Local Campaign Update

Parking by the Minute Campaign
I am fighting for fairer car parking charges at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske. While my mother was in Treliske I made frequent visits to see her and found the current parking charges to be excessive and unfair.  The minimum parking charge of £2 for two hours means that if you stay for even 5 minutes over your two hours you end up paying for 4 hours parking.  It isn’t right that hospital patients and visitors end up paying for more time than they actually use.

I am campaigning for a ‘Parking per Minute’ charge to be introduced. This technology is used very effectively in other parts of the world and would be the fairest way of charging those who have to use the car park because of illness, accessibility or necessity.

There is a strong feeling in Cornwall that these charges are unfair – I am working with hospital management to change the current system. If you agree with this and would like to support my campaign please fill out my online petition form now.

Water Bills
Botched water privatisation by the last Conservative Government left people living in the South West with the highest water bills in the country at around £150 above the national average.  Cornwall’s Lib Dems have been at the forefront of the campaign for fairer water bills ever since.  
An independent report has now recognised that people living in Cornwall have been paying too much for their water.  The reports recommendations include an extra charge to all water rate payers across the country to help pay for the     up-keep of the Cornish coastline.
Cornwall’s Lib Dem MP’s have called on the Government to make sure the reports proposals are put in place. 
Commenting Terrye Teverson said, “The reports proposals are very welcome but now we need the Government to do their job and make sure that action is taken to cut our bills.  They have to recognise that the coastline belongs to the nation and therefore the whole country should be responsible for paying for its upkeep.”

A Fair Start – schools funding
Schools in Cornwall will gain more than £20 million per year extra, under Liberal Democrats plans to give our young people the fair start in life they deserve. 

The current unfair funding formula, was established under the last Conservative Government.  It has been continued by the present Labour Government and leaves pupils in the County lagging behind national funding averages, to the tune of over £300 per year. 

The Liberal Democrats want to put this right, by ensuring that schools get extra funding for pupils from more deprived backgrounds, to spend on whatever they think will be best for their students. 

The additional funding, worth up to £2,500 per pupil could be spent on cutting class sizes, extra books and resources, or more teachers.

The Lib Dem promise of extra money for Cornish schools stands in stark contrast to the plans of Conservatives at County Hall.  Following a Freedom of Information request, it has emerged that they have a secret list of primary schools vulnerable to closure. 

Terrye Teverson said: “Closure of village schools make it harder and harder for local families to be able to remain living in their communities.  We have to ensure we keep our villages alive - and that means keeping services such as village shops, post offices, schools and libraries open.” 

“The Lib Dem plans for fairer funding in education are very welcome news for Cornwall’s children.  They will finally deliver the fair deal for education that Cornwall has been waiting for, and will help give our children the best possible start in life.”

National Campaigns

The Freedom Bill : radical plans to defend civil liberties

A Fresh Start for Britain

Real Women: Happy, healthy and confident

Don’t Short Change Our Troops: Fair Pay for Our Armed Forces

Fair Taxes

Solving Britain’s Housing Crisis

A Fair Start for Children: Cut Class Sizes

More Police on the street

New Green Industry