Harlow's Liberal Democrat spokesman Lorna Spenceley has written to Labour's Energy Minister Mike O'Brien MP calling for the Government to reverse their decision to cut grants for new solar power schemes.

The cuts end a grant allocation scheme for solar power, which harnesses sunlight to generate electricity, officially planned to run until 2012.

Mrs Spenceley says:

"Climate change is the biggest issue facing us around the planet. This complete U-turn in Government policy will slow down progress on tackling that, and will be very damaging to the future of solar power industry.

"This is yet another Government failure in a long list of broken promises on renewable energy. Pulling out of an investment scheme that was promised until 2012 is a disgrace."

Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council and a prominent Conservative member of the House of Lords, has stated that anyone who votes Liberal Democrat or Labour "should seek psychiatric help".

Ken Jones, Liberal Democrats group leader said:

I am shocked and appalled at the contempt with which Lord Hanningfield has shown the people of Essex by this cheap and vulgar comment.

It is clear that the Conservative leadership will not tolerate criticism as the Liberal Democrats group has found out to its cost on numerous occasions - as elected politicians we accept opposition parties to knock us and our policies. However, it is unforgivable for any politician to abuse the taxpaying public in this juvenile and patronizing way, to say nothing of those who genuinely need mental health services.

In a democracy, not only are people entitled to vote for whoever they choose, but they are also entitled to cast the vote of their choice without being accused of mental illness, especially by respected members of government like Lord Hanningfield.

Around a thousand businesses in the Harlow constituency would save more than £600 a year on their annual rates bill under proposals unveiled by the Liberal Democrats.

Welcoming the launch of the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for Business, Lorna Spenceley, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Harlow, said:

This is great news for local small firms, who are getting a raw deal from the Labour Government.

Small businesses currently pay much more of their turnover in business rates than larger companies. This is just not fair. The Liberal Democrats will introduce a Business Rates Allowance that will deliver relief on business rates for smaller businesses, saving them, on average, over £600 a year.

We will also slash the red tape, bureaucracy and over-regulation that are holding local businesses back. No new regulation will be passed until there is a full published assessment of its costs and necessity. Instead of bureaucratic central government business support schemes we will provide businesses with advice and support accessible on the ground where they operate.

And we will equip school leavers with the kind of skills local employers really need. From the age of 14 we will give pupils greater choice on how they continue their education, including the option of taking up an apprenticeship or other accredited workplace training scheme.

A Study into the state of Harlow's health service is already attracting a massive response, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Lorna Spenceley reports.

The Study, which is being distributed to over 10,000 local residents and is also available on the internet, asks about people's experiences of GP and hospital care, as well as their views on a range of issues from mixed sex wards to charges for eye tests and prescription charges.

Lorna says:

Responses are already pouring in, and I'm looking forward to collecting some really valuable information on the condition of NHS services locally. I'm aiming to publish my report on the findings over the next couple of months, and believe it will make a real contribution to the debate on improving the health of local people.

Commenting on the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget, Harlow's Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Lorna Spenceley said:

Gordon Brown's budget is a sticking plaster to patch things up in the run-up to the General Election. He's tinkered with council tax rebates, but hasn't tackled the fundamental unfairness of the local tax system, or got to grips with pensioner poverty.

Free local bus travel is something we welcome - it was in the Liberal Democrats' pre-manifesto. Increasing the stamp duty threshold is also welcome, though it's not by enough to help the average first time buyer.

But there are five things missing from Labour's budget: scrapping student fees, scrapping charges for long term personal care for the elderly, replacing council tax with a fair system of local income tax, boosting the state pension for over-75s by over £100 a month for single pensioners and over £140 a month for pensioner couples; and putting 10,000 more police on the best, paid for by scrapping ID cards. Liberal Democrats in government would have delivered all these.

The Liberal Democrats have launched the most generous package for older people on offer from any major political party.

Among other proposals in the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for Older People, 4,848 pensioners in Harlow aged over 75 will get more than £100 a month extra on their pension, or more than £140 a month for a pensioner couple.

Harlow Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Lorna Spenceley has warmly welcomed the plans, saying:

It's time that older people were treated with the respect they deserve by politicians.

Our carefully costed package is worth nearly £7 billion a year over and above what Labour is currently offering to pensioners - and over £4 billion more than the Conservatives.

Our proposals will lift the most vulnerable pensioners out of poverty and tackle the scandal where so many women pensioners are not entitled to a basic pension in their own right.

Our plans to scrap Council Tax will benefit eight million pensioners, with six million paying no local tax at all. Pensioners would save far more than under the Conservatives' rebate proposal.

And it is wrong that many elderly people are forced to sell their homes to pay for their care. We will bring in free long-term personal care for the elderly.

Neither of the other parties are offering any of these policies. This will be by far the best deal on offer to pensioners from any party at the coming general election.
The Liberal Democrat message to older citizens is: we understand our debt to you. We have the policies that will deliver you a fair deal in your retirement.

Harlow's Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Lorna Spenceley has written directly to Prime Minister Tony Blair about the threat to over 5,000 vitamin and mineral supplement products used regularly by thousands of Harlow residents.

From July, the EU food supplements directive threatens to ban over 200 safe, popular and well-established food supplement ingredients.

Liberal Democrat MEPs voted against the food supplements directive in the European Parliament. And Liberal Democrat MPs at Westminster have challenged the Labour Government to justify its support for the directive, after it used its majority to whip the directive through parliament.

Mrs Spenceley told Mr Blair:

It is likely that many people who faithfully use food supplements that are to be banned or re-formulated will be forced to buy them from abroad over the internet, which puts them at risk from unregulated businesses. Indeed, these measures may endanger people's health, rather than protect them.

She concluded:

My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will continue to campaign to protect perfectly safe food supplements.