The Worcester Lib Dems have today reacted to the news that water regulator OFWAT has instructed water companies across the country to refund customers nearly £158m due to their poor performances. OFWAT have stated that the refunds would come off bills during 2025-2026 and would be calculated during December. Mel Allcott, city and county councillor for Claines, raised the problems surrounding Worcester and the River Severn during her maiden speech at the Lib Dem Party conference in September. In her speech she said ‘I know from speaking to my residents, they have had enough. Water bosses have been allowed to take huge bonuses, whilst sewage is being dumped, into our rivers and seas Labour…have pledged to give OFWAT more power. We need more than a pledge. We need real change.’ In response to todays announcement Cllr Allcott said ‘While the government’s recent action on water is welcomed, it’s clear that punishment alone is not enough. ‘Severn Trent, one of the companies praised in the latest report, is being allowed to increase prices, despite untreated sewage ending up in our rivers. Yes, they may be better than most, but that’s only because the bar has been set too low. We need a fundamental shift in culture, which is why the Liberal Democrats’ plan to restructure water companies is the only way forward. By embedding investment and social benefit into their articles of association, we can ensure long-term accountability and real change. Simply fining companies will only go so far.’
Caister Avenue Play Equipment replaced after Councillor intervention
Cllr Sarah Murray has today expressed her gratitude to the Worcester City and Warndon Villages Parish Councils after she negotiated an arrangement to replace a popular piece of play equipment located at the play area on Caister Avenue. Cllr Murray became involved when a local resident raised concerns that the four way rocker on the playground had been removed but not yet replaced. Cllr Murray took the case to the city council but was told that the rocker was too expensive. Undeterred, Cllr Murray approached the Parish Council and subsequently facilitated an agreement between the City and Parish Councils to share the cost of the replacement play equipment 50/50. Cllr Murray thanked both the councils for their help and understanding in coming to an agreement for the users of the play area. “It means a lot that the councils came together in this instance. The play area is well loved and well used and it would have been a huge shame if the rocker had not been replaced. ‘I totally understand that budgets are tight across the city, but I am so pleased that both councils agreed with the residents and myself that this was an important resource that couldn’t be ignored and were open minded to working with me to find this successful solution.’ The new four way rocker has been installed in the Caister Avenue play area today (4th October 2024).
Sarah comments on Flytippers in Offerton Lane: ‘Plans are afoot…..’
Worcester Lib Dems Sarah Murray was quoted in the local news today after it was reported that Offerton Lane had become a flytipping hotspot. Nearby residents have flagged the road as being one of the worst places in the city for the illegal practice with recent finds including a pond and a pram. Sarah was quoted as saying “Fly-tipping is absolutely one hundred per cent a problem. “Plans are afoot between Worcester City Council, Worcestershire County Council and the police in agreement with residents of Offerton Lane and hopefully we will start to see a difference very soon. “Fly-tipping in the area is a big problem. I’m not sure I’ve heard of anywhere else where it is as bad. “I run a litter-picking group on Wainwright Road and we wouldn’t know where to start on Offerton Lane because there is so much.” Sarah urged people who witness flytipping to take pictures and report any incident to the police. Find the full Worcester News article HERE
McDonald’s Rejection – Residents are Lovin’ It
City Councillors in St Nicholas have praised the residents of Warndon Villages for their critical role in defeating the controversial McDonald’s and Starbucks drive-thru proposals on the edge of Warndon Woods. The victory, hailed by locals, came as a result of a well-organised, community-led campaign, with key support from Liberal Democrat City Councillors Sarah Murray and John Rudge. Cllrs Murray and Rudge worked closely with residents, gathering their views and ensuring that their concerns were fully represented to the planning officers who ultimately rejected the proposal. Over 277 objections were submitted, highlighting issues such as traffic safety, the environmental impact on local biodiversity, and the inappropriate siting of the development near a 60mph road. Cllr Sarah Murray said “This victory is a testament to the hard work of the residents of Warndon Villages. They did everything right—attended meetings, submitted well-researched objections, and stood firm against this inappropriate development. We were here to support them every step of the way, but it was their dedication that won this fight.” Cllr John Rudge added “The residents went above and beyond to make their voices heard. We were proud to stand with them, gathering feedback and ensuring that their concerns were conveyed to the decisionmakers. This was a collaborative effort between the community, the Parish Council, and their local councillors, and it shows what can be achieved when people come together.” The efforts of the residents were key to the planning officers’ rejection of the drive-thru proposals, Cllr Murray in response to praise from residents, said, “The credit for this victory belongs to the residents of Warndon Villages. We played a small role in supporting residents, but it was the residents themselves who led this campaign. Their dedication and effort made the difference.” Residents were overjoyed by the planning officers’ decision, with members of the Warndon Villages community group on Facebook expressing relief, and one member stating, “I’m so relieved I’m crying.” Cllr Murray continued: “We’ll continue to stand with the community if McDonald’s and Starbucks decide to appeal this decision. The residents have shown their strength, and we’re committed to supporting them in protecting the local environment.” The planning officers’ decision was based on several factors, including the loss of employment land, traffic and safety concerns, and the negative impact on biodiversity. Cllr Rudge added: “This was always about ensuring that the right decisions were made for the community and the local area. We’re proud to have played our part, and we’ll be ready to stand by residents again if this fight continues.” This outcome highlights the importance of grassroots activism and the power of local communities to make a difference when they are supported by their elected representatives.
SARAHS BLOG: Standing with WASPI
With mosquito bites from Offerton Nature reserve finally healed, your Warndon Parish LibDem team have been hard at work this month. Most of you should now have received the latest Focus newsletter, although there are still another few rounds to deliver in Leopard Hill. Thank you to all the keen volunteers who have delivered these. Across the whole area, that’s nearly 5000 doors in total. It’s great that the newsletter motivates residents to get in touch about local issues we can help with. We are delighted as this goes a long way to making this area such a nice place to live. I recently returned from LibDem Conference in Brighton where I enjoyed celebrating the election wins (72 hard working MPs working for all of us), voting on LibDem policy and attending training events. I enjoyed some beautiful weather and great seafront walks to and from the event each day. Whilst in Brighton, I was delighted to meet with the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) Campaign. It was a pure coincidence that I had already submitted a motion to Worcester City Council for Tuesday evening mandating our new MP, Tom Collins, to request that this matter be brought back to Parliament so that it can be debated. My motion received cross party support on Tuesday evening. Worcester Liberal Democrats also tabled two other motions on Tuesday; one asking that the loss of the Winter Fuel Allowance is taken to the Health and Wellbeing Committee to ensure the Council are doing everything they can to ensure elderly residents don’t get cold this winter, and the other to ask Parliament to consider giving local authorities the power to decide whether and when Councillors can attend meetings remotely. The latter was tabled by Councillor Jessie Jagger who is expecting her first child in January 2025 and might struggle to attend meetings. This would enable her to continue to represent her residents, as she was elected to do. All of our motions received cross party support. Social Events We are hosting a nature walk at 2pm on 28 September which will be led by Worcester Environmental Group and will take us around Chapter Meadows. Meet at Diglis fish pass here. Parking is available here or here or here, We’d be very happy if you would join us. Join Us You can help us to get more Liberal Democrats elected in Worcester. We work hard, hear your concerns, and never take you for granted. We stand firm on seven core values: liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism, and environmentalism. Each of these underpin our specific policies. If you would like to help us stand for our values, you can do so here. A portion of your membership fees will go directly to our local party and help us to gain even more seats in future elections. You would be joining a local team of motivated individuals who all want to campaign for a fairer deal for residents, their families, and friends. Volunteer If you can spare an hour or two each month and would like to help us win locally, perhaps you’d be happy to deliver for us in your street. The more deliverers we have, the more time we can spend talking to our neighbours and persuading them to vote for us in future elections. If you can’t deliver, perhaps you would enjoy getting involved in other administrative tasks. You might even want to join our canvassing team and come out knocking on doors with us. If you’d like to help, please let us know. If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Cllr Sarah Murray – sarahmurraylibdem@gmail.com Cllr John Rudge – rudge.john@yahoo.com
JOHNS BLOG: Getting our Hands Dirty…..
The Warndon Parish LibDem team have been hard at work this month. Most of you should now have received the latest Focus newsletter, although there are still another few rounds to deliver in Leopard Hill. Thank you to all the keen volunteers who have delivered these. Across the whole area, that’s nearly 5000 doors in total. It’s great that the newsletter motivates residents to get in touch about local issues we can help with. We are delighted as this goes a long way to making this area such a nice place to live. On Saturday 21 September we were finally able to get started on the Harlech Close project to alleviate the flooding there by clearing and deepening the ditches on either side. Many thanks to the local residents who joined me and got stuck in to clear the brush and then start the digging. It was a shame to find quite so much plastic in the ditches, including dog poo bags, but good to be able to clear the area of plastic. We also made a hibernaculum – thanks to our youngest volunteer (aged 4) for helping with that. There is more work to do, and we hope to organise another event fairly soon. If you enjoy a bit of digging and clearing, feel free to join our Facebook Group ‘Warndon Woodland Warriors’, or drop Sarah Murray or myself an email, and we’ll let you know details of future events as and when they are organised. The whole area needs attention to ditches and drainage. We are hoping that, now that we have got City Council officers helping and advising on the Offerton Lane pond project, we can begin to direct their attention to the wider area and make sure that the drainage is good enough to cope with increased and heavy rainfall. It’s a long project but we’ve made a good start and hope to update you on further progress in the next few weeks. Worcester Lib Dems Worcester Liberal Democrats tabled two other motions on Tuesday; one asking that the loss of the Winter Fuel Allowance is taken to the Health and Wellbeing Committee to ensure the Council are doing everything they can to ensure elderly residents don’t get cold this winter, and the other to ask Parliament to consider giving local authorities the power to decide whether and when Councillors can attend meetings remotely. The latter was tabled by Councillor Jessie Jagger who is expecting her first child in January 2025 and might struggle to attend meetings. This would enable her to continue to represent her residents, as she was elected to do. All of our motions received cross party support. Social Events We are hosting a nature walk at 2pm on 28 September which will be led by Worcester Environmental Group and will take us around Chapter Meadows. Meet at Diglis fish pass here. Parking is available here or here or here, We’d be very happy if you would join us. Join Us You can help us to get more Liberal Democrats elected in Worcester. We work hard, hear your concerns, and never take you for granted. We stand firm on seven core values: liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism, and environmentalism. Each of these underpin our specific policies. If you would like to help us stand for our values, you can do so here. A portion of your membership fees will go directly to our local party and help us to gain even more seats in future elections. You would be joining a local team of motivated individuals who all want to campaign for a fairer deal for residents, their families, and friends. Volunteer If you can spare an hour or two each month and would like to help us win locally, perhaps you’d be happy to deliver for us in your street. The more deliverers we have, the more time we can spend talking to our neighbours and persuading them to vote for us in future elections. If you can’t deliver, perhaps you would enjoy getting involved in other administrative tasks. You might even want to join our canvassing team and come out knocking on doors with us. If you’d like to help, please let us know. If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Cllr Sarah Murray – sarahmurraylibdem@gmail.com Cllr John Rudge – rudge.john@yahoo.com
Karen leads Cross Party Action over Winter Fuel Payments
Worcester Lib Dems Karen Holmes led a cross party motion recently to highlight the damage that could be caused after the government announced plans to the restrict eligibility for winter Fuel Payments. In the motion presented to the council on Tuesday 17th September, Karen raised the point that around 89.4% of pensioners living in the Worcester area would lose the benefit. That equates to nearly 15,000 pensioners. The motion states that the threshold for the cut off is too low and has called on the council to do more to promote awareness of other payments pensioners can receive such as Pension credits. In her blog, Karen said about Pension Credits ‘Nationally, only 63% of those eligible actually claim it…many of whom are in Worcester. We need to ensure that pensioners know about this benefit and how to apply for it.’ I’m proud to have led a cross-party effort in Worcester City Council. Together, we passed a motion unanimously, committing to an urgent awareness campaign to ensure that every eligible pensioner in Worcester knows how to claim Pension Credit I proposed this motion because I believe it is vital that we stand up for Worcester’s pensioners. The government’s decision to remove Winter Fuel Payments from so many pensioners is deeply concerning. It’s a short-sighted move that will have a devastating impact on some of the most vulnerable people in our community.’ To see more go to Karens Blog HERE. See the BBC Story HERE
Mel Allcott makes Lib Dem Conference speaking debut
Worcester Lib Dem’s Mel Allcott has made her speaking debut at the Liberal Democrats Conference in Brighton this week where she spoke about the problem of sewage dumping in the River Severn as well as throwing her support behind the Lib Dem bill calling for a fair deal for Carers. The City and County councillor for Claines admitted to a few nerves before her debut, but soon brushed that off as she launched in to full and passionate speech detailing the issues that residents in Worcester have faced over the last few years as the River Severn was used as a dumping ground by the water companies. ‘I know from speaking to my residents, they have had enough, of years of conservative inaction, of doing nothing, to put an end to the sewage scandal. Water bosses have been allowed to take huge bonuses, whilst sewage is being dumped, into our rivers and seas’ Labour are now in government and have pledged to give OFWAT more power. We need more than a pledge. We need real change.’ Mel also touched on her personal experience with her own family as she spoke in favour of the motion to get a fair deal for carers in the UK. ‘The carers allowance, the main benefit for carers, remains the lowest benefit of its kind at £81.90 per week and that 1.4 million full time unpaid carers rely on this benefit. ‘Let’s raise the amount carers can earn before losing their carer’s allowance and stop pursuing unpaid carers for difficult to avoid overpayments. Let’s introduce paid carers leave and guarantee regular respite breaks. Fixing care will not only help carers and their families, it will help the NHS which we know, all too well, needs fixing.’
Jessie Jagger makes Headlines in Remote Council Meetings Motion
Worcester Lib Dem’s Jessie Jagger made headlines this week when she tabled a motion calling for parents and carers to be able to participate and vote in council meetings remotely. Cllr Jagger who is expecting her first child in January called on Worcester MP Tom Collins to raise the issue in Parliament. She said that she believed this move would enable more people with disabilities or full time occupation to become involved in local politics. The requirement to attend meetings in person was suspended during COVID but was brought back in 2021. ‘Being a parent is a big undertaking, but I don’t think it should come at the cost of being unable to represent the people who elected me,” said Jagger. ‘I could watch remotely, but I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t vote… I realised there are some real barriers, which could be very easily solved.” The motion was backed by all parties on the city council. For more see the BBC News article @ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx200kzenp5o
Lib Dem candidate calls for emergency Health and Care Budget to rescue local services
Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Mel Allcott has said that whatever the outcome of the election, health services in Worcester need urgent support. With waiting ambulances being reported at Worcester Royal to the closure of Farrier Street surgery, NHS services in Worcester are stretched beyond breaking point. The Liberal Democrats have put saving the NHS at the heart of their manifesto, with bold and ambitious proposals to boost GP numbers by 8,000, end dental deserts, give patients a legal right to start cancer treatment within 62 days of urgent referral, increase the number of staffed hospital beds and to end excessive ambulance handover delays. The Liberal Democrat manifesto has set out proposals for an extra £9 billion a year of spending on the NHS and care, paid for by asking banks and billionaires to pay their fair share. The new investment in the NHS and care would be funded through additional revenue raised by closing loopholes in Capital Gains Tax exploited by the ultra-wealthy and reversing the Conservative Party’s tax cuts for the big banks. Mel Allcott said “Local health services are on their knees. A staggering number of people I talk to on the doorstep have their own stories of not being able to get a GP appointment, register with an NHS dentist, or having been forced to wait for hours in A&E. ‘Worcestershire Royal hospital was built too small and losing the Farrier Street surgery has only made things worse. On a regular basis I meet residents who cannot get an appointment with an NHS dentist. On many levels there is much to be done for a healthy Worcester.“ Ending the crisis in our NHS has to be the top priority of any government after the election. We must rescue our local health services which have been pushed to the brink by the Conservative party.’ “An emergency budget right after the election is the only way we can start to repair the damage done to our communities’ health services. People in Worcester should not have to wait for a moment longer to get the care they deserve.”
