South West Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats

Three small but crucial parts of the Local Plan to highlight today.

Comments on the Dacorum Borough Council Local Plan - Site Selection - looking at the proposals for Affordable Housing.

Can we afford to NOT to provide Affordable Housing? With the waiting lists we have in Dacorum surely we have to do this?

So what is going to be done about this shortage of properly affordable homes?

There is a section on affordable housing in the main plan document.
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/docs/default-source/strategic-planning/part-1---local-plan-emerging-strategy-for-growth-2020-2038---pages-1-to-187.pdf?sfvrsn=93bf0c9e_10

Dacorum Borough Councillor, Liz Uttley, has been looking at the Dacorum Local Development Plan. She writes,

"To be "sound" (and get accepted), a Local Plan like the one being consulted by Dacorum must follow the rules set out in something called the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). What's that?

The Conservatives at Herts County Council have refused to back the idea of providing support to Hertfordshires businesses affected by Covid closures and to help businesses recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

At the end of October, Liberal Democrat councillors had proposed that the council should write to the government to tell them that more support for local business was needed alongside timely, evidence based and effective action to tackle the pandemic.

Despite opposition from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives at Herts county council have voted to approve a flawed Speed Management Strategy which will make it harder to introduce 20mph zones and means that Hertfordshire has fallen behind other authorities in the widespread introduction of 20mph limits.

The Conservatives' 'uninspired' proposals in the County's newly adopted 'Sustainable Hertfordshire Action Plan' have been slammed by the Liberal Democrats after the Conservatives rejected their immediate 10 point action plan

As a result, it is claimed the county is unlikely to meet the council's target of zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Lib Dem County councillor Steve Jarvis, who proposed a 10 point set of proposals to cut carbon emissions said: "We need bold and immediate steps not woolly words. We have an immediate plan to tackle the problems if we take control of the County Council in May"

Amongst the proposals rejected by the Conservatives were:

A cross-carty campaign led by the Liberal Democrat MP, Daisy Cooper, has secured Christmas contacts for care home residents and their families.

Families of care home residents can look forward to giving their loved-ones a big hug this Christmas following the success of a cross-party campaign led by Daisy Cooper, the MP for St Albans.

Forty MPs from across the political spectrum had signed a joint letter to health secretary Matt Hancock deploring the lack
of contact permitted by families with relatives in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MPs complained of a lack of guidelines to protect loved-ones from dying from loneliness and isolation, and they called
on the Government to introduce measures to relieve the distress caused to families.

Now, as part of the Covid-19 Winter Plan1 the Government has committed to bring "an end to the pain of separation" by
providing twice-weekly visitor testing to enable care home residents to have regular visits from up to two people.

Daisy Cooper MP commented:

"This announcement will have come as a huge relief to so many families - it's a sign that the Government is finally
listening to the horror and heartbreak experienced by so many family carers. Extending testing to family carers is a great
step forward, but the Government must go further in making sure that care homes have everything they need to allow
family carers to visit safely."

Previously, during a debate in the House of Commons, Daisy spoke of the heartbreak she'd experienced listening to
constituents who described the fear and isolation they knew their loved-ones were experiencing, including Steph Sykes,
one of five children who before the pandemic had spent hours holding hands with their mother and providing essential
close-contact care.

Following the Government announcement, Steph Sykes said: "I am immensely grateful to Daisy for the time she's given me and the active and influential part she's played in supporting the Rights for Residents Campaign, which is campaigning, along with many other organisations, such as Age UK, the National Care Forum and the Alzheimer's Society, to bring an end to the isolation of care residents from their families.

"This has had a catastrophic, life-reducing impact on their physical and mental health - the most vulnerable in society have been failed by this Government.

"Now, in response to this campaign, the Government has at last made a positive step - but further action is needed.

"First, care providers must be indemnified against the possibility of being sued if the virus were to be introduced into a care home by a visitor, as the NHS is. Second, the Government must take responsibility and issue clear, unequivocal guidance which puts an end to the current postcode and individual care home lottery.

"Family members must now be allowed to spend quality time with their loved ones, to hug and hold their hands. The tragedy is that for many it is now too late."

"Hertfordshire County Council's Sustainability Action Plan doesn't actually contain enough action on tackling the Climate Emergency," claims the County's Liberal Democrat Group.

Whilst welcoming Herts County Council's announcement that it is finally making a start on addressing the climate emergency, Liberal Democrat County Councillors have nevertheless condemned the Conservative Council Leaders' proposals in their Sustainable Hertfordshire Action Plan. They say that these proposals lack ambition and are most unlikely to meet the council's target of zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Can you help the West Herts Liberal Democrats get the Resources they need to carry on their political and community activity and their local and national campaigning?

Help the Liberal Democrats Build Back Better, locally, nationally - and internationally. (We're not turning our backs on overseas aid and development like the Tories!)

And a very simple way to help would be to buy some tickets in their Christmas Raffle.