AFTER a bruising experience at the General Election last year the Liberal Democrats are hoping to keep their place as the official opposition on Oxford City Council.

The party was reduced to just eight seats nationally and failed to regain Oxford West and Abingdon from the Conservative Party, as well as dropping to fourth place in Oxford East.

But Lib Dems are confident their party will produce a strong showing by holding on to its core voters and winning over some who normally vote Labour or Green.

Andrew Gant is standing for re-election in Summertown and believes the party’s General Election showing will not be a major factor on May 5.

He said: “You cannot get away from the fact that my party took a kicking at the General Election but that picture is definitely changing.

“There is a general feeling around that the junior partner in the coalition government was given more of the blame.

“People also do distinguish between hard working local politicians who know the area and listen to people in comparison to the national team.”

In 2014 the Lib Dems lost four seats when voters last went to the polls for the city council and two years earlier, when the wards up for grabs this time were last voted on, they dropped three seats.

Mr Gant said he believed the party had a message which represented the “sensible middle ground” and would resonate with voters in the city.

He said: “Housing and the affordability of housing are big issues. People do not just worry about whether they will be able to buy but they worry about what affordability will be in 20 years time.

“Transport is a big one. The roadworks at Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts are just outside my ward but it impacts on people who live and work here. Cycle lanes are something we have campaigned for and education is very important to people in my ward, it is a family area.”

In the General Election, despite the Lib Dem failure to recapture the Oxford West and Abingdon parliamentary seat, the party was pleased with its showing in the Jericho and Osney ward.

Conor McKenzie is contesting it for the party at this election and is hopeful the Lib Dems’ hard work campaigning on the ground will pay off.

He said: “A lot of people feel Labour at heart and we are doing our best to make sure we work hard. I think a lot of people in Jericho and Osney feel let down about how they voted for a party that claims to work for the working people but are treating a lot of the worst off people in society very badly.

“We are in pretty good standing and not being in Government has its benefits. The General Election was not good for us but as a local party we came out of it okay.

“We are still fighting hard.”

Oxford Mail:

LIB DEM VISION FOR OXFORD CITY COUNCIL:

THE top issue on the doorsteps has been, unsurprisingly, the shortage of affordable housing in Oxford, writes Oxford Lib Dems leader JEAN FOOKS. 

This is not just the need for moresocial housing, but also the need for houses and flats that people can afford to buy or rent in the private sector. However the term ‘key worker’ is defined it isclear that they are currently priced out of the city. Teachers, nurses, social workers, post-docs and so many others on ordinary salaries for whom a home in the city is an impossible dream.

The Liberal Democrat answer to this huge problem is to explore alternative models of housing, whether well-designed smaller units, as has been done successfully in London, or encouraging the university and the NHS to build for their own employees as part of their contribution to the required ‘affordable’ quota on a large site.

Liberal Democrats have long championed the need to reduce energy consumption in new housing and to retro-fit current houses with solar panels and much-improved insulation. The future of our planet may well depend in part on our success in reducing carbon emissions and hence climate change. We have argued for district heating schemes and will continue to press for this, together with working to get higher standards adopted for all new housing.

Traffic and transport feature highly in people’sconcerns. Liberal Democrats will improve the city’s cycle routes to encourage more people to feel safe cycling, which in turn reduces traffic and hence the congestion and pollution which blight our city at present. We have argued for better cycle and pedestrian routes to the new Northern Gateway development.

Green spaces are vital to everyone’s mental and physical health. We will protect what we have and ensure that new developments have ready access to play areas and leisure facilities. Trees help to clean the air and with other planting contribute to wildlife corridors and biodiversity.

Liberal Democrats are appalled at the cuts imposed by Government on local councils’ finances. The resultant cuts proposed by Oxfordshire County Council will hit many vulnerable people very hard. We are fighting to retain essential services like children’s centres, day centres for older people and subsidised bus services where no alternatives exist. We will do all we can to retain support for people at risk of being homeless or already without anywhere to call home.

In all we do, we will listen to what people want and ensure that residents are fully consulted on planning matters and on service changes, with their views taken into account in any decisions. It is very important that the new local plan for Oxford to 2036 is developed in consultation with the people it will affect.

We believe that the UK should remain in the European Union, working with other European countries to improve how it works and develop common policies which will benefit all of us. Oxford gains from grants for research of all kinds. We all gain from policies on air quality and environmental standards, workers gain from entitlement to paid holiday and restrictions on working hours.

Oxford Mail:

LIB DEM CANDIDATES IN OXFORD CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS:

  • Barton and Sandhills – Barbara Lesley Mallinder
  • Blackbird Leys – Simon Andrew Blakey
  • Carfax – Harry Samuels
  • Churchill – Peter Charles Coggins
  • Cowley – Claire Elizabeth Murray
  • Cowley Marsh – Tony Brett
  • Headington – Ruth Wilkinson
  • Headington Hill and Northway – Maria Bourbon
  • Hinksey Park – Nicholas John Harding
  • Holywell – Andy Mckay
  • Iffley fields – Peter Patrick Bergamin 
  • Jericho and Osney – Conor Mckenzie
  • Littlemore – Charles James Bidwell
  • Lye Valley – Mandy Machado
  • Marston – Alasdair James Murray
  • North – Louis Loseph Simborowski Gill
  • Northfield Brook – Rosemary Anne Beatrice Morlin
  • Quarry and Risinghurst – Roz Smith
  • Rose Hill and Iffley – Ruvi Ziegler 
  • St Clement’s – Graham Jones
  • St Margaret’s – Tom Landell Mills
  • St Mary’s – Mike  Tait
  • Summertown – Andrew Gant
  • Wolvercote – Angie Goff