GO FOR PURE GOLD
Liberal Democrat Priorities for Oxfordshire 2005-2009
More for children and young people
- Increase funding for the Council's Youth Service to provide a good
county-wide service as well as targeted support for young people with special
problems.
- Keep the needs of young people in mind when planning transport
services.
- Encourage schools to provide a wide curriculum that engages the interest of all children and help them to succeed in reaching their potential.
- Ensure that there is full time education, suited for their needs, for
every child who does not fit into a mainstream school.
- Increase the numbers of social workers in child protection so that
Oxfordshire is at least equal to the national average.
Improve Transport
- Reduce delays in getting traffic schemes implemented by better performance
management.
- Give higher priority to the repair of pavements and footpaths.
- Ensure the needs of walkers and cyclists are taken into account at an
early stage in planning traffic schemes.
- Increase resources for Better Ways to School, which is a project to reduce
car use, so that we can respond to the demand from schools more speedily.
- Improve transport links between Oxford and the rest of the county. Any new
scheme must make a real difference to the transport provision without being
either too expensive or environmentally unacceptable.
Run an efficient, modern council
- Complete the work already started on sorting out the Council's financial
and IT systems.
- Improve the way we consult with the public so that they know their views
really count. Ensure that people from ethnic minorities are included in
this.
- Make access to Council services easier; one-stop shops with Districts and
other partners; electronic access; prompt and useful response to personal,
electronic, telephone or postal enquiries.
- Ensure that Council meetings and reports are easily accessed by the
public.
- Maintain and improve the County magazine.
- Support national LD policy to replace Council Tax with a fairer system,
such as Local Income Tax, based on the ability to pay.
Protect the Rural Character of Oxfordshire
- Protect the Green belt around Oxford.
- Support rural communities through:
- more frequent buses serving market towns;
- improved access to County Council services;
- affordable housing in villages.
- Resist Labour City Councillors' plans for an ever-expanding Oxford, which
we do not believe is supported by Oxford's residents.
- Defend the interests of Oxfordshire against the decisions of the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister and the undemocratic South East England Regional
Assembly.
More for Older People
- Put pressure on the government to support the Lib Dem policy of free
personal care for older people.
- Work with District Councils to produce community-based transport services
(bus, shared car or taxi), meeting the needs of people without cars.
- Put more resources into helping older people to stay active and
independent through our preventative strategy and more day centres.
- Continue support for the programme of building new residential homes, fit
for older people today.
- Maintain fair wages for care workers.
- Give more support for family members acting as carers.
Care for the environment
- Take determined measures to reduce pollution in Oxford and other busy town
centres.
- Uphold the County's commitment to 50% affordable housing in new
developments to meet local need.
- Ensure the infrastructure (transport, water etc.) is in place before new
houses are occupied.
- Protect the county's bio-diversity.
- Work with other councils to reduce the amount of waste produced by
Oxfordshire households.
- Improve the maintenance of the county's network of footpaths.
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