Hinckley & Bosworth Liberal Democrats

Today's Leicestershire County Council elections give people in Hinckley and Bosworth the chance to elect a local campaigning Lib Dem team.

Across Hinckley and Bosworth people have the opportunity to vote for local campaigners who will work all year round for our area.

Your local Lib Dem team fought succesfully to save the 2nd local Fire Engine when it was threatened with Tory cuts and succesfully campaigned to save Hinckley's Ambulance Station when it was at risk of closing.

The general election is the chance for a real change in Hinckley and Bosworth after 30 years of David Tredinnick as Tory MP say the Lib Dems

Michael Mullaney the Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman, who came a solid second to David Tredinnick at the last two general elections said "Nationally it is clear that there is absolutely no chance at all of Jeremy Corbyn winning, Corbyn's Labour will be crushed at this election.

"The real issue for local people is "who do you want to represent our area for the next five years?" Do people want a new MP who lives locally, who has a track record of campaigning on issues like saving the Hinckley Ambulance Station and Hinckley's 2nd Fire Engine and who they would have fighting for them all year round if they elected me. Or do they want five more years of David Tredinnick as their MP, an MP who lives hundreds of miles away and only raises fringe issues like homeopathy and astrology in healthcare.

"Already our NHS services are underthreat with Hinckley Hospital and the Glenfield Childrens Heart Unit facing closure, as well as our local schools losing huge amounts of funding. A Conservative landslide in this election will give the Tories a blank cheque to continue to underfund and dismantle our vital public services.

"To stop a Tory landslide, to protect our local services, and to elect an MP who will fight for our area I would ask people in Hinckley and Bosworth to elect me as their MP this time. In 2010 and 2015 I finished solid 2nd here, this time I hope I can go one better and people will elect an MP who will fight tirelessly for them and their local services".

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government's failure to provide enough extra cash for the NHS in their recent budget, warning that local services will struggle to cope with growing demand.

Ahead of the budget the Liberal Democrats had called for a £4 billion funding boost for NHS and care services this year. That would amount to a cash injection of £12 million for local NHS services in the West Leicestershire area. The Budget announced by the Government today will instead see the share of national income spent on the NHS fall in the coming years.

NHS services in the East Midlands currently face a funding gap of £399million by 2020-21, analysis of local NHS plans has found. The NHS funding crisis also risks being made even worse by the Government's hard Brexit plans, which are set to increase borrowing by £100bn in the coming years.

Health campaigner and Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Councillor Michael Mullaney said:

"The Government is refusing to stump up the extra cash NHS services in Hinckley and Bosworth so desperately need. We are threatened with losing the Mount Road Hospital in Hinckley, with no promise of a Walk in Centre that our large, growing population locally needs.

"This is a woefully inadequate response to the impossible pressure our NHS and care services are under.

"Chronic underfunding of our NHS is leading to longer waiting lists, cancelled operations and loved ones being stranded in hospital.

"Only the Liberal Democrats are being upfront with people that to protect our NHS and care services, we may all need to pay a little more in tax.

"We will also stand up against Theresa May's reckless plans to pull out of the Single Market that will blow a £100 billion hole in the public finances. It's clear you can't have strong NHS and care services with a hard Brexit."

On Friday 17th March, Liberal Democrats from Hinckley and Bosworth will be heading to York for the Party's Spring Conference.

Councillor Michael Mullaney, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Bosworth, said, "York will be the biggest Lib Dem Spring Conference so far. I'm looking forward to taking part in debates on the NHS and raising the challenges that we face here in Hinckley and Bosworth as we fight to save our local NHS from cutbacks.

Local Liberal Democrats have welcomed news that the Conservative government has U-turned over its plans to raise taxes on the self-employed, as figures reveal Bosworth constituency would have been among the hardest hit areas in the East Midlands region.

The Conservatives plans would have broke a Conservative manifesto pledge by proposing to increase National Insurance contributions for the self-employed, hitting them with an average cost of £240 a year.

Official figures show there are 8,600 self-employed workers in Bosworth, making up 14%, one in seven, of the total workforce. This is the fourth highest rate of self-employed people in the entire East Midlands region.

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Bosworth Councillor Michael Mullaney said "Thank goodness the Tory government has given in to pressure from Tim Farron, the Lib Dems and others on this issue. This government u-turn will come as a relief to the thousands of self-employed people in Hinckley and Bosworth already facing a Brexit squeeze to living standards."

You can add your name to the petition against On Street Parking Charges at https://leicestershirelibdems.org.uk/en/petition/say-no-to-on-street-parking-charges

A consultation meeting about proposals to build on the Hinckley nature feature, the Big Pit, prompted a huge turnout of Hinckley residents.

Social housing provider Orbit are proposing to build on the site. At yesterday's consultation meeting held at the Ashby Road, Sports Club over a 100 local residents came to express their views. The bulk of residents there were opposed to plans to build on the Big Pit.

Michael Mullaney and the local team have launched an NHS Survey about the state of our local NHS. We would like to hear your views. The survey can be taken at https://leicestershirelibdems.org.uk/en/survey/cllr-michael-mullaney-s-nhs-inquiry

Hinckley County Councillor Michael Mullaney has written to Cross Country calling for trains to stop more regularly at Hinckley

Cross Country are currently holding a consultation on passengers views and Michael Mullaney has written in to it calling for trains to stop half hourly instead of the current hourly service.