Councillor Robin Ashby supported by Councillors Ali Avaei, Christine Morrissey and Doreen Huddart will propose:

Council notes :
1. As a City of Sanctuary, Newcastle is proud to have been able to receive some of the interpreters who served with the U K Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and their families.
2. Local families are still grieving the loss of relatives who gave their lives in the service of their country in the attempt to free ordinary Afghans from oppression.
3. As the Taliban have taken most of the country in breach of their agreement with the US and Afghan Governments, which enabled UK training forces to be withdrawn, millions of women and girls are facing the prospect of a new era of injustice, inequality, brutality, forced marriages, loss of freedoms and oppression.
4. The UK has failed to meet its moral obligation to all of those interpreters and others who risked their lives supporting our troops, while the Conservative Government's international development spending in Afghanistan has been slashed.
5. Taliban domination of Afghanistan must inevitably have an adverse effect on Pakistan, which may become a first destination to those fleeing, and those people of Pakistan origin who have made Newcastle their home.
6. Local authorities will have to carry the heaviest responsibility in relocating and housing Afghan refugees. Therefore, although this is done willingly, it is vital that the Government provides emergency funds now to ensure this can happen successfully and that these funds are not taken from the international aid budget or related humanitarian funding streams.

It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of our friend and colleague Anita Lower. She will be sorely missed by many in local government, in Newcastle and further afield, and by her constituents who she has served with great commitment over many years.

Cllr Anita Lower was first elected to the Council in 1994, serving continuously as a councillor since then until her death. She was councillor for Blakelaw ward for 10 years and then councillor for Castle ward from 2004 to 2021. Anita held many important roles in the Council, including serving in the Council's cabinet during the years of the Liberal Democrats administration between 2004 and 2011. She also held the post of Leader of the Opposition between 2013 and 2020. Anita had been serving as chair of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee, a role which won her great respect across the Council, for her ability to work constructively in ensuring that council decisions and decision-makers were open and held to account.

The Liberal Democrats are fighting for a fairer, greener and more caring country where everyone has a chance to get on in life. In a message to Cllr Nick Cott, who leads a 20-strong group of councillors in Newcastle, Ed Davey MP (pictured here with Nick last year in Newcastle) said:

" I know that local people who vote for Liberal Democrats on May 6th in Newcastle upon Tyne will get strong local champions who will get things done in your important city.

In a show of apparent petulance, Labour's Council Group fought off two attempts by the Opposition to ensure a proper debate on the vital vaccine rollout scheme that is central to our country's return to normal life.

Blaming "long questions" from Opposition members holding them to account, the Labour Group first refused to bring forward the motion on vaccines, before refusing to extend the meeting by a mere 30 minutes to ensure a debate could be had.

Opposition Liberal Democrats' councillors are in a state of shock as it has become clear that the Labour Administration have failed to fully account for the Climate Emergency in the Council's budget proposals for 2020-21.

Responding to questioning at the Finance & Budget Monitoring Scrutiny Sub-Committee, Officers admitted that the numerous committees established with great fanfare by Leader of the Council, Cllr Forbes, to address climate and environment matters would have no formal role in feeding into the Council's budget consultation process, and may even report too late to influence the Council's spending priorities for the coming financial year.

Liberal Democrats councillors and activists will be out in force tomorrow in Newcastle City Centre following up their Climate Emergency motion and the stratedy approved by their Party Conference with a street protest locally.

"Our children have shown us the way. Come and join us and make your voice count - we only have one world, it's our responsibility to do everything we can to stop any further damage to the environment and climate change. We'll be joining other protests at the Civic Centre at 11am.

The Liberal Democrats Opposition believes the revised plans to tackle air pollution from traffic on Tyneside merely a case of delaying possible charges for driving in the city centre rather than scrapping them. They continue to be concerned the council's plans are neither legally compliant with air quality legislation nor likely to tackle growing citywide problems. (The press statement by the Labour councils is below, including daily charges of up to £50 a day for some non compliant vehicles including buses)