Tag Archives: banks

Antony Hook

Ordinary families are paying more so banks’ owners can pay less

By Antony Hook | Thu 17th February 2022 - 9:05 am

It is budget setting time for councils across the country.

Local councils of all types have to decide what rate of Council Tax to set and budget how they will spend their revenue and capital over the coming year.

Everyone in local government knows how tough things are. Local services are under resourced, struggling and sometimes failing. At the same time, ordinary families face a huge cost of living crisis from rising bills that many in Westminster do not seem to understand.

In Kent County Council, where I lead the Liberal Democrat group, the ruling-Conservatives are raising Council Tax by 3% and cutting services by £28 million.  Inflation, such as rising energy bills and increasing need to help a growing but ageing population take their toll and leave gaps in the budget.

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Mark Valladares

16 October 2019 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th October 2019 - 11:52 pm

MP launches “Save Our Rural Banks” Campaign

Jane Dodds MP has launched a new campaign aimed at protecting existing rural banking services and restoring banking services to communities across Brecon & Radnorshire.

Over the past few years, many communities across Brecon and Radnorshire have seen bank branches in their towns close. Recent announcements by Barclays also reveal plans to reduce banking services available through the Post Office.

At present towns like Knighton, Crickhowell and Hay-on-Wye both do not have any bank branches in the towns, while towns like Ystradgynlais are reliant upon a single branch.

Jane Dodds, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, …

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Mark Valladares

8 October 2019 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 8th October 2019 - 11:32 pm
  • Davey: Brexit would mortgage our children’s future
  • Jane Dodds Calls for Pledge to Maintain Last-in-Town Banks
  • Blame for the Brexit mess sits with the Tory Govt

Davey: Brexit would mortgage our children’s future

Following reports from the IFS that a no-deal Brexit will push UK debt to the highest levels since the 1960s, Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor Ed Davey said:

This new analysis is a body blow to Boris Johnson’s election spending plans – as it shows the cost of Brexit is much higher than thought.

Brexit would mortgage our children’s future, plunging Britain into the red and threatening years of new austerity.

There is simply no

…

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David Boyle

Opinion: How to balance the UK economy

By David Boyle | Tue 4th March 2014 - 10:41 am

A-Co-operative-bank-sign-007I was a bit flummoxed after being taken to task on Lib Dem Voice last week for being anti-business. What had I done? I had been criticising payday loan companies for hoovering up money away from local companies.

There are two underlying problems here, confusions which muddy the political debate on business.

The first is the misleading idea that somehow all business is always on the same side.  Organisations like the CBI claim to speak for business while actually promoting the interests of the biggest.  It isn’t the way the world is.

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Posted in Op-eds | 7 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: How the government can spend billions on stimulus without borrowing a penny more

By David Thorpe | Fri 31st May 2013 - 11:57 am

In his defence of his dexterously lethargic approach to managing the economy, George Osborne portrays his detractors as Icarus-like figures forgoing prudence to pursue fantastical growth amidst the sunny uplands forever just beyond the next horizon.

The Chancellor would contrast himself as a wise head trying to counsel Icarus towards caution, as Daedulus did in the Greek myth.

But if Icarus was wrought low by over-reaching himself and flying too close to the sun, Daedulus’s demise came when he couldn’t escape from a labyrinth of his own creation. Osborne is risking this outcome.

I described the Chancellor’s economic management as dexterously lethargic above …

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Sharon Bowles

Sharon Bowles MEP writes: New EU rules make a more secure, sustainable and transparent banking system

By Sharon Bowles | Wed 17th April 2013 - 12:30 pm

Yesterday the European Parliament passed a historic package of financial legislation following almost two years of negotiations. The most widely publicised aspect of these new rules is the cap on bankers’ bonuses, introduced in an amendment by the European Parliament and supported by Lib Dem MEPs. As well as the moral justifications, there are many good rational reasons for the cap. Significantly, it will realign the bonus to salary ratio to more reasonable proportions, thus reducing the kinds of excessively risky behaviour which contributed towards the financial crisis. It is important for banks to show restraint and take a more …

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Posted in Europe / International and News | Also tagged and | 15 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: Radical action need to remedy the economy’s woes

By David Thorpe | Tue 11th December 2012 - 9:32 am

While the Chancellor’s direction of travel in relation to tackling Britain’s economic challenges is improving, his current approach will leave Britain feeling like Sisyphus, labouring hard to push a rock up a hill but never quite feeling secure that it won’t come crashing back down, destroying the hard work already undertaken.

But just as Sisyphus continued to focus on the mechanics of getting the rock up the hill, rather than indulge in any broader experiment to escape his predicament, Osborne toils at the seams of Britain’s economic malaise.

The Chancellor happily wallows in the Bank of England’s myth that giant infusions of credit from Quantitative Easing and the ‘Funding for Lending’ schemes, are any sort of remedy to Britain’s economic woes.

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Caron Lindsay

Vince v Osborne – the battle for RBS’s future

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 2nd August 2012 - 2:26 pm

The future of the Royal Bank of Scotland is back in the headlines today.

The Financial Times reports that ministers are discussing buying the remaining shares in RBS, bringing it fully under state control. This would allow them to force it to lend more to viable small and medium-sized businesses  without having to worry about other shareholders challenging such a direction in the courts.

The Guardian reports that Liberal Democrat   Vince Cable is the driving force behind this plan. He believes that it’s the only way to get money to businesses.

What we do know, and Vince Cable confirmed when taking …

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