Edward Davey: Launching local poll push

The Liberal Democrats have kick-started their local government election campaign with the aim of building on recent by-election successes. 

The party's local government spokesman, Edward Davey, led the launch event on Wednesday.

He highlighted the fact that the Lib Dems pushed Labour into third place in the 2004 elections and said his party were "the growing force in local government".

The Lib Dems have also seen strong results in by-elections over the last six months, gaining 12 seats while the Conservatives and Labour each lost four.

Davey used these successes to stress the party line that "Liberal Democrats are now the real alternative in local and national government". 

He said: "The last two rounds of nationwide local elections brought our best results ever.

"Last year's elections saw the Liberal Democrats push Labour into third place for the first time ever, winning control of the former Labour bastion of Newcastle and taking power in cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff .

"Recent council by-election results confirm this trend, with Liberal Democrats making more net gains than any other party in the last 6 months."
 
Cllr Chris Clarke, leader of the Lib Dems in local government, added: "Lib Dem council leaders now manage £10bn of public spending and 12 million people now live in an area with a Lib Dem council leader.

"Three of the five councils singled out for praise by the Audit Commission for their improvement were Lib Dem led authorities. Where Liberal Democrats have won control of failing councils, we have been turning them round."

Taxes

A core policy of the Lib Dem local election campaign will be the pledge to scrap council tax and replace it with a local income tax to produce a more equitable system.

The party says the move would also avoid the looming problem of England's property revaluation, which could lead to higher bills for hundreds of thousands of property owners.

Lib Dems are also promising greater devolution of powers away from Whitehall.

Local people should have more of a say on how their public services are delivered, argues the party.

But the Conservatives say the Liberal Democrat local policy plans will see a series of tax rises, including new anti-car taxes to drive and park, a dog tax, hotel tax, local income tax, regional income tax, rubbish tax and water tax.

Eric Pickles, shadow local government secretary, said: "Liberal Democrats want twenty local tax hikes – twenty holes in your pocket.

"Their answer to every issue is a new tax or new red tape, hammering hard-working families, pensioners and struggling local businesses."

And he added: "No wonder that Liberal Democrats now have fewer councillors under Charles Kennedy than they did under Paddy Ashdown.

"They fail to keep the councils they do win – the public have caught on that Liberal Democrats never deliver on the inflated promises they peddle on the doorstep."

While speculation about a possible May 5 general election has been dominating media headlines, a series of local elections are already certain to take place on that date.

All 34 English county councils are holding elections, along with the unitary councils on the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly.

There are also executive mayoral elections in Doncaster, Hartlepool, Stoke-on-Trent, and North Tyneside.