From Saturday 28 January there will be four new 'taxi marshals' in Harlow's town centre. Working on Friday and Saturday evenings from 11pm to 3am, their job is to help people leave the town centre quickly and safely.

Two marshals will be stationed at the taxi ranks near Jumpin' Jaks, and the other two in Post Office Road near Quattro's and Liquid.

Liberal Democrat licensing spokesman Cllr Ian Jackson says:

"Anti-social behaviour and alcohol-induced violence can occur once people leave nightclubs. By introducing marshals, we can try and ensure that people are able to leave the town centre by taxi as safely and quickly as possible to reduce this risk. This is one of the many initiatives that we are working on with the police and the taxi drivers to combat anti-social behaviour in the town centre."

The scheme starts on the 28 January and will run for twelve weeks. If successful, it is hoped the scheme will be continued.

"Essex residents face a proposed council tax rise of 4.6% - around twice the rate of both general inflation and the increase pensioners will receive in April this year"

says Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Essex County Council.

"The Conservatives say Essex has received the lowest central government grant in the country. They do not say that Essex has received over 6% extra for schools and for other services, the same increase as lots of other shire counties.

Indeed Essex received £16m of grant protection - paid for by other councils such as neighbouring Suffolk and Norfolk county councils. The government has indicated that councils will be rate capped if they increase council tax by more than 5%, so it is likely that most councils will be setting their council tax rise at figures similar to Essex.

The quoted 10.7% increase - £25m - in adult social care for 2006-07 is particularly misleading: the comparison is with the original budget for 2005-06. This year's budget is forecast to overspend by £15m and when allowance is made for inflation and funding required to replace expenditure paid for this year by other grants, next year's budget is in reality lower in spending power than this year's budget. Moreover the council is only seeking to meet needs assessed as 'substantial and critical'.

The Lib Dem group accept that the financial background is difficult, and have supported moves by the council to reduce back office costs and reinvest the efficiency savings into front line services. However, we believe the Tories are 'gilding the lily' in exaggerating the benefits of their budget to the people of Essex. We will continue to examine the budget in detail and make detailed amendments at the full council meeting on 14 February."

Local Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Cllr Eleanor Macy is delighted that twenty-two housing estates across the town are to be given a special clean by Harlow Council as part of its major clean up campaign Together We Can ... Clean Up Our Town.

The estates have been selected to take part in a trial project starting on Monday 23 January and finishing on 24 February. For one day each estate will be thoroughly swept, litter picked and graffiti removed. A refuse vehicle will also be provided for residents to get rid of any unwanted bulky items. Each estate will receive a newsletter and information pack before the cleaning starts. Eleanor says:

"The estates programme is one part of our major clean up campaign - Together We Can ... Clean Up Our Town. This is something we are trying out and if successful could be extended to other estates in the town. The aim is to get people to be proud of where they live. After the clean up we hope that people will help us keep their area clean and tidy by being more aware of what they can do and what services are available to help.

Every year we spend around a million pounds to keep Harlow clean, but we can't do it alone. Our message is simple: you can help us so together we can ... clean up our town."

"The government's announcement that it is to increase the use of incinerators to dispose of waste is bad news for Essex and not what we want"

is the view of the Liberal Democrats at County Hall.

Cllr Ian Gale, Liberal Democrat county spokesman for waste management said:

"Whilst some Labour councillors in Essex have tried to deny this, the clear statement by the government that Labour is in favour of incineration both clarifies the situation and, more worryingly, increases the chance of it happening in the county.

Burning rubbish in incinerators produces smoke containing toxins that are blasted into the atmosphere causing damage to our environment. What is less clear is what effect that has on the health of residents living near to incinerators. The government is playing down the health risks, but the fact is that there is no evidence showing a zero health risk from incinerators.

Liberal Democrats have long argued for a commitment to significantly increase recycling. We are disappointed that the targets set by both central government and Conservative controlled Essex County Council for recycling are not more challenging.

However, if the government was really serious about dealing with waste, it should urgently legislate for less packing by manufacturers and retailers. Clearly the most effective way of dealing with rubbish is to produce less of it in the first place."

Conservative plans for transport across Essex are 'not based on a realistic expectation of funding' according to the government. That was the view of GO-East (Government Office for the East of England) when presented with Essex County Council's plans for transport over the next five years.

Keith Francis, Liberal Democrats spokesman for transport on Essex County Council, said:

"The Tories at Essex County Council make much of their competence to manage their budget and keep down council tax. It is now crystal clear that their claims are nothing more than spin, when a major project like the Local Transport Plan is based on money that they merely hope will come from another source. It is like someone booking a luxurious holiday knowing they can't afford it and hoping the money will appear from a kindly aunt.

Only last month the Tories failed to get government funding for another of their transport projects and it is now evident that this administration has no idea of what comprises an effective and realistic transport plan.

The government has now added to Essex's crisis by heavy criticism of the content of the Transport Plan itself. For the people of Essex who are already suffering from record levels of congestion, pollution and poor road maintenance, this is a double whammy that ensures many grim journeys ahead."

If you put out your recyclable waste on your usual day between 6 February and 31 March, you could win £100! says Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Cllr Eleanor Macy.

Each week, a cash prize of £100 will be up for grabs in Harlow - and in the last two weeks of the competition, the prize money will double to £200.

Winners' names will be drawn at random each week from a list of households using the kerbside recycling scheme that week. Winners will be notified by a letter or postcard through the door and the names published on the Recycle for Essex web site.

For more information, visit the web site, or call Contact Harlow on 446655 or Recycle for Essex on 0845 603 7625.

There will also be a donation of up to £2,000 to the Little Havens Children's Hospice. The more waste is recycled, the more will be donated!

This competition is funded through the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Household Incentive Pilot Scheme. For more information on this scheme, please visit the DEFRA web site.

Harlow Constituency Liberal Democrats have issued the following statement following the resignation of the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

"Charles Kennedy showed honesty and courage in making his statement on Thursday, and dignity in announcing on Saturday his decision to step down as leader.

One of Charles's strengths has been his ability to come across to people as a real human being - and human beings do have frailties. He has however earned considerable respect as leader of the Liberal Democrats, not least over his principled opposition to the illegal war in Iraq. He will also rightly be remembered as the man who led the Liberal Democrats to their greatest electoral success for over 80 years.

It is not yet clear whether there will be a contested election for the post of party leader. If so, all members of the party will have an equal say in who that should be. Whoever our leader is, our principles remain the same - standing up for freedom and fairness, and opposing injustice.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats in Harlow will continue to work hard for local people, campaigning for better public services and representing residents' views."

Chris Robins: Chair, Harlow Liberal Democrats
Cllr Chris Millington: Leader, Harlow District Council Liberal Democrat Group
Cllr Lorna Spenceley: Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Harlow