility, especially for those of us with prospects of victory, as representing our communities is not to be taken lightly, regardless of the level and scale of that position. But, whether you’re a target seat candidate, or an incumbent, or even just a name on a ballot paper, thank you in anticipation of what you’ll be doing over the next thirty-one days.

It’s been a testing few weeks for the Scottish Nationalists, with a leadership contest which exposed the philosophical divides within their ranks, and a new Leader who has attracted much ad hominem criticism from, it must be said, the usual English media suspects. I don’t pay enough attention to Scottish domestic politics to really know whether or not Humza Yousuf is up to the job, but he has a huge challenge on his hands following on from Nicola Sturgeon, whose leadership transcended the ideological question marks within SNP ranks.

I’m an agnostic on Scottish independence (sorry about that, Caron) as I respect the notion of self-determination. I’ve always said that independence comes with a price in terms of “blood and treasure” and, if Scots are allowed to make a properly informed decision and vote to go ahead, then so be it. That said, one does wonder if the SNP would long survive a victory given the loss of the one obvious factor which currently unites them.

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Mark Valladares

3 April 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 3rd April 2023 - 11:00 pm
  • Welsh rivers some of the most sewage filled in the UK
  • Water Plan: Taking the public for fools by re-announcing a policy from years ago

Welsh rivers some of the most sewage filled in the UK

An analysis of the sewage dumping statistics released by Welsh Water/Dŵr Cymru has revealed Wales’ rivers are some of the most sewage filled in the entire UK. The stats have sparked an angry response from the Welsh Liberal Democrats who have accused both Labour and the Conservatives of not doing enough to tackle the problem.

The latest figures show sewage was dumped in Welsh rivers 83,000 times …

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Mark Valladares

1-2 April 2023 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 3rd April 2023 - 5:06 pm
  • Water company fines: Pointless whilst it remains legal to dump sewage into swimming waters
  • Braverman pushes botched Rwanda scheme while queues pile up in Dover

Water company fines: Pointless whilst it remains legal to dump sewage into swimming waters

Responding to the Government re-announcing they will change the fine structure on water companies, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron said:

This is pointless whilst it remains legal for water companies to dump sewage into swimming waters. It is a national scandal that water companies are allowed to pump sewage into our rivers and coastlines all because Ministers refuse to get tough with them.

Conservative MPs have blocked taking tougher action on water companies, and these new half-baked plans from Ministers will do nothing to deter water companies from their polluting actions.

Thérèse Coffey must now resign. She has had months in post with nothing but hot air and empty rhetoric. Under Coffey’s plan, sewage will be pumped into our rivers for decades to come. Shamefully, the Environment Secretary has refused to ban water companies rewarding themselves with multi-million pound bonuses. It is time we had an Environment Secretary who actually cared about the environment.

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Mark Valladares

29 March 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 29th March 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • Only 2% of car thefts resulted in a charge last year
  • Government criticised for having no dedicated team working on water pollution
  • Ethics adviser must investigate Sunak over wife’s shares in company benefiting from government scheme
  • PMQs: Raab challenged over GP crisis in his own constituency

Only 2% of car thefts resulted in a charge last year

  • Home Secretary blasted as “asleep at the wheel” as tens of thousands of car thefts go unsolved
  • Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing with known officers on the beat to clamp down on crime.

New research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has shown that just 2% of car thefts in England and Wales result in a charge.

The official Home Office data, analysed by the House of Commons Library, revealed there were 100,000 car thefts in the the first three quarters of 2022.

Of the instances of car theft, an eye-watering 68,800 went unsolved. And – of those cases who did have a suspect – just 2% resulted in a charge.

Analysis of the statistics shows that the number of car thefts rose by over a third in the past year when comparing the same time period in 2021 to 2022, up from 74,605 in the first three quarters of 2021 to 97,225.

Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing with known officers on the beat to clamp down on crime.

Analysis by the House of Commons Library found that the number of community police officers have fallen by more than 4,000 since 2015 across England and Wales.

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Mark Valladares

Volunteering Opportunity: Delegate to Liberal International Executive Committee

By Mark Valladares | Wed 29th March 2023 - 8:20 am

Location: Ottawa, Canada
Date: 2-6 May 2023

Liberal International will convene its 206th Executive Committee in Ottawa between 2-6 May 2023. For five days the global liberal family will come together at the seat of political decision-making in Canada – the federal capital – as LI returns to North America for its first statutory event in the region for 14 years.

Together with LI full member, the Canadian Group of Liberal International (CGLI), delegates will not only contribute to developing liberal policy and engaging throughout the ExCom between 2-4 May with new applicant parties but are cordially invited to fully participate in the Liberal Party of Canada (LI full member) convention which takes place (4-6 May) at the same venue directly following the conclusion of the 206th executive committee meeting.

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Mark Valladares

28 March 2023 – today’s press releases (Welsh Edition)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 28th March 2023 - 11:45 pm
  • Welsh Liberal Democrats Launch Plan to Save NHS Dentistry in Wales
  • Interest Rate Rise Signals More Pain for Homeowners in Powys

Welsh Liberal Democrats Launch Plan to Save NHS Dentistry in Wales

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched their plans to save NHS dentistry in Wales, warning that unless the Welsh Labour Government takes action now NHS dentistry risks going extinct.

The Party have accused Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay of utterly failing to get to grips with the problem, allowing an appalling two-tier system of dentistry in Wales to flourish whereby if you can afford it you go private, but those who can’t are left waiting in agony for months and sometimes years.

Talking to her party Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds outlined that using her influence to fix NHS dentistry is one of her top priorities in the Senedd.

A previous FOI by the Welsh Liberal Democrats showed that over 800 children in Powys were waiting for an NHS dentist while in Cardiff the waiting list for children and adults is over 15,000 people. Other health boards do not operate centralised waiting lists which the Liberal Democrats state is a problem in itself.

Among the proposed actions laid out in the report, which was produced with industry professionals include:

  • Resolving outstanding contract issues as a priority
  • Integrating primary dental care more closely with other NHS primary care, especially to ensure that services are available in remote and rural areas
  • Increasing per-capita spending from the current £47 to match the levels of Scotland (£55) and Northern Ireland (£57)
  • Setting targets for Health Boards in terms of numbers of, and waiting times for, appointments, empowering them to use salaried staff to achieve those targets as well as entering into agreements with private sector providers
  • Setting up set up a national waiting list system to ensure that the process of getting an appointment is more efficient, and that fewer appointments are lost
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Mark Valladares

28 March 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 28th March 2023 - 11:15 pm
  • Number of GP practices falls by over 500 since 2019
  • Lib Dems call for ban on strip searches in schools
  • Coffey attacks farming journalists

Number of GP practices falls by over 500 since 2019

  • Lib Dem Leader launches Local Election campaign calling for a return to “proper local health services” amid GP shortages and appointment delays
  • Rural areas “bearing the brunt of GP practice closures”, forcing people to drive long distances to see a doctor
  • Government on course to break Conservative manifesto pledge on doctor recruitment as GP numbers plummet by over 850 since the last election

New analysis of NHS data by the Liberal Democrats has found there are 547 fewer open and active GP practices in England compared to 2019 – despite rising patient numbers.

At the last election, the Conservative party promised to recruit 6,000 more GPs. However, today’s analysis reveals there are now 850 fewer GPs compared to 2019.

Rural communities are suffering most from GP practices closing. A recent study found 206 villages where patients must travel at least 5 miles to see a doctor – a 12% rise on 2017.

This new analysis of NHS figures follows a research poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats which reveals over a quarter (29%) of UK adults have tried and failed to get a face-to-face GP appointment in their local area over the past twelve months.

Embarrassingly for the Government, GP practices are even closing in the Heath Secretary’s own constituency, with a Cambridgeshire practice serving thousands of local people due to close its doors this month.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 29th March), Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will launch his party’s local election campaign in Hertfordshire, where he will call on the Government to invest in local health services. The South of England is the worst part of the country for GP appointment problems, where over 1 in 3 people tried and failed to secure a GP appointment last year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to recruit 8,000 more GPs and have set out plans to give patients a legal right to see a GP within 7 days. It would be achieved through increasing training places for GPs, a programme to retain experienced doctors and staff, and launching a recruitment drive to encourage those who’ve left the NHS to return.

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Mark Valladares

27 March 2023 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 27th March 2023 - 11:55 pm

“Inept Approach to Public Finances” – Welsh Lib Dems Respond to Welsh Gov Accounts Report

Responding to a Senedd report on Welsh Government accounts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

This report highlights an inept approach to Wales’ public finances from the Labour Party which shows a failure to protect public services during the pandemic.

£155 million is an extortionate amount for Wales to have missed out on.

It is also clear that neither Labour nor the Conservatives can be trusted to tackle fraud and that Welsh Labour criticisms of the UK Government losses to fraud during the pandemic now ring hollow.

Labour

…

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