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Focus
Focus talks to rising star Tam Langley and finds out
why she is running to be the local Liberal Democrat MP.
“It's easy to be cynical about
politics,” says the thirty four year
old Liberal Democrat candidate for
Lewisham Deptford, Tam Langley.
“But actually, we can't afford
cynicism any longer. We have to
speak up for a real change.”
And Tam Langley is the kind of
woman who gets things done. She's street because there are too few
a tough minded campaigner with
the interests of local people at
heart.
Tam's already been a success in the child. That's my kind of politics.”
business world. As a Director in
charge of many major campaigns,
Council to spend £200,000
on “temporary landscaping”
Local residents have expressed
astonishment that the Council are to
spend £200,000 on "temporary
landscaping" to replace a row of
Victorian shops in Lewisham town
centre.
After the Labour Mayor failed to
regenerate Lewisham town centre,
these shops, opposite the police
station, were left to rot.
Local Lib Dem campaigner Max
she has worked on new ways to cut
crime, and raised hundreds of
thousands of pounds for research
to save honey bees.
“Campaigning matters to all of us, country for the better,” Tam says,
every day,” she says. “It's about
what to do when you feel scared
walking on your own down a dark National Health Service, it's great
lights and you haven't seen a police for Lewisham after 38 years of
officer in weeks. It's about trying to Labour.”
get a decent school place for your
Tam has recently been tipped a
'rising star' by Company magazine.
Calò says, “Labour promises of £200
million of private investment to
redevelop Lewisham town centre has
been replaced by a £200,000 bill for
the tax payer to get rid of what
remains of a fine row of shops.”
“Maybe the Council are trying to
convince people that the town centre
redevelopment has finally started,
even though it may never happen,”
added Max.
Lewisham Central & Hither Green
Printed by T&B Printing, Unit 12 Charmwood Farm, Charmwood Lane, Pratts Bottom, BR6 7SA. Published and Promoted by R Blackie on behalf of T Langley and the Lib Dems, all at 8 Woodham Road, Catford, SE6 2SD
tam@lewishamlibdems.org.uk Feb / March 2010
Lib Dems launch fair tax policy
Liberal Democrat MPs Nick The gap between rich and
Clegg and Vince Cable have poor is now bigger than it was
launched Britain’s fairest tax under Margaret Thatcher, more
But she's keeping her feet on the policy. than twenty years ago.
ground. “Having a baby daughter The Lib Dems plan to reduce Labour’s unfair taxes don’t
last year made me even more tax bills for most workers by stop at income tax; in Lewisham
passionate about changing our £700 per year. No-one will pay Labour have set the highest
income tax on the first £10,000 council tax in inner London!
they earn, so millions of low Instead, Lewisham’s Lib Dems
“Whether it's fighting against cuts
to trains services or protecting our paid workers and pensioners will will freeze council tax for two
stop paying taxes altogether. years.
The plans will be funded by Tam Langley, Lib Dem
to see the possibility of a fresh start
closing tax loopholes for the candidate for Parliament says,
very rich, and introducing a “Our plans would help ordinary
‘mansion tax’. Under Labour, families and the low paid, while
Tam Langley, local candidate for Parliament,
many of the richest people have Labour have helped the
paid a lower rate of tax than the wealthiest in society. It’s time says the Lib Dem tax plans will help ordinary
rest of us, by using the capital we made taxes fairer.” families - Labour have helped the wealthiest.
gains tax system.
New “Countdown” Lib Dem’s Fairer Tar xe s me
Labour’s Tax Sanhdapo
X
bus displays
most workers
£700 less tax each year
fo or higher under
X GaLabop beurtwtheeannunricdeh r Margaret Thalatthchieerst! to
rkers and pensioners
Transport for London
are consulting councils
Millions of low paid wo
won’t have to pay a pe
nny in tax Labour allowed some of
the we
X pay a lower rate of tax than thee rehistghofesust
over where the new hest will be closed
generation of Tax loopholes for the ric Lewisham Labour have
set th
the rest of us
‘countdown’ bus stop
displays will be.
to fund fairer taxes for X council tax in inner London
However, a map of
INSIDE
proposed locations for Local Labour councillor runs up huge
our borough show none are planned
for Hither Green Lane. Local Lib Dem
taxi bill at taxpayers’ expense REMEMBER
campaigners, Max Calò and James Hundreds sign our train petition Our next MP will be either
Jennings, will be making
representations on behalf of local Fair rents for pensioners campaign LIB DEM or LABOUR - the
residents. See the next for
Meet Tam Langley - your next MP? others can’t win here!
details of how you can have your say.
 Your local
Lib Dem team
Max Calò
8690 4242
maxcalo@lewishamlibdems.org.uk
http://maxink.wordpress.com/
Cllr. Dave Edgerton
8691 3052
cllr_david.edgerton@lewisham.gov.uk
www.davidedgerton.mycouncillor.org.uk
James Jennings
07957 421919
jennings@lewishamlibdems.org.uk
www.thiswaytolewisham.blogspot.com
Cllr. Andrew Milton
8698 5119
cllr_andrew.milton@lewisham.gov.uk
http://20six.co.uk/andrewmilton
Local Labour councillor
runs up £1,300 taxi bill
A Lewisham Labour
councillor has spent
£1,300 on taxis in just
one year - enough to get
a black taxi to
Edinburgh. This taxi bill
was charged to council
taxpayers.
Labour councillors then
failed to publish these
expenses on the council
website, despite the
council agreeing to publish
all councillors’ expenses.
Lib Dem pledge for schools
REMEMBER
Our next MP will be
either LABOUR or
LIB DEM - the
Tories can’t win here!
After a petition by a local
Lib Dem campaigner, Max
Calò, the expenses have
now been published on the
council website, and can be
found at
http://bit.ly/56n6R1
Labour councillors have
claimed £3,400 for taxis in
the last year - compared to
no claims at all by
Lewisham's 17 Liberal
Democrat councillors.
Liberal Democrats do not
Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, says only
proper funding for education will give all
our children the fair start they deserve
Fair rents for pensioners
Councillor Dave Edgerton has launched a
campaign calling for fair rents for
pensioners in sheltered accommodation
claim for taxis for local
duties because councillors
already get an allowance
from the council.
This news comes as
Train misery
Lewisham Council
confirmed that in 2010/11
it will keep the extra 2.5%
put on council tax in
2009/10, on top of
increases in previous years.
Lib Dem Mayoral
Candidate, Chris Maines
(left) says the Lib Dems
will continue to speak
up for local rail users
Local Liberal Democrat councillor, David Edgerton,
has been fighting for local pensioners who are
being charged unreasonably high rents for their
housing.
Pensioners living in sheltered housing locally face
rents of between £90 and £150 a week, but receive
a basic pension of only £95 a week. Often a weekly
service charge is added. The average charge for
similar housing owned by councils is £60 a week.
David, who has set up a petition at
http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/FairRentsForPensioners,
says, "Pensioners have worked hard all their lives
and have saved towards a pension. This is now
being swallowed up by the high rents. I urge people
to sign my petition for fair rents for pensioners."
Maines4Mayor
Where the
buck stops
By Chris Maines
Liberal Democrat candidate
for Mayor of Lewisham
Lewisham Council is different from most
other councils - Lewisham has a directly
elected mayor. Unlike other areas where
the mayor is just symbolic, Lewisham's
mayor has control over everything the
council does. The buck stops with the
mayor.
In Lewisham, it's Labour's mayor who's
responsible for the local housing chaos.
20,000 people are on the waiting list and
70% of council homes fail to meet the
government's .
Labour's mayor has given Lewisham the
highest council tax in inner London.
The council has a key role working with
the police to make our area safer.
However, under Lewisham's mayor
violent crime has risen, particularly
among young people.
Lewisham's appalling recycling rate and a
25% increase in landfill is due to the way
the council runs its recycling - and
Labour's mayor has done nothing to sort
this out.
A Liberal Democrat mayor would open
up the council and share decision making
with local residents. There would be a
programme to build new council homes -
the first for a decade.
A Lib Dem mayor would freeze council
tax for at least the next two years. Local
police teams would be strengthened to
ensure they work more closely with
young people.
Doubling recycling and reducing landfill
would be priority for a Lib Dem Mayor of
Lewisham.
At the last mayoral election for
Lewisham, the Liberal Democrats came a
close second. This May the choice is
clear - between the Liberal Democrats,
wanting real change in Lewisham, or
complacent Labour, who no longer care.