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 Day by day, week by week we hear of more damage being done to our NHS - waiting times increasing, waiting lists growing and nurses' posts being cut.
David Cameron's Health and Social Care Bill will not just make matters worse it will change the NHS as we have known it, creating a postcode lottery and pitting hospital against hospital.
We need the Government to Drop the Bill and put the NHS first.
Dr Kailash Chand GP has set up a Government e-petition calling on the Government to drop the NHS Bill. Click Here to Sign
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Labour says that the city LibDems need to end ‘one party’ rule and ensure the Council addresses the priorities of the whole community, after the LibDem vote slumped last night. The voters last night ended Liberal Democrat control of Cambridge, with the running of the council now hanging on who wins the mayoralty. In contrast, Labour won eight seats, taking 3 from the LibDems and taking the last Green seat on the council, increasing to 19 Labour City Councillors. 
Cambridge Labour Manifesto 2012 Cambridge Labour Councillors say their ‘Contract with Cambridge’ will deliver a cleaner and safer Cambridge, and tackle neglected areas of the city that are making Cambridge a ‘two tier city’and ending the service priority given by the Lib Dems to some areas over others. Our Top Overall Priority will be housing – see more on our Housing page (and in our manifesto) - Labour’s 3 Immediate Priorities for Action by the City Council 1 Cleaning dirty streets and grot spots in neglected parts of Cambridge, plus an extra focus on reducing dog mess, including a Dog Enforcement Officer 2 Tougher city centre enforcement on anti-social behaviour like offensive drunken behaviour and aggressive punt touting. We will work with the Police to ‘reclaim the streets’ and to issue penalty notices against a range of offences including littering, parks damage and pavement blocking. 3 Making Cambridge safer for young and old including fixing broken pavements and installing shopping centre seating for older people across Cambridge, removing snow and ice immediately, and more investment in safer cycling and secure cycle parking. 
A new survey of local authorities, published by Labour, reveals that Cambridgeshire is one of the most expensive places in the country for home care services, which help frail and vulnerable older and disabled people get up, washed, dressed and fed. The survey found that in Cambridgeshire, people pay £17.44 an hour, more than the Royal Borough of Windor and Maidenhead, much more than Norfolk (£14.62) and almost twice as much as in Liverpool (£9.70), while in Tower Hamlets home care is free. Cambridgeshire is also one of a number of councils that have recently ended the ‘cap’ on the weekly costs people are required to pay for home care. This cap varies from £90 a week in Barnsley to £900 a week in Brighton and Hove. Councillor Adam Pogonowski said ‘This is a decision I’ve been thinking about since December. I have joined Labour because they have a strong local team who are standing up against the damage being done by the Tories and Lib Dems both nationally and locally. ‘I will continue to fight for what I have always believed in, and for people in my Abbey ward, but I want to be part of a bigger party that has real power to make a difference for people in Cambridge and nationally. I am a believer in traditional Labour principles and will campaign for these in Cambridge. ‘The Lib Dems have deceived people again and again. They said they would be the “greenest Government ever” which is now a sad joke. They have broken promise after promise, including on abolishing student fees. And they are propping up a nasty, right wing Government that has damaged people’s jobs, fairness and the environment. ‘I opposed tuition fees, and have opposed overseas invasions like Iraq and Afghanistan, and will still campaign on those issues, as well as on sustainable living.’ Councillor Lewis Herbert, Cambridge Labour Group Leader added ‘Adam is a determined campaigner for disadvantaged people in Cambridge More 
A report is going to the City Council’s Lion Yard Working Party retaining an L shaped access from the toilets and from Fisher Square into Lion Yard in a two stage redevelopment with a revised shop unit in the current entrance in the second stage . Campaign organiser and East Chesterton Councillor Gerri Bird said: ‘Winning the principle of retaining the access is a great achievement after such a fight to overturn the Council plan to close the toilets. As the county council also said, routing access via the often blocked up Grand Arcade lift area was never going to work as this is one of the busiest pedestrian routes in Cambridge, including for hundreds of regular disabled users of Lion Yard.’ This is a victory given the Lib Dems total closure plans a year ago. Now it’s a matter of making sure the detail works. Nick Clarke, Tory Leader of the County Council has said: ‘I have a difference of opinion with Labour on many things but it is increasingly difficult to trust the Lib Dems on anything.’ See: http://nickclarkeconservative.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/lib-dems-not-making-false-claims-again-surely 
Labour Councillors believe there needs to be a review of the HMO policy in Cambridge, linked also to delivering more housing of all types. There is no evidence that the current LibDem administration wants any review of HMOs. Contrast that with the way they already shape where rental housing goes in major new developments. As we said at the City Council meeting, any changes need to be decided after an open and thorough Council consultation. We will also ensure that shared housing that clearly doesn’t merit regulation is not affected, and that is why our manifesto wording has that flexibility, ahead of consultation. A major conference in Cambridge tomorrow could see Cambridge setting the pace on energy efficiency, and give a lead to the Government, says Cambridge Labour Chair Daniel Zeichner. The Cambridge Retrofit Conference being held at Corpus Christi College on Wednesday April 18th will look at ways in which Cambridge can become a leader in energy efficiency in buildings, mapping out a path to improve 13,000 properties by 2020 with an investment of £300 million. Labour Councillor George Owers has highlighted that Cambridge City Council are failing to issue fines for dog fouling. Labour will implement a crackdown on dog-fouling, including more enforcement and fund 50 new dog bins, to be placed around the city in dog-fouling hotspots. Former Queen Edith’s ward Councillor Richard Stebbings has become the second senior Cambridge LibDem to switch allegiance to Labour in the past six weeks. This follows East Chesterton Lib Dem candidate Clare Blair stepping down at the end of February and joining Labour. Richard Stebbings was City Councillor for Queen Edith’s from 2000 to 2007, and chaired the Council’s Standards Committee. Richard was born in Mill Road Hospital and is a lifelong city resident and runs a well respected local firm of Funeral Directors. Richard said today ‘I have joined Cambridge Labour Party because the LibDems are now so out of touch and divided, both locally and nationally. Every week they focus their time more on political point scoring rather than delivering on the concerns of local residents that I care most for. |
Thanks to the people of Cambridge for your support. 
 
Labour would temporarily cut VAT to kick start the flat-lining economy and give welcome relief to hard-pressed families in Cambridge.
We can't cut the deficit without growth and jobs. It's time for action.
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