News

Gloucester Liberal Democrats renew calls for new comprehensive school in the north of Gloucester

Gloucester Liberal Democrats have reiterated calls for a new secondary school to be built in the north of the city. It comes after forecasts prepared by the Department for Education reveal a shortfall of 477 secondary school places in Gloucester by 2023/24. Across the country 130,000 children are at risk of missing out on a secondary school place over the next five years, according to the Local Government Association. Rising birth rates and the thousands of new homes built at Kingsway and Cooper's Edge has seen increasing pressure for primary school places in Gloucester. But with thousands of new homes planned on the outskirts of Gloucester - at Innsworth, Churchdown and Brockworth as part of the Joint Core Strategy - there will be further demand on school places. The Liberal Democrats have long argued there was a need for a new non-selective secondary school in the north of the city as children not attending either Sir Thomas Rich's or Denmark Road High School for Girls, having to travel to Churchdown, Brock

Lib Dems angry over moving Elmbridge to Tewkesbury

The Liberal Democrats have branded proposals to move Elmbridge out of Gloucester and into Tewkesbury as "farcical".

Lib Dems question recycling centre closures

Liberal Democrat councillors have questioned Gloucestershire County Council's decision to close its household recycling centres one day a week. The Conservative-run county council has announced from the end of October changes to the opening hours of the five household recycling centres it owns. These are Fosse Cross near Cirencester, Hempsted in Gloucester, Wingmoor Farm at Bishops Cleeve, Pyke Quarry near Horsley and Oak Quarry near Coleford. They currently open at 9am and close at 6.15pm 12 months a year. From October 28 the five sites, which are run by Ubico Ltd, will be open from 10am until 4pm and from March they revert to the new summer opening hours of 9am to 5pm. But each centre will close one day a week, all year round. Councillor Jeremy Hilton, the Liberal Democrat waste spokesman at Shire Hall, said: "It is entirely sensible to reduce the opening hours of the household recycling centres during the winter as people don't want to be recycling their waste in the dark. "But to permanently close each re

Pride in the European Union

Shocking rise in knife crime across Gloucestershire

Gloucester's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate has raised concerns over a 38% rise in knife crime across the county.

Lib Dems publish plans to cut taxes for businesses by 20% in Gloucester

The Liberal Democrats have published a comprehensive blueprint for replacing the broken business rates system, cutting taxes for businesses by 20% in Gloucester.

Council leader urge to halt leasing of Clearwater Drive land

The leader of Gloucestershire County Council is being urged to stop the building of a controversial primary school on his own doorstep.

Lib Dems call for improvements to county roads to help cyclists

Gloucestershire Lib Dems call for road improvements to encourage more to commute by bike August 15 is the UK's annual Cycle to Work day, one of the largest event in the bike calendar and sees thousands of workers ditch the car and cycle to work instead. The benefits of cycling are enormous, from promoting healthy bodies and mental wellbeing, to cutting the amount of pollution and congestion on our roads. Yet despite this, only three per cent of the UK's commuters use a bike to get to and from work - one of the lowest rates in Europe. At the other end of the scale, 43% of Dutch and 30% of Danes cycle daily. Councillor Iain Dobie, Liberal Democrats county council spokesman on cycling, said: "Our county has some of the most stunning routes to cycle, either socially or on people's commute to work. "However, people are being put off cycling because they do not feel safe on our roads, meaning both they and wider society miss out on the incalculable benefits. "Given the state of Gloucestershire's roads - most notabl

Gloucester MP asked to apologise over immigrant bins slur

There are calls for Gloucester MP Richard Graham to apologise after he suggested immigrants could not use dustbins. In one of his regular emails to constituents the Conservative Member of Parliament called for an "education programme for immigrants not used to urban recycling". He has been condemned by Dr Rebecca Trimnell, his Liberal Democrat opponent at the next General Election, who called on him to apologise. Mr Graham's comments were made in the week in which former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was accused of Islamophobia after saying Muslim women wearing burkas "look like letter boxes". The Gloucester MP sent the email last week to welcome a further step forward towards the closure of Hempsted tip. He said the opening next year of the new Javelin Park incinerator would mean that all of Stroud and Gloucester's waste would no longer go to landfill. "Of course that isn't the end of the story, although a hugely significant change," he wrote. "There is still more work in our city (and all of our county to