Local Election Pledge: A Record of Action, a Promise of More

Across the country Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life.

Councillors have proud records locally, standing up for local people:

• No library will be closed in any Lib Dem-run or Lib Dem-led authorities this year. Northumberland County Council, Portsmouth and Stockport are opening new ones

Party members are helping businesses and customers to get their economies moving with investment in roads and public transport:

• Northumberland Lib Dems have filled 34,000 potholes last year,
• Bedford Lib Dems are investing in its rural bus network with the introduction of Sunday and evening bus services.

Councils are boosting public services - with schemes that generate income or savings for residents:

• Eastbourne's Solarbourne Partnership generating an annual income of £200-250,000,
• Colchester's solar panels giving free electricity to 800 tenants and an income of £70,000 p.a. to residents,
• South Lakeland's pioneering energy switching to better deal on electricity helping thousands of residents save hundreds of pounds on their fuel bills.

Liberal Democrats are focusing on jobs:

• Eastleigh is creating 500 new jobs at the Rose Bowl,
• Eastbourne's investment in their town centre has seen empty shops fall to nearly half the national average and attracted a massive expansion of the Arndale shopping centre bringing 500 jobs there too,
• Bath & North East Somerset's Guildhall Creative co-working Hub is helping new micro business start-up,
• Oadby and Wigston's renovation project turned a derelict factory into small start-up units for businesses.

Liberal Democrats are investing in homes with the 200 new council houses being built in Portsmouth and 650 in Cambridge.

The party is listening to local people and give them a voice in decisions made about their communities. In power we work to strengthen the local economy while ensuring we protect the services people most value, and to protect the most vulnerable in society.

Proud national record

Liberal Democrats are delivering for people across the nation, working across the UK for the millions, not the millionaires. We have not retreated from our responsibility to act in the national interest and we will not miss the opportunity we have to build a greener, fairer and more liberal Britain.

From this April, the party policy will:

• Give £1.9bn extra to our schools, aimed at the most disadvantaged pupils,
• Raise the Income Tax threshold again, increasing the number of people lifted out of paying income tax altogether to more than 2 million,
• Give nearly 25m people a further Income Tax cut, bringing the total amount to £600 since Labour's last year in office,
• Ensure pensioners on the full state pension get a 2.5% a week increase in their pensions, more than inflation or rise in earnings would have given them thanks to our triple lock.