Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne, has written to the chair of the Electoral Commission to ask that the investigation into donations to the Conservatives by a company owned by Lord Ashcroft be brought to a conclusion ahead of the election.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Jenny Watson
The Electoral Commission
Trevelyan House
Great Peter Street
London SW1P 2HW Friday 26th February 2010

Dear Ms Watson,

I am writing to you today to request formally that the investigation being carried out by the Electoral Commission into donations to the Conservative Party by Bearwood Corporate Services Limited should now come to a conclusion – in good time before the forthcoming General Election, widely anticipated to be held on 6th May 2010.

Bearwood Corporate Services Limited, since 28th February 2003, has made donations to the Conservative Party totalling £5,056,798.15. It is the most significant single donor to the Conservative party. As you will be aware, for a company to be eligible to make donations to a political party it has to be registered in the UK and carry out business here. A failure on either count would amount to a breach of the law within the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. It is widely known that Bearwood Corporate Services Limited is a company owned by Lord Ashcroft, a Conservative Peer in the House of Lords and the Conservative Party Deputy Chairman, who himself has made donations to the Conservative Party since 26th March 2001 totalling £111,726.09. Lord Ashcroft no longer makes donations to the Conservative party in an individual capacity, because to do so donors have to be listed on the electoral roll. He has so far refused to reveal whether he is registered to vote in the UK, or indeed whether he is a full UK taxpayer.

Given the sums involved and the no doubt crucial role that these will play in the upcoming General Election campaign of the Conservative Party, I believe it is imperative for the maintenance of public trust in the system of funding of political parties that this investigation is concluded before a General Election is called. You will no doubt agree that it would be wrong and undemocratic for one political party to benefit from funds that may yet be judged inadmissible by your investigation. If this were the case, the Conservative party would be found to have relied heavily on offshore finance. Indeed, should the Conservative Party secure a majority following the General Election using donations made by Bearwood Corporate Services Limited, and your investigation were to conclude after the General Election that these donations were illegal, this would raise serious concerns about the legality and validity of the entire election result.

Furthermore, I believe that this investigation is already one of the longest ever conducted by the Electoral Commission. It was launched in October 2008, and yet, almost 18 months later, no conclusion has been reached. I of course accept the need for complete accuracy and thoroughness in any enquiry the Commission carries out, but I also urge you to take account of the implications of any unnecessary delay for public trust and confidence in our political system. I also note that the Electoral Commission is not a court of law, but a regulatory body. Clearly, you could not announce the outcome of this important inquiry only a week or two before polling day, so surely you should do so now. It cannot conceivably be in the public interest to allow this matter to drag on in the dark with the general election so imminent. I am afraid that this long delay, with no indication even of when you will decide, risks undermining the reputation of your Commission as an effective regulator. It is crucial for you now to rule on this matter so that the nation does not face a tainted election.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Tory Party activists are gathering for their spring conference in Brighton, which is their last nationl meeting before the beginning of the general election campaign.

The two-day spring conference comes at a time when support for the Tories has fallen dramatically; last year they looked unbeatable, but recent polls have suggested that their lead over Labour is narrowing. 

On the eve of the conference, it was revealed that the Tories’ election slogan will be “vote for change”, and this message is likely to be at the centre to David Cameron’s main speech on Sunday. 

Labour will use the Tory conference as an opportunity to launch a new poster attacking the shadow chancellor George Osborne. 

This weekend, the Labour party is releasing more pre-election campaign material with an image of shadow chancellor George Osborne is accompanied by the slogan “Chancer not Chancellor”. 

The Liberal Democrats say only they offer a change to the existing way of conducting politics. 

The Leader of Liberal Democrat’s Chief of Staff, Danny Alexander said: the election was not a choice between Mr Brown and Mr Cameron. “It’s between the old way of doing politics and the real change represented by the Liberal Democrats“For people who want real change, real fairness in Britain there is only one choice: the Liberal Democrats.

Labour has totally failed to make Britain fairer, and the Tories can’t be trusted to do.”

Liberal Democrat MPs have been pressing the government to make sure second home owners pay their fair share of taxes.

Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, Andrew George and Liberal Democrat MP for Falmouth and Camborne, Julia Goldsworthy said second home owners reduced their bills by letting out their properties, and they also pay business rates rather than council tax, which means that local authorities are missing out. They said a local income tax would be fairer because people who own two properties would have to pay tax twice. Andrew George said: “It’s not a personal issue. It’s the politics of social justice, not the politics of envy. “Many people who own second homes and who have a social conscience actually are aware of this and agree with the points. “There are chronic housing problems in these areas and the existence of second home ownership can only have a detrimental impact on the life chances and life choices of local families who are desperate to find a decent home of their own.” 

A number of local authorise have recently undergone unannounced Ofsted inspections of children’s services and have found with serious area of concern.

An Ofted inspection in North East Lincolnshire took place on on 26 and 27 January, and found children at risk of harm are properly safeguarded by the authority.

The inspection into children’s services at the council examined the effectiveness of contact, referral and assessment arrangements. 

It found concerns about risk of significant harm to children were dealt with immediately. 

The council said it was “delighted” with the report’s conclusions. 

The inspection, which was carried out in January, found vulnerable children were “appropriately seen”, to ensure they were safe. Liberal Democrat Councillor Tony McCabe, the council’s portfolio holder for children and family services, said:

“This report reflects our own assessments and supports our own plans for improvements. 

“We are doing very well in looking after the welfare of children and young people in the borough and are totally committed to the ongoing development and strengthening of arrangements for safeguarding children.”

Ahead of the debate in the House of Commons on the renewal of the use of control orders for another year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne has written to the Conservatives to ask them if they will be voting against this renewal in the debate.

Chris Huhne said:

“We should not be the sort of country where ministers put people under house arrest without them even knowing the accusations against them. Control orders are pure Kafka and must end.
 
“Control orders are a constant reproach to Labour’s liberal credentials. The Conservatives have promised to vote with us against them but have repeatedly bottled out of doing so.

“Their line seems to be ‘Lord, make me liberal but not yet’.”

Knit it!

Knitting is officially cool…

Celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Madonna, Kate Moss and Russell Crowe have all been giving it a go!

Come along to Nunsthorpe & Bradley Children’s Centre,
Sutcliffe avenue, Grimsby DN33 1AN
Tuesday 30th March 2010 to find out more.

• Old and new knitters are welcome
• Help will be on hand to get you started
• A buffet lunch will be available from 12pm

At the first session we will be supporting the Infant Feeding
Coordinator to Knit Knitted Boobs to be used for training in
the hospital community.

Please confirm your interest to Lauren Jackson on
Lauren.jackson@nelctp.nhs.uk or 07901103906

I just read an interesting Tweet from Carl Minns, Liberal Democrat leader of Hull City Council.  It compares the Council Tax rates for next year in the four Humberside areas.

• N E Lincs (Lib Dem)  Nil Council Tax increase
• Hull City Council (Lib Dem)  Nil CouncilTax increase
• East Yorkshire (Conservative)  Increase in Council Tax
• North Lincolnshire (Labour)  Increase in Council Tax

Do I see a pattern here?

“The implication that David Miliband had the wool pulled over his eyes is deeply embarrassing for the Foreign Secretary,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Ed Davey.

Commenting on the publication of a judge’s criticism of the security services, which stated that some officials ‘appear to have a dubious record when it comes to human rights and coercive techniques’, and that while ‘the good faith of the Foreign Secretary is not in question’, there is ‘an obvious reason for distrusting any UK Government assurance’ on mistreatment, Ed Davey said:

“The implication that David Miliband had the wool pulled over his eyes is deeply embarrassing for the Foreign Secretary.

“However, the suggestion that he acted in good faith means the real questions need to be answered by others in Government. Did former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sign off on the ‘coercive techniques’ referred to in the judgement?

“The suggestion that there were others in the security services involved in unacceptable practices makes the need for a full judicial inquiry irrefutable.

“But it must be asked how appropriate it is for Jack Straw to remain in charge of this country’s justice system when there are such serious questions laid at his door.”

I am pleased to report that work has now begun on a pedestrian crossing on Laceby Road following a long campaign, and should be completed over the next few weeks

Some readers of my blog may have seen an article in our local paper, the Grimsby Telegraph, last Wenesday about the long awaited start of work on a pedestrian crossing on Laceby Road, in which the Conservative PPC, Victoria Ayling claims that the “effort put in by myself and Kath Norton, lobbying continuously to get this result” has helped the progress of the campaign to its successful conclusion.

In response I have sent a letter to the Grimsby Telegraph in which I have questioned her statement and asked for her to clarify the extent of her work in this important local issue, which was, in truth largely completed before her arrival in Grimsby. 

I would also like to express my appreciation of the hard work that was done by Mr Blanch and his helpers, and congratulate them on a successful campaign!

A copy of my letter to the Grimsby Telegraph is reproduced below for your information:

Dear Editor

I was delighted to be asked to contribute to the article about the start of work on the new pedestrian crossing on Laceby Road which was featured in Wednesday’s Telegraph, but I must admit to being amazed at the comments by the Conservative candidate for Grimsby, Victoria Ayling about her efforts to help the campaign by residents in the area.

Mrs Ayling claims that the “effort put in by myself and Kath Norton, lobbying continuously to get this result” has helped the progress of the campaign to its successful conclusion.

The campaign was led by local resident, John Blanch, and lately supported by Yarborough Ward Councillors over a period of more than two years.  There was no sign of Messrs Goodwill, Norton and Ayling when Mr Blanch and I were out collecting signatures for the petition, no sign of any of them when Mr Blanch and I presented the petition to the scrutiny panel, no sign of them when we arranged for the consultation with local residents, and held site meetings.  I have also had sight of e mail messages from the NELC Officers stating that they have not had any contact with any of the Conservative representatives, and so I would like to ask Mrs Ayling a question:

WHAT DID YOU DO TO HELP?

 I think that the residents of the Ridgeway area are entitled to know the true extent of her “lobbying continuously“  so that Mrs Ayling and her Conservative colleagues  can be given the true credit that their hard work on behalf of these residents deserves!

I claim no particular credit for performing the job that I was elected to do, but feel that Mrs Ayling’s comments are grossly unfair to Mr Blanch and the other residents, who should be given the full credit that they deserve for a job well done.

Les Bonner

Yarborough Ward Councillor

Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, has highlighted official figures that show Court cases to recover overpayments of tax credits increased by 750% over the last year to more than 8,700.

Mr Clegg has accused Gordon Brown of making families pay for the defects in the tax credit system which have resulted in overpayments of more than £8.4 billion since 2003.

Figures released by the Treasury following a series of parliamentary questions revealed that there were 8,729 court actions for the recovery of tax credit overpayments in 2008/09, compared with 1,024 in the previous year.

The Liberal Democrats said most of the families claiming tax credits are on low incomes and it can cause severe hardship when they are forced to repay large overpayments.

Half a million families on incomes below £15,000 were overpaid an average £555 and more than 600,000 families were overpaid more than £1,000.

The Liberal Democrats have promised to fix tax credit awards for six months, in order to avoid the situation where entitlements change frequently because of changes in income, hours worked, relationship status and childcare arrangements.

Mr Clegg said:

 ”Families are paying the price for the failings of Gordon Brown’s tax credit system.

“This complex system was meant to help hard-pressed families, but instead the Government is actually taking increasing numbers to court to claw back money from the families who can afford it least.”