In another major boost for shoppers and businesses, free parking all day on Sundays is being introduced across all Council car parks. The decision is the latest in a string of measures to support shoppers and encourage town centre trade under Mayor Dave, with four successsive years of shoppers' car park charge freezes, the Mayor's Free Parking Deal on Saturdays, the new surface car park opposite the bus station and much more.
James Wright has backed calls for homophobic chanting to be made a criminal offence and for football clubs to be supported in playing an active role in their community.
Cllr James Wright, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North, is attending the Lib Dem national conference in Glasgow where the issue was debated on Tuesday morning. After the debate, conference passed a resolution strengthening democracy, equality and representation within the governance of football.
Liberal Democrat Mayor Dave Hodgson has signed the decision to appoint the contractor to construct the crucial final phase of the Bedford Western Bypass. Work will start on site within weeks. Breheny Civil Engineering were appointed to carry out the £18.6 million project to complete a route which was first planned over fifty years ago and won the tender on both quality and price. The project was finally able to go ahead after Mayor Dave Hodgson used Compulsory Purchase Orders to remove a series of obstacles blocking the building of the new road.
The final phase will link the A4280 at Bromham Road with the A6 at Clapham. The first phase of the bypass, the Branston Way, is already in place linking the A4280 at Bromham Road with the dualled A421 at Marsh Leys roundabout to the South West of Bedford and Kempston. When completed the Western Bypass will enable motorists to drive on a north-south route without having to go through Bedford town itself, greatly reducing congestion.
Commenting, Mayor Dave said: "We are delighted to have overcome the series of obstacles which had blocked this vital project for Bedford. Work will now begin within weeks on a project which will bring new investment and jobs to Bedford Borough, while making it easier for all road users to get around.
"This is excellent news for our road network, for the local economy and for local quality of life, and when work starts on site it will not be a moment too soon. The completed bypass will reduce congestion in and around Bedford and cut journey times, while making this location even more attractive to investors."
Mayor Dave made it a top Council priority to overcome the seemingly impossible obstacles blocking the new road. It was the Council's achievement in winning external funding to build the road that helped break the deadlock.
Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months, with the new road due to be open in spring 2016.
The Lib Dems have today agreed to new measures that will combat adverse weather resulting from climate change. The proposals will reduce the likelihood of a repeat of the widespread flooding that occurred in 2013-14.
Following today's vote it is now party policy to introduce regulations that will see higher standards for buildings in at risk locations, as well as proposals that will assist landowners in adapting to new risks and improving the natural defences of lowland areas.
Inadequate building regulations and agricultural practices have been partly blamed for the wide extent of the flood damage last winter.
Proposals will work towards building natural resilience to extreme weather, rather than waiting to clean up the damage.
In the long term the plans will see the Government make preparations for a potential 3-4°C increase in global temperatures.
The independent Committee on Climate Change concluded in July 2014 that at current rates of investment in flood defences, flood risks in England will increase, and that intensive farming is still being supported in areas where the ground needs natural vegetation to soak up rainfall.
Liberal Democrat DEFRA Minister, Dan Rogerson said: "The widespread flooding of last winter shows how urgently we need to prepare for the side effects of climate change. We can expect more extreme weather events in the future and without sufficient planning we will suffer untold damage to our lives, communities and economy.
"The proposals, which have been put forward, and supported, by our party members, will further protect this country from what is undoubtedly the biggest long term threat to this nation in modern times."
Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Climate Change, Ed Davey, added: "The Lib Dems have long taken the lead on fighting climate change. Next year, in Paris, we are working towards an agreement that will create the vital framework the world needs to keep the global goal of limiting average global temperature increases to below 2°C within reach, and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
"Living with regular extreme weather events may become a reality but the Lib Dems are doing everything we can to halt the onset of a changing climate. We've more than doubled the electricity generated from renewable resources since the start of this parliament. This is largely down to the rapid expansion of the onshore and offshore wind sector.
"Thanks to the Energy Act 2013 - only possible because of Liberal Democrat leadership - Britain is now seen as one of the most attractive countries in the world for investment in green energy. This means we will see out renewable electricity capacity double again by 2020."
The proposals follow on from years of the Liberal Democrats campaigning for tougher environmental protection.
Norwich Liberal Democrats have backed calls for first aid training to be part of the national curriculum in schools in the city.
Cllr James Wright, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North, is attending the Lib Dem national conference in Glasgow where the issue was debated on Sunday morning. After the debate, conference passed a resolution calling for the Department for Education to include first aid emergency life-skills in the national curriculum in primary and secondary schools through PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) lessons.
Dacorum Councillor and Liberal Democrat activist Nick Hollinghurst was appalled when, during the Tory party conference last week, Chancellor George Osborne announced his plan to freeze benefits and tax credits for two years. Councillor Hollinghurst said, "I am appalled at both the insensitivity the Tory Chancellor and his lack of good sense in threatening 10 million households in this way. Moreover, this will hit more than 5 million working families."
Plans to boost pay for thousands of apprentices have been unveiled by Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable.
A proposal to create a single national minimum wage for 16 to 17-year-olds in work and first year of apprentices will be presented to the Low Pay Commission (LPC).
It would mean around 31,000 apprentices in the first year of their programme will benefit from a pay rise of more than £1 an hour.
Liberal Democrat members today overwhelmingly backed plans to commit a £1 billion real term investment in NHS.
The manifesto commitment will see the health service receive the extra £1 billion of real term funding in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
It will be funded by scrapping the Tory "shares for rights" scheme, increasing the dividend tax on additional rate taxpayers and tightening the cap on pension tax relief.
Liberal Democrats in government will transform The North of England into an economic powerhouse, Nick Clegg has announced.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the party will boost transport infrastructure in the region by developing and implementing the "One North" proposals.
One North - a transport plan developed by key northern cities - will maximise economic growth across the region and will be feature prominently in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.
