Gosforth Ward
Under boundary changes, in May 2018 the East Gosforth Ward was devided between three new wards : Gosforth Ward (with part of the previous West Gosforth Ward west of the High Street); Dene and South Gosforth Ward; while Garden Village became part of Parklands Ward.
The Liberal Democrats promise is "service and action all year round" so they would be pleased to hear from you with any queries or suggestions - eastgosforth@newcastle-libdems.org.uk
Councillor Colin Ferguson colin.ferguson@newcastle-libdems.org.uk
Councillor Phil Hall phil.hall@newcastle-libdems.org.uk
Councillor Tom Woodwark tom.woodwark@newcastle-libdems.org.uk
To receive Gosforth eFocus regularly (more news, more quickly, in more depth) in addition to the regular Gosforth Focus through your door, email "subscribe" and your postcode to gosforth.efocus@gmail.com
(Pictured here : The Gosforth Focus Team Philip Hall, Colin Ferguson and Tom Woodwark man the High Street stall)
Councillors Surgery
You can also speak to Councillors and other members of the team to raise your query in person at our monthly surgery:
Street Stall on Gosforth High Street (next to BOOTS) - 1st Saturday of each month - 10.00am to 12 noon
where we are also joined by colleagues from West Gosforth and Parklands
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Article: Apr 15, 2019
"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
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Article: Apr 13, 2019
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.
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Article: Mar 7, 2019
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.
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Article: Feb 22, 2019
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/new-speed-limits-great-north-15869275
The full response of Liberal Democrats councillor in Gosforth, Peter Lovatt, was : "Great North Road is already congested at times of rush hour. A reduction in speed limit is a positive step for road safety on Gt North Rd, however this scheme needs to be fully thought through with appropriate signage directing road users to alternative A routes, but not encouraging the use of B, C and D routes. Motorists are already taking the easy option to divert onto side roads, due to the congestion on Gt North Rd. We don't want to see a further increase in traffic on our side roads especially at a time when we are promoting safe routes to school and walking schemes. This scheme needs a full investigation to mitigate the shift in load onto our side streets and ensure the continued safety of our children and wider community."
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Article: Jan 8, 2019
The statement by the three local councils (reproduced in full below) is a massive political cop-out and an abject failure of political leadership on the issue of the dangers of the air quality on our Tyneside streets.
Cllr Greg Stone, who speaks on transport and air quality issues for the Liberal Democrats, said "Other cities are dealing with the same challenges and the likes of Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, and Birmingham are consulting on their clean air charging proposals for polluting diesel emissions, not making excuses. We recognise that the A1 Western Bypass needs a national Highways Agency approach, but Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside had the opportunity to set out by the end of last year how they proposed to reduce emissions on the local network without a clean air charging scheme and have failed to do so.
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Article: Oct 2, 2018
Newcastle Liberal Democrats would like to hear from you about domestic waste and public litter bins to inform our response to the City Council'c review of its waste strategy and our manifesto for the 2019 elections. So we invite you to complete the survey which can be found at here
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Article: Jun 27, 2018
I have worked in the NHS for almost all my working life and I'm hugely proud of what the NHS achieves, Cllr Wendy Taylor who speaks on health and social care issues for the Liberal Democrats, told Newcastle City Council tonight.
As a doctor, I can't overstate how important it is to me to be able to offer my patients the best treatments available, without having to ask how much they can afford to pay. Yet as the motion says, the NHS is facing many difficulties including lack of funding, loss of staff and increasing debt. The impact of Jeremy Hunt's attack on junior doctors has been devastating, with over 50% of doctors not taking up a training post when they complete their basic training. Many are going to New Zealand or Australia, others are giving up medicine altogether. Of course many will come back to train as a GP or Consultant at a later time, but when I think of the enthusiasm and excitement of medical students when they apply to study medicine, it is so sad that much of this is lost once they qualify. And the loss of the bursaries for student nurses has been just as damaging.
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Article: Jun 18, 2018
Following news that Virgin Money is to be taken over by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank Group, Cllr Robin Ashby, Newcastle Liberal Democrats Shadow Cabinet Member for Business, Development and Employment commented:
" This further piece of financial engineering comes at the price of quality professional jobs in Newcastle that are core to our regional economic strategy. It can therefore only be seen as a setback for us.
"Similarly, the relocation of the headquarters of a major quoted company from Tyneside to Scotland is detrimental to our image as a region which is good for business.
"The takeover is built upon the ashes of local people's investments, confiscated by a Labour Government and flogged off on the cheap by a Tory Government.
"The reported pay-off package of £12.5 million for the Chief Executive of Virgin Money will leave a very bad taste in the mouths of those 1,500 people likely to lose their jobs.
"It's a sad day, and those who will lose their jobs just to build a bigger bank have all my sympathy."
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Article: May 26, 2018
The Newcastle Liberal Democrats Councillors Group consists of 19 people, representing new wards in our City.
New councillors are :
Tom Gordon - Manor Park Ward
Aidan King - Castle Ward
Colin Ferguson - Gosforth Ward
Phil Hall - Gosforth Ward
Peter Lovatt - Fawdon and West Gosforth Ward
Returning councillors
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Article: Apr 16, 2018
https://youtu.be/AGw93q_XRTI Under the Liberal Democrats from 3rd May, Newcastle upon Tyne would be a better, fairer, kinder place to live, work, study and bring up a young family.
