Members of Harlow Liberal Democrats have expressed their sadness at the sudden death of former Stewards ward councillor Keith Clarke on Friday 22 April.

Cllr Lorna Spenceley, who replaced Keith as councillor for the former Stewards ward - and as leader of the Liberal Democrat group - when Keith stepped down in 1991, said:

"Keith was a very talented individual who was passionately committed to his political beliefs and to public service, as well as being a very warm human being with a tremendous sense of fun. He was a great inspiration and encouragement to me as a new councillor fourteen years ago, and we maintained contact until his death."

Cllr Su Lawton, who worked with Keith for many years in the party's team in Stewards ward, said:

"Keith had a unique approach to local issues and to solving problems with the council, as those who knew him will remember. This is very sad and shocking news, and my thoughts are with his family."

Keith moved to Dunmow some years ago, and at the time of his death represented Dunmow South on Uttlesford District Council.

The Liberal Democrats have launched their manifesto for the Essex County Council election on 5 May 2005. It sets out ten reasons to vote Liberal Democrat as the only credible alternative to the current Conservative administration.

The Liberal Democrats' manifesto is based on three important values - Freedom, Fairness, Trust.

Lib Dem Group Leader Ken Jones commented

"Freedom for everybody to be able to make independent choices about how they live their life; fairness in the provision of services and fairness for the distribution of burden to provide those services; trust in the administration."

You can download the manifesto from the party's Essex web site.

"The evidence is my own eyes and ears and plain common sense."

That was the staggering answer given by Essex Conservative county councillor Rodney Bass, cabinet member for highways and transportation, when asked by the Liberal Democrats what evidence he had to back up his claim that new congestion busting initiatives were working.

"However, residents of Essex know with their own eyes and ears that congestion is worse than ever, with many popular routes almost permanently gridlocked"

said Ken Jones, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council.

"In another astonishingly brash and arrogant admission, the highways department has spent yet more of taxpayers' money on pet projects that look good and win awards but have no mechanism for checking whether the initiatives actually work.

"Over the four years that the Conservatives have been in charge, our roads have declined to a shocking state and the levels of congestion have increased. This state of affairs seems hardly surprising now given the administration's cavalier attitude."