Tag Archives: portsmouth

News Meerkat

LibDem council chief: Government ‘must not crucify Portsmouth’ over Brexit

By News Meerkat | Thu 22nd August 2019 - 11:00 am

Embed from Getty Images

The BBC reports:

The leader of Portsmouth City Council says he can not allow government inaction to “crucify Portsmouth” in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Gerald Vernon-Jackson said the authority and Hampshire County Council had already spent £4m on preparations to avoid gridlock near the city’s port.

The government has just announced port towns in England will receive an extra £9m to pay for preparations.

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Mark Valladares

8 January 2019 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 8th January 2019 - 11:50 pm

It seems that, no matter how late I publish this feature, the Press Team are still up and working. Last night, the final press release came out at 11.58 p.m., so is included in today’s batch…

  • Drone reforms are vague and lack resources
  • Social housing neglect due to lack of political will
  • Dover delay is a national embarrassment
  • Cable: Bumbling Govt taking ‘Dad’s Army’ approach to Brexit
  • Lib Dems: Govt defeat shows no deal not an option
  • Lib Dems: Drone sighting shows urgent need for regulation
  • Lib Dems defeat Govt on loan charges

Drone reforms are vague and lack resources

Responding to the Government annoucement that the police will …

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Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems lead in Portsmouth, confidence and supply with Labour in Trafford

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 15th May 2018 - 9:31 pm

Gerald Vernon-Jackson is back in charge of Portsmouth City Council tonight, leading a minority administration. He served in this role from 2004-14 so he certainly knows the ropes. He now leads a minority administration with Labour backing:

From the BBC

“I will work as hard as I can to make sure the city of Portsmouth always comes first,” Mr Vernon-Jackson said.

“We need to be building more council houses and affordable homes for local people… I want to make sure we make the city a better place in terms of transport,” he told the meeting.

He added that for family reasons, his leadership

…

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The Voice

Mike Hancock resigns from Lib Dem cabinet on Portsmouth City Council

By The Voice | Mon 3rd February 2014 - 9:10 pm

Three new developments today in Portsmouth as the local Lib Dem party and city council group work out how to deal with the allegations of sexual assault against Mike Hancock, which he denies.

Twelve days ago, Hancock, who had already stood down from the party whip at Westminster, was suspended by the national Lib Dems, making him ineligible to be re-selected as Portsmouth South’s MP. However, he controversially retained his post in the Lib Dem-run cabinet as an independent councillor, apparently on a tied 10-10 vote among the city council group. This prompted the resignation of Eleanor …

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The Voice

Portsmouth Lib Dems seek new candidate while MP Mike Hancock suspended by party

By The Voice | Tue 28th January 2014 - 8:35 am

We reported last Friday the news that Mike Hancock, the MP for Portsmouth South who resigned the Lib Dem whip last year to contest allegations of sexual assault against him, had won the backing of Portsmouth Lib Dems.

However, the local party has since confirmed it will be pushing ahead with selecting a candidate for the 2015 election. With Mike Hancock currently suspended by the national party, he will be unable to put himself forward for re-selection. In short, he has been de-selected as a Lib Dem MP (unless his suspension is lifted).

Local party chair Simon Dodds …

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The Voice

Mike Hancock: Portsmouth Lib Dems issue statement

By The Voice | Fri 24th January 2014 - 11:32 pm

We reported on Wednesday that the Lib Dems had suspended Mike Hancock’s party membership following the leaking of a report commissioned by Portsmouth City Council into allegations of sexual assault against the MP who is a also a councillor.

Tonight Portsmouth Liberal Democrats have issued this statement:

We have today been made aware that Liberal Democrat HQ has received a complaint about Mike Hancock and has, pending investigation of that report, suspended Mike Hancock’s membership of the party.

There is an ongoing civil court case on the issues raised in the complaints to Portsmouth City Council and to the Lib

…

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The Voice

BBC: “Mike Hancock MP will not face charges over sex assault”

By The Voice | Sat 23rd November 2013 - 12:01 am

Mike HancockBBC News reports:

Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock will face no further police action in relation to alleged sexual assault claims.

A Hampshire Police statement said it had discussed the case with the Crown Prosecution Service and would not be taking any further action.

Mr Hancock, who is also a councillor, had strongly denied the allegations.

An independent report released in September found he failed to observe the council’s code of conduct.

Hampshire Police said it had informed those affected by the decision.

Mr Hancock said: “I’m personally delighted and pleased they have come to

…

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Stephen Tall

“Where we work, we win” – will that Lib Dem maxim survive the 2015 test?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 5th January 2013 - 9:50 am

Chris RennardDon’t splutter on your Saturday morning cornflakes, but the Guardian has today published two intelligent articles on the Lib Dems and the strategy which the party is hoping will see us through to the other side of the 2015 election intact.

First, there’s Patrick Wintour‘s analysis — Liberal Democrats bank on ground war to hold on to seats — which uses as its springboard an analysis by Lord (Chris) Rennard, the party’s former chief executive and elections guru:

insists it should not be ground down by low national polls. “The

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Stephen Tall

Gosport Lib Dem leader banned from council for two years

By Stephen Tall | Wed 8th July 2009 - 7:45 pm

Lib Dem Voice reported last week that Peter Chegwyn, Lib Dem leader on Gosport Council in Hampshire, would this week be facing a standards board tribunal following allegations he used a council vote to protect his music festival. Portsmouth.co.uk reports the result:

Controversial Gosport politician Peter Chegwyn has been banned from being a councillor for two years.

The Lib Dem group leader was ruled to have breached the councillors’ code of conduct after he voted to block a motion relating to his Stokes Bay Festival last year. …

Cllr Chegwyn, who has been a councillor for 26 years, said: ‘I will

…

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Stephen Tall

Hancock to take £1,000 a year “tenants’ tax” protest to Parliament

By Stephen Tall | Tue 3rd March 2009 - 7:32 pm

Mike Hancock, Lib Dem MP for Portsmouth South, together with his fellow Portsmouth Lib Dems, has taken his campaign on behalf of council tenants to the highest levels, including Downing Street and Parliament. The issue? One that is faced by 156 councils around the country:

… council tenants are angry because each household will be paying £1,000 a year over the next thirty years directly into the Government’s coffers. The Government takes money from Portsmouth and 205 other councils. Some money is distributed back to councils. 50 councils benefit and 156 pay money to the Government but there is an overall surplus that the Government keeps of £194 million. Therefore a large surplus – £4.6 million this year from Portsmouth alone goes into general Government expenditure – effectively a tax that only council tenants have to pay. With large increases due in the amount taken in coming years, Portsmouth City Council estimates that unless it is reformed Portsmouth’s 15,000 council tenants will pay £500 million over the next 30 years to the Government – over £1,000 a year.

Mike presented the petition in Parliament last night – here’s Hansard’s (somewhat quaint) account of proceedings:

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