Stockton Liberal Democrats

Residents living on the Eaglescliffe side of the River Tees flocked to Yarm Fellowship Hall on Thursday night to protest about plans for a car park on the Tannery site offAislaby Road, Eaglescliffe.

Conservative-controlledYarmTownCouncil had published their own proposals to alleviate the Yarm car parking problem. These included a new car park on the Eaglescliffe bank of the River, just upstream of Yarm Viaduct, with access for cars fromAislaby Roadat the Pumping Station. Yarm Council had not consulted the Liberal Democrat borough councillors representing Eaglescliffe (Alan Lewis and Maureen Rigg) or Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe Council, in whose areas the proposed car park would be built.

Local Liberal Democrats are delighted that the Coalition Government's National Planning Policy Framework, announced on Tuesday, confirms the end of a rule which made it difficult for councils to refuse building on gardens of existing houses.

Councillor Alan Lewis, Liberal Democrat representing Eaglescliffe, said, " in June 2010 we were pleased when the Liberal Democrat - Conservative coalition government announced the end of the 'garden grabbing', which had so changed Eaglescliffe over recent years. Under the previous government, the many pleas from Lib Dem Eaglescliffe Councillors to change the rules fell on deaf ears. Gardens were classified in the same way as derelict factories - as previously developed land. Beautiful old houses were demolished and the land along with the garden used for flats and their car parks. Houses were built in the back gardens of other houses. Local people worried that the character of Eaglescliffe was changing for ever.

In Stockton Borough 73,000 people will get a tax cut in 2013/14 as a result of this budget.

5290 have already been removed from income tax in 2011/12 as a result of Coalition policies.

2860 more will be removed from income tax in 2012/13 (effect of Coalition polices announced some months ago)

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Elliot Kennedy commented, "Liberal Democrats went into the last general election and the Coalition agreement promising no Income tax for people with under £10,000 a year income by the end of the present parliament. The figure was only £6475 when Labour left office; by 2013-14 it will already be £9205, so we're well ahead of schedule in delivering on that promise."

Over 20 million working people will be better off next year after Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government delivered the biggest ever increase in the income tax personal allowance in the Budget.

The massive £3.5bn tax cut for working people delivers:

• The biggest ever single uplift in the tax threshold
• A personal allowance of £9,205 in April 2013
• 21 million working people getting an extra £220 tax cut
• Brings the total tax cut for basic rate tax payers to £550
• Brings the total number of people lifted out of tax to 2 million.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Stockton have joined others throughout the country to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to call on him to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 faster than originally planned.

Group Leader Councillor Maureen Rigg, says, "Raising the basic income tax threshold will mean that the poorest paid workers are taken out of income tax altogether. The letter also makes very clear that the wealthiest members of society must pay their fair share. So far, under the Coalition, Liberal Democrats have already made sure 900,000 pensioners and low-paid workers have been lifted out of income tax all together, and 23 million people have been given a tax cut. The Coalition Agreement planned to achieve a £10,000 tax threshold by 2015; we are now asking for this to be sooner."

Stockton Lib Dems were at the Lib Dem Party Conference at The Sage in Gateshead this weekend, taking part in the conference.

Lib Dems have backed a call to block the privatisation of policing.

At the party's national conference in Gateshead this weekend, Suzanne Fletcher, President of the North East party and former Stockton Councillor and Police Authority member, secured the support of voting members in opposing the relaxation of rules that prohibit frontline services from being put out to tender to private firms.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg used his speech to the Party's Spring conference in NewcastleGateshead to call for the forthcoming budget to be a "budget for fairness" and pledged that it would help working familes.

The Deputy Prime Minister pledged that by 2015 Britain would have seen an end to control orders, the first gay marriages and the first elections to the House of Lords.