Although there are 235 deaths listing COVID 19 registered in Hertfordshire between 10th April and 15th May according the Office of National Statistics, Herts Liberal Democrats have calculated that as many as 500 deaths are likely to have occurred according to figures that the County Council has collected from care homes. The Liberal Democrats have also raised concerns that a far higher number of deaths have occurred in care homes in Watford and Hertsmere than in other districts.

The County has to give stronger guidance in helping schools how and when to reopen.

The evidence is clear. Because of the failure to provide adequate testing arrangements, the Government has no scientific basis on which to tell Primary Schools that they should reopen on 1st June. Each and every school has been forced to carry out its own risk assessment in deciding when it will be appropriate to reopen. This must be based on the physical limitations of the school buildings, the number of staff who are able and prepared to come back to their classrooms, and most importantly the number of parents willing to send their children to school. The County Council has to make it clearer to every school that it should feel under no pressure to open unless all these conditions are met.

The Liberal Democrats have written to Stephen McPartland urging him to “end the distractions” and support calls for scandal-hit Dominic Cummings to go, so the country can focus on the coronavirus emergency. 

In the letter Lisa Nash, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Stevenage Constituency, urges him to “put the interests of your constituents first, end the distractions and join the growing number of Conservative MPs who are calling for Dominic Cummings to go.”

The call comes alongside Liberal Democrat demands for an independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, while several Conservative MPs have also broken cover to call for Dominic Cummings to quit, amid claims he broke coronavirus lockdown rules twice.

[updated 14 August 2020]

The government advises the public to wear a face covering in several circumstances.

Face coverings do not protect you from contracting coronavirus but they do provide some protection to other people you come into contact with. You can read the UK government advice here.

In these difficult times, some people will need more support than usual, however, there are also people who have more time to give support. There are a lot of organisations offering help to local people.

The Liberal Democrats announced their proposals to scrap business rates and replace them with a landowner levy to 'breathe new life' into high streets in Hertfordshire.

The Liberal Democrats would replace business rates with a commercial landowner levy, based on the value of the land only. This would take the cost off businesses and help support high streets.

Only 85.8% of patients arriving at A&E departments in East and North Herts NHS Trust were treated or admitted within four hours in October 2019, according to damning figures published today (18 November 2019) by NHS England.

This is well below the official target of 95% of patients attending A&E being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. 

Views on Brexit are shifting in Stevenage, according to recent polling, with a decided move in favour of remain in the previously leave voting constituency.

At Broadwater Day on Sunday 1 September 2019 the local Liberal Democrats set up a Brexitometer in which nearly 100 people answered a series of simple questions on how they felt today given the proposal to suspend Parliament and the implications of leaving the EU without a deal.

Is the Guardian is much too partial to Jeremy Corbyn?

Michael meadowcroft writes:

The Guardian is much too partial to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party. It has no “known” regular Liberal contributor but it has completely partisan Labour columnists, such as Owen Jones and Polly Toynbee. I do what I can by way of letters but more of us need to put pressure on the paper. Last week the paper carried a completely one-sided diatribe on the Liberal Democrat role in the 2010 Coalition government. I immediately sent a letter in reply. A number of letters were published, some vaguely supportive of Liberal Democrats but there was no full rebuttal.