Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Luton South Liberal Democrat PPC Cllr. Qurban Hussain is to meet with the Foreign Secretary David Miliband to discuss the continuing problems in Kashmir. Cllr. Hussain, a noted expert on the issue, is attending the event at the House of Commons soon after speaking on the issue at the House of Lords.

Qurban said “it will be an honour to represent our town once again at Parliament. Kashmir and foreign policy are major issues which affect our town and community. Not only do Lutonians want to see peace throughout the world but also to do all we can to ensure that our troops are never put in danger due to a failure of foreign policy.

It is essential that the international community works together to pursue peace and I firmly believe that the peaceful values of Luton residents are reflected by all communities across our country. By working together we can help protect our troops and potential civilian causalities in the region. The money we would save by pursuing peace would lead to better equipment for our troops and more money to spend on vital services at home”

Cllr. Hussain joined the Liberal Democrats the day the Iraq war started in 2003 and has been a dedicated peace campaigner for many years who continues to speak out against extremism of all kinds arguing that “I want my children to grow up in a peaceful world, with no fear of discrimination and where democracy is free to protect the rights of all citizens”.

Chris Huhne MP

Tory party has been bought like a banana republic says Chris Huhne MP.

“The Conservatives’ biggest donor is a tax-dodger from Belize,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.

Commenting on Lord Ashcroft’s admission that he is non-domiciled for tax purposes, Chris Huhne said;

“The Conservatives’ biggest donor is a tax-dodger from Belize who has not paid a penny of British tax on the vast bulk of his estimated £1.1bn fortune held offshore.”

“This raises extraordinary questions about the judgement of successive Tory leaders – William Hague, Michael Howard and David Cameron – whose view seems to be that only little people should pay tax.

“The abolition of exit checks by Conservative and Labour Governments means that we can only guess at the numbers coming in and out,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.

Commenting on today’s Office for National Statistics migration figures, Chris Huhne said:

“Public confidence and trust in the migration system has been shattered by decades of mismanagement.

“The abolition of exit checks by Conservative and Labour Governments means that we can only guess at the numbers coming in and out.

“People over-staying on short-term visas are probably the biggest source of illegal immigration and we still cannot say whether they are leaving when they are meant to do so.

“Exit checks must be reintroduced immediately.”

Luton South PPC Cllr. Qurban Hussain welcomed Chris Huhnes remarks saying:

“We need to have a clear information on who is coming in and out of our country. People deserve to know this information and I fully support Chri’s remarks which reflect the concerns of many residents in our community in Luton South.”

The Liberal Democrats will tomorrow vote in Parliament against the decision to freeze state pension top-up payments this April, which will leave almost nine million pensioners worse off.

Last December Ministers set out plans to freeze payments of the State Earnings Related Pension and the Second State Pension, effectively cutting state pension payments by £515million next year.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Labour has betrayed pensioners by promising to increase their pensions when millions are actually set to receive a real-term cut this year.

“Freezing pension top-up payments will leave almost nine million older people worse off at a time when they are already struggling to make ends meet.

“Older people are already facing high fuel bills following this cold winter and rising inflation eroding their savings.

“The Liberal Democrats will vote against this latest example of the Government failing to give a fair deal to pensioners.”

Luton Liberal Democrat Councillor and Luton South PPC Qurban Hussain said:

“Today’s annoucement clearly demostrates how the Liberal Democrats are faimrly on the side of fairness. While other parties pay lip service to working for the most vulnerable in our community, the Liberal Democrats continue to fight for them”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today set out the importance of early years education in tacking inequality in a speech to the Salvation Army. Committing the Liberal Democrats to invest an extra £2.5bn in schools, Nick Clegg said that parents and schools must work together to make sure that children get the best possible start in life.

You can read the full speech here.

A promise by Luton’s Labour Councillors to keep increases in Council Tax in Luton down to below the national average has been broken for the third year in a row.

Why Believe Labour’s Pledges? Asks Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Councillor Qurban Hussain

Labour regained control in Luton promising residents that they would keep any increase in Council Tax at or below the national average.  The pledge featured prominently in their Manifesto, with supporting statements from Council Leader Hazel Simmons.

The pledge was one of 7 commitments highlighted on a summary page “Seven for 07”.  Despite this, Labour Leaders have gone for above-average rises in all three of their Budgets so far – with this year’s 1.94% rise comparing to a national average of 1.6 0%.

Liberal Democrat Councillor and Luton South PPC Qurban Hussain says:

It would be unkind to accuse Luton Labour Councillors of cynically lying to the electorate about their tax plans when they set out their stall to run the Council again.  But they are certainly paying no attention whatsoever to what they said.

For the third year in a row, they have set a rise above the national average.  With a deep recession underway, people can little afford to pay the price of Labour mismanagement and a Council out of control.

Meanwhile, Councillor Simmons and her group are reducing services to Luton residents having voted themselves 87 percent pay rises. This latest budget is a clear indication of Luton Labour’s inability to lead, and of the ease with which they discard their promises.

What we really need to do is to scrap the unfair the Council Tax and introduce a local tax system based on local resident’s ability to pay. If the Labour Party really did believe in fairness they should do this without delay.

With the Conservative vote crumbling nationally and with no Councillors in the South of Luton at all people need to lend their support to the Liberal Democrats to make sure we do not reward Labour for the damage they continue to do to our community.”

Liberal Democrat Councillors say Labour budget cuts will hit the most vulnerable and the Labour Council needs to think again.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have pointed to a long list of damaging front line service cuts included in Labour’s Council Budget and have identified the following £1.68M list as the most worrying:

• £281,000 cuts in education funding.
• £200,000 cut by closing St. Kilda’s Children’s Home.
• £480,000 cut in projected payments to private residential and nursing homes – an effective freeze at current prices.
• A £100,000 cut in Learning and Physical Disability Support.
• £66,000 cuts in employment promotion.
• £50,000 cut in cemeteries and the crematorium grounds maintenance.
• £78,000 cut in street cleaning and weed spraying.
• £325,000 cut in street light replacements.
• £100,000 cancellation of the Equalities Agency project.

“It is outrageous they are putting forward cuts in education at a time when Luton schools are struggling to get somewhere near National average performance, cuts in employment promotion when more Luton people are losing their jobs and youngster find it impossible to find work, cuts the fees paid to private care homes when they are closing Council run homes”, says Liberal Democrat Prospective candidate for Luton South, Qurban Hussain.

“Labour’s finance chief, Councillor Harris, keeps on saying there are no service cuts in his budget but it is simply not true. He may have convinced himself, and seems to have convinced his labour colleagues, but the savage cuts are there for all to see. You only have to look at the details of the budget he has produced.”

When the Council budget was discussed at the full Council meeting on Wednesday evening (17th February) Liberal Democrat Councillors moved to send it back to the Council’s Labour executive but the move was defeated by the Labour majority at the meeting.

“It now looks like these cuts will go ahead,” said Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks. “I do not envy them the task of explaining to dedicated and talented young musicians why their chances of reaching high standards in their music are being diminished, why their ambition to make a career in music will be much harder to achieve.”

A Labour member of the Police Authority suspended for three months is to be replaced by Labour member suspended from the Council for three months.

“What kind of sleaze merchants are running Luton Council these days?” asks Liberal Democrat leader.

Following the news that Labour run Luton Council is to appoint Councillor Harris to the £9,000 a year Police Authority post left vacant after the resignation of suspended Councillor Saleem, Liberal Democrats on the Council have slammed the Labour leadership of the Council for what they call a crazy decision.

“With public confidence in politicians at all levels at the lowest level I can remember, replacing a suspended Police Authority member with another Councillor who was recently suspended for different reasons makes no sense at all,” says Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks.

“They seem to have no sense of shame or contrition at all. This decision will do nothing to help restore people’s faith in their elected representatives and they should think again.”

The Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Dr Vince Cable MP has visited Luton South to learn more about green technology and discuss the impact the recession and banking crisis has had on local business.

Vince Cable was taken to see the Ecosheet facility by local Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman Qurban Hussain.  Company Chief Executive Omer Kutluoglu explained the positive impact the company’s work has on the environment. Award-winning EcoSheet, is the world’s first environmentally-friendly plywood substitute board made from recycled waste plastics.

Innovative work

Qurban Hussain said: “ Vince Cable was very impressed by the innovative work which Ecosheet are doing and the huge steps it makes to cutting waste and supporting the environment. Also, it is a great boost to the local economy and shows how Luton is set to be a world leader in the emerging green economy.”

After the visit Vince Cable commented: “At a time when thousands of business people have seen good companies, the product of a lifetime’s work, forced to the wall it was good to see an innovative business that is succeeding in these difficult times.

“The government has to ensure that the economic conditions to prevent a double-dip recession are in place. We have to be sure that the private sector and companies like Ecosheet can grow, creating new jobs.

Economy on a dripfeed

“The economy is on a dripfeed. Labour may have helped put it in hospital, but proposals by the Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne could kill the patient. With it so close between the Liberal Democrats and Labour here in Luton South today’s visit demonstrates why people need to get behind the hard working, local candidate they have in Qurban so they have an effective voice in Westminster on the issues that matter. ”

Luton South Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary candidate Cllr. Qurban Hussain yesterday spoke at a debate in the House of Lords to argue for greater international cooperation to pursue peace throughout the world.

Following remarks outlining his support for British armed forces and their need for better pay and equipment Cllr. Hussain argued that “by pursuing peace through dialogue we can help to secure a lasting peace throughout the world and avoid putting our troops in danger.”

Focusing on the ongoing dispute over Kashmir Cllr. Hussain spoke of the desire for peace in the region shared by all in Luton’s diverse community.

Cllr. Hussain’s visit to the House of Lords comes soon after meetings with members of the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet concerning jobs, the economy, the environment and the war in Afghanistan.

After the meeting Qurban said:

“I was proud to represent our town again in the Houses of Parliament. In Margaret Moran’s absence it is essential that the voices of Luton residents are heard in Westminster on the wide range of issues that concern us and the Liberal Democrats and myself are dedicated to ensuring that happens.

From speaking with many, many people throughout our town it is clear we are all rightly proud of our hard-working and courageous armed forces and that we all want to see peace in the areas they are currently deployed.

It is also clear that the people of India, Pakistan and Kashmir want to see a lasting peace in their region. In Britain we can play a key role in establishing a positive settlement on the matter and I believe it is necessary for the security and best interests of our troops and British citizens that we do so.”

Following on from Cllr. Hussain’s calls for greater support for the British Armed Forces Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg MP, raised the issue again with Gordon Brown at Prime Minister’s questions.