Fiona welcomes end to Taking Newcastle forward

Post Office closures The achievements of the Lib Dem Council in numbers
“We set an ambitious agenda when we were elected to office to run the City Council in
2004 after 30 years of Labour,” said Council Leader Cllr David Faulkner. “We think
we’ve started well and can claim many significant achievements. While there’s still
more to be done residents can be sure we are spending their money wisely.”
D£300m annual capital investment by the Council, nearly three times what it
was under Labour
D£100m of efficiency savings by the Council in the last six years
D£26m kept in your pocket through lower council tax rises than the national
average - and below inflation every year
D78% of 16 year-olds get 5 or more good GCSEs – above the national average
zFlashback to when Labour were in power - Lib Dems
now – with a quarter of a billion pounds invested in new and improved schools
led the campaign against Labour’s Post Office closures.
Fiona Hall MEP, 4th from right, has welcomed the
Coalition’s decision to end Post Office closures.
D30,000 council homes refurbished or under way
LOCAL Lib Dem Euro MP Fiona Hall has D25 years on, the city council is now building council houses again
welcomed a decision by the Coalition
Government to put an end to the Post
D47% household recycling rate, up from Labour’s pitiful 10%
Office closure prog rammes the last D£3m extra each year for local road and pavement repairs
Labour Government pursued.
7,000 Post Office branch were closed by Labour
D20% fall in crime across the city in the past three years
including many throughout Newcastle.
Now, £1.5 billion is to be invested in the network to
D10 Green Flags for our Parks – the best of any North East council
ensure it has a strong future. The announcement was
made by Lib Dem Secretary of State for Business, Vince
D115 Council apprenticeships this year - almost three times the number of the
Cable MP. previous year
Lib Dem Euro MP for North East England, Fiona
Hall, said, “Many of us fought Labour’s Post Office cuts.
D26,000 children and young people have used free sports and leisure

“I am delighted the Coalition is investing in the

activities through our FUSION scheme

New homes for

future of branches and has put an end to closure
programmes.”
And in Lemington, local Lib Dems are celebrating
the success of their campaign to keep a branch in their
area.
The retirement of the
Newcastle
1800 high quality homes and new
Post Mistress’s had put Post
neighbourhood facilities have been given the
Office services in the area
in doubt. green light in Benwell and Scotswood, creating
reasonably priced family accommodation in an
But we can report that a new counter is up and attractive and safe neighbourhood.
running inside the area’s convenience store.
The first homes are expected to be built by the end

“Alive After 5”
Newcastle has become the only major UK city to
offer free city centre car parking after five o’ clock
in the evening, Monday to Saturday, in a move
worth potentially £250 million a year to the city’s
economy and many more jobs.
All eight council owned multi-storey car parks have
become “free after five” offering in excess of 2,000 free
spaces across the city centre.
of 2011. New affordable homes are also being built in
the Walker regeneration area.
“Through Your Homes Newcastle, we are also
building the first council houses in the city for over
25 years” said Cllr Doreen Huddart, Executive
Member for Housing and Communities.
“We’ve also attracted national attention by offering
council mortgages in Riverside Dene (Cruddas Park).
“ This will enable those residents who want to get
on the first rung of the housing ladder to purchase an
affordable flat in a refurbished tower block.”
zCllrs Mike Curthoys and Mike Lynch check
out the new social housing being built in
Newburn
This, plus council rent guarantees for tenants and
landlords in the privately-rented sector, homeowner
loans for those on low incomes and many other
initiatives, shows the council’s commitment to
innovation in promoting affordable housing.

Lib Dem green flag for jobs

Lib Dem run Newcastle has become one of only
two councils in the country (out of over 300) to
win a coveted “Green Flag” from the Audit
Commission for its work in supporting local people,
jobs and businesses through the recession.
“The work goes on” said Cllr Bill Shepherd,
Executive Member for Development and Enterprise.
“We’re making progress with the Science Central site
(the former brewery site) with the new University
Business School going up, infrastructure works for the
rest of the site under way and funding for the first science
“gateway” building in prospect”
zCllr Bill Shepherd visits Science Central with
Dr Peter Andras of Newcastle University
Helping the vulnerable
Your City Council is committed to helping local
communities with a fund aimed at the voluntary and
community sector to support vulnerable residents.
The Newcastle Fund – worth £10m over four years
– brings together a range of separate grant funds
operated by the council.
“At a time of uncertainty for the sector, it provides
the opportunity for better coordination and
targeting, plus longer-term funding deals to help
community groups sustain their work over the years
ahead” said Executive Member Cllr Liz Langfield.
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