Letter from Westminster, February 2009

12.00.00am GMT Mon 2nd Mar 2009

Letter from Westminster February 2009

The biggest local issue over the last few weeks has been the fiasco of primary school admissions. Across the city about 300 families were not offered a primary school place for September, 130 of them in Bristol West.

This is a major failure of a very basic duty of the City Council. It's all the more disappointing as it could have been avoided if only the former Labour administration had listened to local views and evidence about population changes. I've met and been written to by many parents about this issue, especially from Bishopston and Redland. Our proposal back in 2006 to build a new primary school on Ashley Down Road would have

averted many of the problems in this area. I went on Radio Bristol's

breakfast programme with the founders of a new local campaign group and gave the issue some national attention with a Commons motion attacking the Labour run council.

Ironically the motion was tabled the day before Labour resigned from their minority administration of the city. They had lost several budget votes as this year the small Conservative group decided to change sides again.

One of the amendments sunk proposals for a mass burn incinerator. Labour claimed that this was the main reason why they then ran away from power but I think the handling of primary admissions and several other issues had caused them huge embarrassment. They claim to be "proud" of their record…if so why did they run away? So the Council is now back under Lib Dem minority control with Barbara Janke as Leader. The Lib Dems need to gain only four seats in the June elections to have a secure majority.

The economy continues to dominate national news. It was a pleasure to go along to the Channel Four political awards party and witness my colleague Vince Cable win two awards as not just Opposition Politician of the Year but the be crowned overall winner as well. These awards are voted on by MPs so it's remarkable for a Lib Dem to win anything!

The recession was at the centre of a Commons debate in which I spoke on the need to invest more in adult skills. I made a similar point when I spoke at a Westminster lobby by the Campaign for Life Long Learning.

Another national issue on which I am campaigning locally is the unsustainable expansion of Heathrow Airport. I joined with Greenpeace to

speak to shoppers and tourists on Park Street. I intend to continue

pressing the case for improvements to high speed rail as an alternative.

It was a pleasure to make a speech and present an award to the Pierian Centre as it achieved a social enterprise mark. The centre based in Portland Square runs courses and brings together people across the city, often working with those who have been marginalised such as asylum seekers. The award gathered together about 200 people engaged in charity and social enterprise work in Bristol.

The Pierian Centre was the venue to mark the life long achievements of civil rights campaigner Paul Stephenson. Paul is best known for leading the bus boycott in 1962 when the local bus company refused to employ black drivers. But he's worked tirelessly since then for racial harmony in Bristol. He will shortly be off to Windsor Castle to receive his OBE from the Queen.

Gaza is still in the news and at the beginning of February I marched in the ice and snow with over a thousand mainly Muslim Bristolians from Stapleton Road to College Green. I spoke at the rally there and repeated my call for more British pressure on Israel.

I spoke at several other events in Bristol in February. At the Convention on Modern Liberty in the Trinity Centre I spoke about the Lib Dems'

Freedom Bill - proposals to abolish or restrict 20 erosion's of liberty passed by Labour in the last decade. Top of the list is stopping the ID cards and database. I spoke to the Avon & Somerset Lesbian and Gay Police association. I also attended a seminar on preventing extremism among Muslims. Sustainable power was the theme of another seminar on Severn energy.

I visited an innovative business based in St Pauls that has developed technology for reception of high definition TV in each room of your house and went to the premier ion Whiteladies Picture House of a hard hitting film made by local producers on violent gangs and sexual identity. More innocent viewing was provided by the Bristol Gang Show by local scouts and guides which was excellent entertainment in a packed Hippodrome.