Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, Greg Mulholland has raised the flag for civil liberties by co-sponsoring Early Day Motion 17 which argues that the Digital Economy Act should not have been rushed through in the dying days of the last government. Furthermore, it calls for the controversial sections nine to 18 of the Bill to be repealed since they have large repercussions for consumers, civil liberties, freedom of information and access to the internet.

Greg Mulholland is calling on the government to introduce early legislation to repeal these provisions as soon as possible.

Commenting Greg Mulholland said:

“Those who share internet connections will be most at risk. We must act quickly to ensure that innocent web users are not penalised for the actions of others.

“This Act goes against the fundamental principle of assuming people to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. It is just another example of the previous government’s paranoia-fuelled assault on civil liberties.:

“Limiting access to the internet is unacceptable in any self-respecting democratic society.”

The Early Day Motion can be found below:

EDM 17: EFFECTS OF DIGITAL ECONOMY ACT 2010 ON USE OF THE INTERNET

That this House believes that sections nine to 18 of the Digital Economy Act 2010 should not have been rushed through in the dying days of the last Parliament; further believes that these sections have large repercussions for consumers, civil liberties, freedom of information and access to the internet; and calls on the Government to introduce early legislation to repeal those provisions.

North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus and North East Lincolnshire Council in partnership with the North East Lincolnshire Carers Centre, part of the George Hardwick Foundation, are hosting a range of activities between June 14 – 21 as part of National Carers Week.  

They will be providing a week of informative and fun events for carers of all ages, aiming to highlight the immense contribution that carers make to our society.  

Caring is something which affects the lives of many people throughout the UK, Every year 2 million people take on new caring responsibilities and, by providing unpaid care, carers save the economy £87 billion. 

This year, the theme for the week is ‘A life of my own’. It is hoped this will enable carers to talk about many parts of life that most take for granted eg family occasions, going on holiday, a meal out, even just relaxing for an evening with no worries or responsibilities.  

Andrew McMann, strategic director of The George Hardwick Foundation, said:  “Many carers in North East Lincolnshire suffer due to a lack of understanding about what they do – some don’t even recognise themselves as carers. This has a real and negative impact on their health, finances, working and social life, and general well being.  

“Our Carers Week activities are just some of the many activities and services that The George Hardwick Foundation provides to support carers and make their lives as easy as possible.” 

A range of services are available to support carers in North East Lincolnshire to meet needs identified by a carers assessment (subject to eligibility). These include advice and information, support groups, holistic therapies, training, counselling, professional support, carers breaks, respite services, day care and direct payments.   

Barbara Marshallsay, associate director for integrated commissioning and carers strategic lead of the Care Trust Plus, said: “Supporting carers is vital to ensure that the highest quality of life can be provided for not only the person being cared for but for the carer themselves. 

“Carers Week is a great opportunity to highlight why supporting carers is crucial and how unfortunately some carers miss out on things we all take for granted.”

A full programme of events can be found by visiting the George Hardwick Foundation website at www.georgehardwickfoundation.org or for further details please call the North East Lincolnshire Carers Centre on 0845 3025525.

Former Liberal Democrat party president Simon Hughes has said that will make an announcement tomorrow morning about whether or not he will stand for deputy leader of the party.

Mr Hughe’s office would not confirm whether or not he intends to run, but he is already being talked about as a front runner for the vacancy created by Business Secretary Vince Cable’s surprise decision to stand down yesterday.

This morning Tim Farron, the Lib Dem backbencher, announced his intention to stand, and secured the support of former party leader Sir Menzies Campbell, who said he represents “a bright and confident future” for the Lib Dems.

Nominations must be announced at a meeting of the parliamentary party next Wednesday, before the vote on the 9th June.

The North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus day opportunities team are offering nature sessions at the Newby Centre for adults with learning disabilities.   

The groups are held on a weekly basis with sessions held on Tuesday and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm.    

The team provide sessions tailored to suit the needs and interests of people attending and appropriate to the seasons of the year.  

Vivian Huntley, community access worker for day opportunities, said: “The sessions have provided an ideal opportunity for people to gain first-hand experience of the different changes in nature over the seasons from the bareness of the winter months through to the splendid changes in colour, textures, habitants and vegetation of the spring and summer months.   

“The colours on display during the autumn months prompted much discussion on the life cycles of plants and animals.” 

In addition to environmental patterns being recognised , personal issues are also discussed in terms of appropriate attire to be worn to protect bodies during hot/cold extremes of weather and appreciation of how quickly weather conditions can change. 

The team are hoping to set up some bird boxes and would like to see the planting of trees and bushes.   

Vivian added: “People attending the sessions have shown a great interest in birds, insects and butterflies as well as the local wild flowers and they very much enjoy talking about the splendour of nature.” 

To find out more about day opportunities, please ring Anne O’Flinn or Sue Walker  on (01472) 629910.

New mums and dads are being recruited to help shape future maternity services in North East Lincolnshire. 

The Maternity Service Liaison Committee is being re-launched and men and women who have recently used the service are being sought to act as a voice for future service users in the area. 

Committee members help steer the future of maternity services and monitor the services that are currently being provided. Initially the committee hopes to recruit 10 people from Northern Lincolnshire to join midwives, doctors and representatives from NHS North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

Members will be expected to contribute to the meetings and act as an advocate for families within their communities. Being a member is entirely voluntary although travel expenses are reimbursed and all meetings are held in venues with free child care on site. 

To help get the committee up and running, a training day has been organised at Ashby Children’s Centre on June 28. 

Anyone interested in joining the committee should ring Zowie Wragg at NHS North Lincolnshire on (01652) 251000 or by emailing Zowie.wragg@nlpct.nhs.uk  

Further information about the Maternity Service Liaison Committee can be found online by visiting http://www.chimat.org.uk/mslc/about/nhs

The Coalition Government today announced that ID cards are to be scrapped for British citizens within 100 days.

The Liberal Democrats have campaigned against the introduction of ID cards since they were first announced by the previous Labour Government.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:

“The wasteful, bureaucratic and intrusive ID card scheme represents everything that has been wrong with government in recent years.

“By taking swift action to scrap it, we are making it clear that this government won’t sacrifice people’s liberty for the sake of Ministers’ pet projects.

“Cancelling the scheme and abolishing the National Identity Register is a major step in dismantling the surveillance state – but ID cards are just the tip of the iceberg. Today marks the start of a series of radical reforms to restore hard-won British freedoms.”

The latest crime figures from Humberside Police for the Yarborough Ward show that over the three months ending in April 2010 compared to the same period in 2009:

• The average number of crimes in this area has decreased from 92 to 70 (-23.9%)
• The average number of burglaries in this area has increased from 12.3 to 15 (+21.6%)
• The average number of robberies in this area has not changed
• The average number of vehicle crimes in this area has decreased from 8.3 to 4.3 (-48%)
• The average number of violent crimes in this area has decreased from 14.7 to 12 (-18.2%)
• The average number of anti-social behaviour incidents in this area has increased from 28.3 to 32.3 (+14.1%)  

You can find further information about the level of crime for any area of England and Wales at http://maps.police.uk/

Vince Cable has stood down as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in order to concentrate on his role as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The text of Vince Cable’s letter is below:

Dear Nick,

I am writing to offer my resignation in my role as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

It has been an honour to serve as the Deputy Leader of our party. However, in joining the cabinet I have taken on many new challenges and responsibilities and it is right that I focus wholeheartedly on the job in hand.

These are exciting times to be a Liberal Democrat, and despite all the challenges we face we have a real opportunity to change Britain for the better. There are great opportunities for the party alongside our working in coalition.

I wish my successor all the best in what is a rewarding and important role.

Yours ever,

Vince Cable

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said:

“Vince has been a fantastic Deputy Leader during an exciting time for the party. I look forward to us continuing to work together in government.”

Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Laws today defended government spending cuts, and blamed economic mismanagement by the previous Labour administration for making them necessary.

Mr Laws attempted to highlight “the truth about the catastrophic amount of debt left by the previous government” an daccused it of “total irresponsibility” in its management of the public finances, particularly over the past two years. Mr Laws said:

“It is staggering that we have been able to find so much waste in public expenditure, despite the state of the public finances,”

“The management of the college’s capital programme was an absolute and utter shambles.”

Mr Laws added that it was the “best example of the incompetent financial management of the previous government”.

Labour MPs attacked Mr Laws, including Dennis Skinner, who said “not a single cabinet member has turned up to back him up in this statement today.”

“Can there be a more pathetic sight of this Liberal Democrat who campaigned against cuts in 2010 now hammering the frail and the old?” he asked.

Mr Laws replied that the cabinet has given support where it matters most – in delivering the savings, and he said that of the “many black holes we’re discovering in the public finances” there was a “very big black hole in social housing”.

Former Labour minister Caroline Flint asked

“What on earth is gained by removing the future jobs fund?”

Mr Laws responded that it was “simply not effective, it was wasteful” and “frankly, simply not working”.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has just emailed all Lib Dem supporters to offer his take on yesterday’s Queen’s Speech, and the many ways in which it includes Liberal Democrat priorities at its heart: