Torridge and West Devon Liberal Democrats
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Graham Watson MEP
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Adam Symons NewsFor more information on any of the news items below contact Adam Symons on 01237 431498 or 07786 277470
Thousands say: “Save Our Post Offices”Petition Delivered to Downing StreetThursday 13 March 2008 A petition of over 50,000 signatures including some from Holsworthy and Bideford calling on Gordon Brown to reverse his Government’s savage Post Office closure programme was yesterday delivered to Downing Street by the Lib Dems. Labour plans to close 2500 Post Offices which will hit communities hard across Britain. The closures come on top of a further 7500 already closed by Labour and Conservative Governments. Local Lib Dems PPC Adam Symons said: “I know that some local post offices have already been targeted for closure but that the threat of Post Office cutting off the compensation to post masters is keeping the names out of the public domain. Gordon Brown and Labour need to listen to the people who have signed this petition. Post office closures mean that many, often the most vulnerable, are denied access to post office services or face long journeys and even longer queues in other Post Offices.” “Post office closures will lead to the loss of other local shops and businesses ripping the heart out of Torridge and West Devon's local communities. Once again the Labour Government is cutting local services for short-term savings while ignoring the long term damage they cause.” The Liberal Democrats are the only party with a plan to protect and improve Britain’s Post Office network. 
Adam Symons PPC with Sarah Teather MP
Note: Sarah Teather MP (Brent East) presented the petition along many other Liberal Democrat MPs. The Liberal Democrats launched a nationwide petition against Labour’s post office closures in Autumn 2007. These are the first batch of signatures to be presented. They come from a wide range of areas across England, Wales and Scotland including Holsworthy and Bideford.
Cut Income Tax in BudgetFor Torridge and West Devon’s SakeTuesday 11 March 2008 Chancellor Alistair Darling should cut national income tax, paid for by rises in green taxes, when he delivers his Budget on 12th March, say Torridge and West Devon Liberal Democrats. Adam Symons, Parliamentary Spokesperson said, “The people of Torridge have been squeezed by higher prices for energy and rising council tax over the past year. “What kind of messed up system is it that ordinary working families pay more in tax than some of the richest in this country. “The Budget is an ideal opportunity for Alistair Darling to cut the burden of tax on low and middle income households. “The Liberal Democrats therefore want to see a cut in national income tax to 16p in the pound. This should be paid for by increasing the taxes on activities that degrade our environment most, such as polluting rivers or squandering energy. “As an environmental scientist, but also as a passionate believer in fairness for local people, shifting more of the tax burden from people’s income and onto pollution will benefit people in Torridge. “In Britain, the poorest fifth of households pay a bigger share of their income in tax than the richest fifth. The wealth divide between rich and poor has actually risen since Labour came to power. This is starkly illustrated in Torridge where average salaries are only 60% of the national average, yet local residents still have to deal with soaring food and energy costs.”
Rural Poverty is not RecognisedCall for an Even Playing Field for North and West DevonMonday 10 March 2008 Neither North Devon nor North Devon are not getting a fair deal, and should have money redistributed to them by scrapping the Barnett formula. That was the call by Torridge and West Devon’s Lib Dems PPC, Adam Symons, at Saturday’s national Forum on the Countryside. Adam said: “North Devon’s rural poverty woes are second to none and West Devon has widespread rural poverty. Yet the scandal is that richer areas get more money spent on them. The Barnett formula, which means that similar rural areas in Scotland and Wales get vastly more money, should be scrapped, and money redistributed to North and West Devon.”
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