So, as a resident living in Coventry North West, what's in it for you if you vote Liberal Democrat?

Here are some reasons:

Axe The Council Tax

The Conservatives has recently passed through a 3.9% rise in Coventry's council tax which means that the council tax on an average band D property, has increased from £1,090.63 a year to £1,133.16!

Of course we realise that the council tax revenue should be used to provide benefits and services for the whole community. The problem is that the council tax is an unfair way to tax people. It is based on the value of your property and therefore does not take into account your income. That is unfair particularly to those on low income and pensioners.

We want to stop using property value as the basis for the tax and replace it with a Local Income Tax based on the ability to pay. It would be run through the existing Inland Revenue Income Tax mechanism - so saving hundreds of millions - while at the same time ensuring that the typical household and pensioner pay hundreds of pounds less. It would therefore resolve the problem Coventry City Council has in collecting council tax - especially in view that it was 'named as one of the worst places in the West Midlands for collecting tax' [Evening Telegraph - 3/03/05]

Join our campaign to axe the council tax. For more information visit here

Fix and maintain our roads

Coventry’s Liberal Democrat Councillors have long complained of the neglect of the City's roads and have advocated borrowing money to reinstate our roads, footpaths and lighting. This is why we welcome the Council’s borrowing of £10 million for this purpose. It will produce medium and long term savings in not having to repeatedly repair worn out highways and pavements.

Cllr. Derek Benefield says: "Coventry’s highways are a disgrace and a turn off for visitors and investors coming to the city, as well as an unacceptable situation for the citizens of Coventry. It is encouraging to know that Coventry is now going to invest £10 million on improvements."

Tackling the 'yob culture'

In a recent survey taken in Coventry north by the police, 70% were more worried about their safety now than they were last January. This is in spite of police figures showing assaults, vehicle crime and house burglaries have all fallen in the north of the city. One resident in Holbrooks said 'there are a lot pensioners on the estate and they're terrorised by the youths.'

This is unacceptable and how we would tackle the 'yob culture' that blights so many communities, is by using innovative ways to tackle the root of the problem, rather than just the symptons. It is often the case that young people need something constructive to focus on and leisure developments is one such area that would help.

Stopping Student Debt

No tuition fees, no top-up fees - university affordable for every student. Labour broke their promise on top-up fees. The result: tens of thousands of able students saddled with mountainous debts, or frightened altogether from going to university. Funded from our new 50% rate on incomes over £100,000, Liberal Democrats will abolish all tuition fees - as we already have in Scotland. No one should be deterred from the chance of a university education because of the fear of debt.

Creating a better enviornment

All our policies have a green thread. We want to see a society in which individuals and communities enjoy the freedom to run their own lives. A degraded natural enviornment is constraint on freedom - it damages personal health and quality of life. Graffiti, littering, noise pollution and decaying urban spaces all contribute to the feeling that our communities are slipping out of control.

We will put the environment at the heart of every part of the government.