South West Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats

A well-attended party for Liberal Democrat members and election helpers in Hemel Hempstead was held recently to thank people for their hard work, to review progress and success and to consider future activity and campaigning.

Ron Tindall, Liberal Democrat candidate in the recent county elections, has been comfortably re-elected to Hemel Hempstead's St Pauls County Council Division.

Ron Tindall, who is the Liberal Democrat Opposition Spokesperson for Adult Care, has already served 8 years on the County Council and was re-elected in May for a further 4-year term.

Faced with a growing trade deficit, a government deficit that is increasing again, a weak pound and lamentable productivity the Tory government has had to start cutting infrastructure projects.

Back in the happier days of 2012, when Brexit was just a boring rant from a man with a French name in a saloon bar in Essex, things were different. Then we had a relatively strong economy, improving economic statistics and a Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker, who was able to announce new track, new stations, new trains, new lines and, above all, more efficient, carbon-sparing electrification

The UK must do better in separating paper grades and types of plastic. For many years now the Chinese government has been increasing quality standards for the recyclates it imports from the UK.

Starting with their national quality campaign Green Fence, aimed at raising the quality of imported recyclates the Chinese government has now moved on to a tough industrial inpection regime called National Sword. Any paper mill or plastics recycler found with sub-standard recyclate on the premises is simply shut down - on the spot.

Slowly but surely UK's railways are being electrified, but although switching from diesel to electricity increases energy efficiency considerably we still need to burn a lot of fossil fuel to make electricity. Reducing fossil fuel burn is becoming increasingly urgent and important and in some areas of the country through which trains run the grid can barely cope.

Sally Symington, Chair of West Herts Liberal Democrats, has well and truly shaken up Conservative complacency in Berkhamsted where she nearly took a Dacorum Borough Council seat in the recent by-election.

In her first serious foray into borough politics Sally swooped down from Potten End to come within 47 votes of winning the vacant seat in the DBC Ward of Berkhamsted West.

An Automatic Vehicle Speed Monitor (AVSM) is to be fitted to the Transport for London trams which operate in Croydon. This follows a fatal accident in November when 7 people were killed and over 50 injured. That tram was later found to have been travelling three times faster than the speed limit set for a section of track that led into a curve. It toppled over on the curve at Sandilands Junction.

Thursday evening saw a landslide win in the Chorleywood South & Maple Cross Ward of Three Three Rivers Council, ensuring that the council remains in Liberal Democrat control

In a hard fought campaign Phil Williams stormed to victory with a 64% share of the vote. The turnout was 38%. This is rather high for a council by-election and reflects both the interest of the electors and the quality of the Liberal Democrat campaign.

O n Wednesday night Berkhamsted Liberal Democrats were celebrating a remarkable near miss in the recent County Council elections.

The campaign had been fought by the Liberal Democrats on two main issues.

The first was that the political representation was completely out of balance with opinion in the town.

Three Rivers Council remains in Liberal Democrat control following a landslide win with 64% of the vote by new Councillor Phil Williams; elected to represent Chorleywood South & Maple Cross ward.

The by-election was triggered following the sad passing of former Lib Dem leader Ann Shaw OBE who had been a well respected community champion and councillor for more than three decades. When she stepped down in 2016, she was the longest serving council leader in the country.