Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey have condemned the Conservative-run county council which has today published its proposals to hike council tax by a massive 15% - the largest increase in the country and 9 times the rate of inflation.
Milnrow and Newhey Councillor Andy Kelly has slammed the new development at Coral Mill, Newhey as 'unaffordable' and claimed that local people were being 'priced out of renting there.' He has been contacted by angry residents after a three-bed roomed rental property on the site went on the market for a whopping £820 per calendar month or £189 per week.
Theresa May's speech today was a mixture of vacuous soundbites and ominous indicators of the direction of travel. Shorn of the window-dressing, it is clear that she leads a government of the Hard Brexit. She concluded with a nauseous section suggesting that the country is "coming together" after June's referendum. As one wag put it on Twitter, that is like setting a fire, burning the house down and expecting those who queried what you were doing to "come together" in the rebuilding project. More seriously, by opting for a Hard Brexit, exiting the single market (ironically, an achievement of Margaret Thatcher) and almost certainly the customs union, she is demonstrating no respect for the 16 million people who voted Remain. So, why do I think the speech is good news? The clue is today's YouGov poll. This shows that the population currently splits as follows:
'We have a good household bin service - let's keep it that way' Cllr David Lomax
Tim Farron's Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency had the sixth lowest unemployment of all 650 UK constituencies in December, according to figures released today.
A combination of "Labour's careless spending and the Conservatives' mean-spiritedness" means flood-hit areas across the North of England will miss out on millions of pounds' worth of EU flood funding.