GREAT BY-ELECTION VICTORY

3.56.00pm GMT Thu 20th Mar 2008

The Liberal Democrats have won back one of the Water Park seats taken from the party last May by the Conservatives.

The result in the Water Park Ward was:

Peter Clarke (Lib Dem) 648

Conservative 519

Turnout was 26.19%

There was a 16 per cent swing from the Conservatives.

The Water Park victory has increased Lib Dem representation from four to five, reducing the Tory dominance over the council's affairs. Peter's predecessor, Anne Clark, had held the seat for eight years.

Peter highlighted particularly the takeover of large parts of the area by rich outsiders, leaving little for people who actually live in the Water Park. There is also resentment over the decision of Cotswold District Council to make a charge the previously free garden waste collection service.

"Trinity Road has been something of a one-party state for far too long," said prospective Parliamentary candidate Roger Brown. Now we have started the fight-back."

EURO MP VISITS SOUTH CERNEY

Graham Watson, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the South-West, lent support to Peter Clarke's successful by-election fight. He visited South Cerney with the campaign team to see for himself some of the issues facing local politicians. Graham leads the pan-European Liberal and Democrat group at Brussels.

This was Graham's second visit to the Cotswolds constituency in two months. With Lib Dem former leader Charles Kennedy, he was a guest at the constituency dinner at the Royal Agricultural College recently.

POST OFFICE FIGHT LAUNCHED

10.29.00am GMT Fri 8th Feb 2008

250 Demonstrate at Stratton

Liberal Democrat Councillors are working with local communities to try and reverse proposed closures at Stratton, Beeches, Rendcomb and Colesbourne

There has been a huge wave of support for the petition since the wide TV, Radio and press exposure of the closure proposals which were leaked to the Cotswolds Liberal Democrats. The Consultation started on 5th February and last 6 weeks, CLOSING ON MONDAY 17th MARCH

We thank the 400 people who Joined us on the 8th March for the procession to the Main PO led by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Gifford's Circus.

There is still time to sign the petition of send your comment to the Post Office via their website.

SAVE OUR COTSWOLDS POST OFFICES

9.42.00pm GMT Thu 8th Feb 2007

Signing Post Office petition in Bourton

Click on the left to sign our e-petition to save Cotswold Post Offices from being axed. Since 1999 we have lost 9 post offices in the Cotswolds and 12 more are threatened. They were named on 5th Feb 2008 We also call on Cotswold District Council, who claim to support Post Offices, to show commitment by promoting payment of Council Tax through Post Offices, as do the majority of Gloucestershire councils.

Why not start a petition in your area? You can download it, get you friends and neighbours to sign, or organise a stall in your town centre and Freepost it back to us. Our target is at least 4000 signatures. At its launch over 500 signatures were received at Bourton on the Water

If you are a Post Office owner who feels threatened, get in touch, and we will campaign locally with you.

EURO MP GRAHAM VISITS SOUTH CERNEY

4.36.04pm GMT Wed 19th Mar 2008

Graham Watson, Member of the European Parliament for the South West, was in South Cerney recently. He learned at first hand of the difficulties faced by many people in the area during the summer floods and welcomed the European Parliament's decision to provide some financial help to the UK.

Graham came to South Cerney to support Peter Clarke, Liberal Democrat candidate in the Water Park by-election. An experienced councillor at all levels of government, Peter is fighting to regain the seat lost to the Tories last May. Recent polling shows the two parties running neck-and-neck.

DOES YOUR PARTY OFFER A COUNCILLOR SURGERY EVERY WEEK ?

9.25.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Jun 2007

Cotswolds Lib Dems offer a drop-in surgery every Saturday between 10 and 12 am at their offices at 14 Park Street, Cirencester . Each surgery is manned by a Town, District or County Councillor.

Call us old fashioned, but Lib Dems believe that one of the main duties of Councillors is to solve problems and give advice to constituents, regardless of their political views. Does your party have a local base and offer regular surgeries - or is it run from Cheltenham ?

Archive of earlier news stories.