Newcastle upon Tyne Liberal Democrats

"It seems the Home Secreatry will talk about anything to tackle knife crime except the one thing that communities most desperately need: more police officers", says Ed Davey, who leads for the Liberal Democrats in Parliament on Home Affairs .

"The Home Office's own analysis shows that the Tories' excessive police cuts have contributed to the rise in serious violence, yet the Home Secretary stubbornly refuses to fund forces properly so they can put more officers on our streets.

"Tackling this knife crime epidemic does require a public health approach, but police are an integral part of that approach. How on earth does Javid expect police officers to spend more time working with youth workers and other agencies when they're already hugely overstretched?

"The Liberal Democrats demand better. The Government must urgently give local police forces the funding they need to recruit more officers and restore the community policing that prevents crime and keeps us safe."

According to the National Audit Office, the Government has cut £1 billion from frontline police budgets in real terms since 2015.

In the same period, the number of full-time equivalent police officers in England and Wales has fallen by 4,797 (4%). On top of that, the number of Community Support Officers is down 2,579 (21%) and the number of Special Constables is down 5,045 (31%).

A leaked Home Office report last year shows that the Government's police cuts "likely contributed" to the rise in serious violent crime

NEWCASTLE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS LOCAL ELECTION MANIFESTO 2019

'Forward to a better future with the Liberal Democrats'

OUR PARTY'S PRINCIPLES AND VALUES AND AMBITION

I. Introduction
Newcastle Liberal Democrats hold firm to the values of the wider Liberal Democrat party. Our national vision is set out in the preamble to our party's federal constitution:
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
In Newcastle, we aim to stay true to our national vision.
In all that we say and do, we will strive to be open, tolerant and united and to demand better for the residents of our city.
We add one more proviso to our vision locally in our desire to be close to the communities in which we serve, to listen to local people, to work with community organisations, and to act on their behalf where it is possible to do so, in line with our Liberal Democrat principles.
We believe passionately that our focus as a local party and actions should be rooted in communities.

Here's what Cllr Colin Ferguson (pictured with Cllr Phil Hall, right, who chairs the Budget and Finance Scrutiny Committee) said in launching the Liberal Democrats' approach to Newcastle's 2019 budget which saw Labour hiking Council Tax by 3.95% and cutting services by £20 million, highlighting that the budget is based upon Labour's choices.

The Liberal Democrats in Newcastle are backing calls from consumer rights charity, Which?, for a regulator to protect access to cash following new analysis revealing a rapid decline in cashpoints.

New figures obtained by Which? show cashpoints disappeared at a rate of 488 per month between June 2018 and December 2018 with over 250 free-to-use machines also closing monthly.

Liberal Democrats Councillors in the north of Gosforth today showed their support for keeping open the Brunswick tip (Household waste and recycling centre)

Pictured here are Parklands and Castle wards councillors Pauline Allen, Phil Lower, Anita Lower (Opposition Leader) David Down and Robin Ashby plus local campaigner Christine Morrissey.