The Liberal Democrats will be holding a Christmas Fair at Wick Hall, Littlehampton on the 6th December 2008 at 2pm.

There will be cakes, Books, Bric-a-Brac, christmas decorations, a raffle and MORE! Admisssion is FREE and Tea and Coffee will be available. DONATIONS OF GOODS ARE WELCOME.

It wil also be an opportunity for residents to enquire about the Liberal Democrats as a party.

I’ll start with the biggy, the election of a new President in the

The Liberal Democrats have a new President Ros Scott who I voted for and wish luck in her new post. Got to go to bed now, I’m going to the War Memorial tomorrow to pay my respects to all those who fell so I could vote.

It’s starting to get very, very cold now. That means that us Liberal Democrat campaigners will be out delivering leaflets and knocking on doors. The cold, coupled with the looming recession means that we all need to be well wrapped-up, indoors and out!! I do worry about all those older members of our community who seem to feel the cold more. I’m starting to get my CV together now, and after more than fourteen years with the same employer it is rather daunting, if I am made redundant I will be finished before Christmas, still someone with my work ethic and loyalty should be, SHOULD BE snapped-up!!

The American election is on Tuesday. If Obama is elected, it will represent the biggest leap forwards that the USA has made in 200 years.

I haven’t posted for ages. I have been so very busy at work where I am a statutory consultee for redundancy.  It is all doom and gloom at the moment, the nights are drawing-in and people are wondering whether they will lose their jobs in the new year. It looks like I will lose my job (a job that I like!!) but don’t worry, the professional politicians are still there, ready to draw generous pensions when we vote them out while supping cocktails on a beach far-far away from the country they wrecked! The High Street in Littlehampton is starting to empty-out now, even worse than the ghost town it nearly became in the last recession. It really is the end of Gordon Browns ‘end to boom and bust’. I have every confidence that the British people will rebuild our economy because at heart we are a hardworking nation with a commendable work ethic.

I watched Cleggy’s speech on the telly and agreed with virtually everything he said but was disgusted at Nick Robinson’s cynical assessment of it. Cleggy is NO Cameron clone, as Nick Robinson was suggesting. YES, Cleggy is very smooth, slick, attractive and well-spoken but he is a man with a deep political conviction.I am NO leader worshipper, as any real Liberal (like myself) is deeply suspicious of power in the hands of any single individual but I truly believe that Cleggy has the vision to make the Liberal Democrats the replacement opposition to future Conservative governments from now on, as New Labour has lost its creator, support, vision and above all, its reason for existence. 

 I was horrified to hear of the near-fatal stabbing at Somerfields, Anchor Springs, Littlehampton on Tuesday. I’m glad that the perpetrator is not from Littlehampton though, as that would give the town’s detractors something else to point at this great town of ours. My thoughts go-out to the girl lying in hospital and her family.

The government has now responded to the petition to rebuild the Littlehampton Hospital, which was only demolished with a guarantee that a new facility would be built. Littlehampton hospital was built on land donated to the town by the Duke of Norfolk and built with money given by the people of the town. I believe that morally, the hospital belonged to us as townsfolk and that the NHS has a duty to build a new Hospital. The Governments response;-

Decisions about local NHS services are now taken at a local level.  It is the responsibility of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), in partnership with Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and other local stakeholders, to plan, develop and improve services for local people. NHS South East Coast, the regional SHA, advises that West Sussex PCT is developing its business case in relation to the planned new NHS facility in Littlehampton.  The SHA is working with the PCT to take the scheme forward appropriately.  More information can be obtained from the SHA, whose contact details are available on its website at www.southeastcoast.nhs.uk.  

The Littlehampton Liberal Democrats have created a website for our campaign on local NHS services at www.littlehampton4nhs.org.uk

Don’t forget about the free charity music festival that is to be held on Littlehampton seafront on the 23rd August 2008. There will be 18 local bands on two stages. This kind of initiative needs to be supported by the whole community, for free tickets and info, visit www.lapebbles.co.uk

We held our first Littlehampton Branch meeting in twelve years last Wednesday (23rd July), and I was impressed by the enthusiasm of the Liberal Democrat councillors in Littlehampton as well as our activists towards solving local issues. There is a real sense of community action, and if you want to join us…..come aboard!

If any of you are able to attend any of the North Littlehampton Community Planning weekend tomorrow and Saturday, I would recommend it. It will be held at the Wickbourne Centre tomorrow between 2pm and 7pm and Saturday between 11am and 4pm and you can drop-in at your leisure. This really is Littlehampton’s chance to have a say on issues that it is possible to change. This town has had a poor deal for decades now, with poorly planned housing estates with no amenities or jobs for Littlehampton residents and this is our chance to have a good deal for the town. Please come along and have your say.

There have been so many responses to our ‘Littlehampton Residents Survey’ that we are actually overwhelmed with work, so if anyone reading this wants to help us, please GET IN TOUCH! Also, if you returned a survey thank you, but we’ll take a while getting in touch.