Key points from Vince Cable’s speech at the launch of the Liberal Democrat local election campaign included:
On the party
“There is a secret phenomenon in British politics.
“It is occurring in by-elections all over the country, week in, week out, to local authorities from Sunderland to Somerset.
“Against the Tories. Against Labour. In Leave areas. In Remain areas.
“Since the General Election in June 2017, the Liberal Democrats are up 15 seats, double Labour’s increase of seven, while the Conservatives are tanking – they have lost 18 seats.
“These real votes in real ballot boxes show Liberal Democrat support at double our national opinion poll rating.
“What we’re showing is that where Liberal Democrats come out fighting, Liberal Democrats can win.
“Because local residents trust Liberal Democrats to listen, work hard and get things done on their behalf.
“And in our areas of particular strength, where we control councils and win mayoralties, we run reliable, responsive local services and deliver value for people’s council tax.”
On cuts to schools
“In my own home, in the Borough of Richmond, the biggest issue on doorsteps is cuts to schools funding.
“Around the country this is having a real impact damaging children’s futures.
“At the General Election the Liberal Democrats argued for extra investment of £7bn in school and college budgets to ensure that no school would lose funding, and so we could give more support to children from disadvantaged backgrounds through the pupil premium.
“It’s one of the many stark differences between the Coalition Government and the hard-right Conservative Governments which have followed.
“Where Liberal Democrats protected schools funding in real terms, our research now shows it falling in more than half of English local authorities.
“Teachers and teaching assistants are being laid off.
“And parents are being asked to make a financial contribution to their schools to keep them going.
“This has to stop. Decent, free school education is key to ensuring each generation can do better than the last. It is a bedrock of civilised society.
“These elections are a chance for parents and teachers to send a signal to the Government on schools.
“A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to give schools the funding they need.”
On housing
“Crucial to sowing the seeds of a society that will work for today’s young people is addressing Britain’s housing crisis.
“Nowhere is the generational divide in our country felt more acutely than in this area.
“So support for the Liberal Democrats is support for new homes, support for curtailing the Right to Buy where there isn’t a guaranteed 100% replacement of stock sold off and support for tough measures on empty property, used by investors as modern-day pots of gold, when they should be available for families to live in.
“Where we gain power locally, we invest in new homes. In Watford, we’re working in partnership with Watford Community Housing Trust to deliver new homes for affordable and social rent, and a new 50-bed extra care facility for older people.
“In South Lakeland, where Liberal Democrats are in control, we have lent £6m to housing associations to tackle the shortage of supply of homes to rent.
“And in that council we show that local authorities can stand up to developers, who try to play fast and loose with the percentage of affordable homes in a new-build scheme. South Lakeland insists on 35% affordable housing and recently won a legal case where a developer tried to reduce that proportion.
“In Liberal Democrat Eastleigh, where a developer tried to sit on land rather than get homes built, we acquired the site directly, then sold it back to the market at no cost to the council, allowing the housing to be built.
“Liberal Democrats show what active local government can do at its best. Building quality, affordable homes using the levers we have, and campaigning for more.
“Contrast that with Labour Manchester, where 15,000 homes have been granted planning permission in the past two years and not a single one is affordable.
“Contrast it too with Conservative Wandsworth, which has given permission for 4,239 homes on the site of Battersea Power Station, with only 9% of them as affordable units.”
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