Jeremy Hilton’s vision 4 Gloucester –

Jeremy Hilton explains his vision for Gloucester and why he is standing for parliament.

I was born in Gloucester and I have lived and worked within ten miles of the Cathedral all my life.

Having served Gloucester for more than 23 years as a local councillor, I believe I can do an excellent job of representing our historic city in Parliament.

If elected, I would be the first MP to represent Gloucester, who was born here.

It would be a great honour to serve as a Member of Parliament for this city, which has been my home for so many years.

I am proud of the achievements of the Liberal Democrats in government. We have worked hard to deliver our manifesto, from the Pupil Premium that is helping disadvantaged children, to the ‘triple lock’ that means pensions rise by at least 2.5% a year. The increase in the income tax threshold means people can now earn £10,600 tax-free.

Vince Cable has led the way on delivering two million new apprenticeships, which equates to more than 1,000 in Gloucester every year.

I remember Labour’s attempt to stamp on our civil liberties with compulsory ID cards. This was scrapped by the Lib Dems in government.

In Gloucester, we must see the regeneration of our city to completion. This will mean the delivery of an upgraded railway station with improved connectivity and a new bus station.

The regeneration of the Kings Quarter and the Blackfriars area around the old prison must be delivered with panache and completed in good time

As the MP for Gloucester, I will want to complete the work I have started on a bid for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for our magnificent Cathedral.

Too many Gloucester children leave the city to go to secondary school – this is unfair. I will work to ensure that young people from Gloucester are able to get into good local schools.

Fighting Labour’s plan to nationalise or regionalise the fire service, which would see the end of our county fire brigade, would be on the top of my list as a new MP. I remember successfully fighting Labour over plans to move our fire control to Somerset.

Top Five Priorities for Gloucester

· Better public transport, with new/improved bus and railway stations
· Successful regeneration in the city centre and WHS status for the Cathedral
· More apprenticeships, more jobs and strong local economy
· Quality public services, better NHS and a local fire service
· Good local schools open to all Gloucester children

‘Incinerator cancellation costs must now be disclosed’ say Lib Dems

Following Labour’s call for an extraordinary meeting to cancel the County Council’s contract with UBB to build an incinerator at Javelin Park, please see the following statement on behalf of the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr. Jeremy Hilton:

“The decision to approve planning permission by the Conservative Secretary of State is to be condemned. Mr Pickles has ignored the unanimous decision of the county council’s planning committee to refuse permission to build a massive waste incinerator at Javelin Park and has gone against much public opposition.

“Labour’s decision to request an extraordinary council meeting before knowing all the costs is however hasty and irrational. They have called this meeting solely for political purposes.

“Liberal Democrats have asked the council to provide the full cost of cancelling the contract. We shall need to consider these costs extremely carefully. At the end of the day, we cannot keep dumping our rubbish in the ground.

“The penalty to Norfolk County Council in cancelling their incinerator contract was at least £33 million. It could be a similar sum in Gloucestershire. This sort of money would pay for a lot of services.

“We are demanding that the Tory administration at Shire Hall gives councillors access to all confidential information on the incinerator contract now before a vote on its future can be determined. Until then, Liberal Democrats will reserve our judgement on the Labour proposition.”

“Time for Free Wi-Fi at Gloucester Library” – Jeremy Hilton

Jeremy Hilton ready to use his tablet computer at Gloucester Library

Follow Jeremy Hilton on Twitter @jeremy4glos

Gloucester’s main library in Brunswick Road is to get free public access Wi-Fi in the New Year, says Cllr. Jeremy Hilton the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Gloucester. It is anticipated that free Wi-Fi should be operational by the middle of January.

Jeremy Hilton said: “I have made enquiries at the county council about the lack of free Wi-Fi in Gloucester’s central library.

“It is unfair that this service is provided at Cheltenham central library, but not in Gloucester. The quality of service provision in both central libraries should be comparable.

“There are free internet access desk top computers in all libraries, which the Lib Dems introduced when I was the cabinet member. It is time that free Wi-Fi is also available.

“The good news is that the county council has recently gone out to tender to install public Wi-Fi provision in Gloucester Library. The county council tell me that it should be operational by the middle of January. I hope they meet this deadline.

“Many people now have a tablet computer. Being able to use such a device in Gloucester Library would be a welcomed additional service.”

Currently two other libraries in Gloucestershire have public Wi-Fi, they are Cheltenham and Cirencester libraries. Jeremy Hilton has requested that Hucclecote and Longlevens libraries should be next on the list for free public Wi-Fi, once it is operational in Gloucester Library.

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Fire safety of e-cigarettes warning by Jeremy Hilton

Graphic safety messages should be displayed on all e-cigarette chargers say fire authorities, after shock new statistics show a surge in fires connected to the devices.

Latest reported figures from fire services up and down the country reveal that since 2012 they have attended 113 calls to e-cigarette-related blazes. There were just eight call-outs in 2012 but this soared to 43 last year and there have been at least 62 so far this year. This means firefighters are now dealing with e-cigarette related incidents at more than one a week.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents all 46 fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, fears that these are the “tip of the iceberg” and many cases go unreported. The warning comes during national Electrical Fire Safety Week, which is run by the Electrical Safety Council charity. E-cigarettes have rocketed in popularity and are now used by an estimated 2.1 million Britons each year.

These latest statistics come just weeks after a 62-year-old man died when an e-cigarette battery on charge exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he was believed to have been using.
Fire chiefs say many blazes are taking place because smokers are not using compatible chargers. This means too much current goes into the batteries and they overheat and eventually explode. Battery material shoots out – up to two to three metres in distance – and can cause a fire if it lands on anything combustible.

Now the LGA is calling for e-cigarette manufacturers to do more to warn of the dangers. This includes displaying prominent safety warnings, highlighting this issue, on e-cigarette kits and chargers.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee, said: “The spiralling upward trend of fires connected with e-cigarettes is a major cause for concern and much more needs to be done to combat it. We expect this to continue to rise as more smokers switch to e-cigarettes. Alarmingly, there is no way of knowing the true figure as we understand many cases are going unreported.

“We are urging e-cigarette manufacturers to introduce clear, prominent and graphic new warnings spelling out to users the dangers of using incompatible chargers with e-cigarette batteries.

“Tragically, at least one life has been claimed and more fatalities could follow unless this issue is addressed rigorously and robustly.

“We are warning users that it is simply not worth risking their lives to save a few pounds by buying dodgy, dangerous or incompatible chargers”
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E-CIGARETTE SAFETY TIPS

E-cigarette users are advised to follow these safety tips when charging:

* Always use the correct charger and follow the manufacturer’s instructions
* Never charge a battery that has signs of damage, that has been dropped, or has been subjected to impact
* Never plug a charger into a non-approved mains power transformer
* Check that your e-cigarette battery has overcharge or overheat protection
* Remove the battery from charge when complete – don’t over charge
* Never leave a battery on charge unattended
* Don’t use if wet or exposed to water
* Do not over tighten the atomiser or when connecting to charger
* Ensure that you dispose of batteries correctly.

Liberal Democrats announce candidates for Gloucester City Council elections on May 22nd

Liberal Democrats have announced who their candidates will be for the city council elections to be held on the 22^nd May. The party will be fielding candidates in all wards. The Liberal Democrats will be defending four seats.

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton (Kingsholm & Wotton), Cllr. Phil McLellan (Barnwood), Cllr. Chris Witts (Elmbridge) and Cllr. Jim Beeley (Hucclecote) are all standing for re-election.

Lib Dem leader, Jeremy Hilton said: “The city council elections are very important for people of Gloucester. Liberal Democrats standing in all fifteen wards want to make Gloucester a better place to live and work. A strong representation of Liberal Democrats on the city council will be good for Gloucester and good for the continued regeneration of our historic city.”

Liberal Democrat candidates are:-

Barnwood – Phil McLellan
Kingsholm & Wotton – Jeremy Hilton
Hucclecote – Jim Beeley
Elmbridge – Chris Witts
Longlevens – Jonathan Whittaker
Quedgeley Severn Vale – Joanne Brown
Westgate – Howard Hyman
Barton & Tredworth – Paul Harries
Abbey – Sarah Dobson
Grange – Anthony Gowing
Tuffley – Paul Harris
Podsmead – Vicki Field
Matson & Robinswood – John McFeely
Quedgeley Fieldcourt – Kira Barnes-Moffatt
Moreland – Mike Anderton

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