Bucks Deserves Better

Conservative-run Buckinghamshire Council keeps raising your council tax while slashing services and letting roads crumble. They now want to shut down Adult Day Centres across the county, leaving vulnerable residents without support. Lib Dem councillors are fighting to stop these closures and protect the services our community relies on. We would cut waste, prioritise frontline services, and deliver real value for your money. Meanwhile, Labour is squeezing from the other side—cutting benefits and punishing small businesses with tax hikes. Both parties are failing us.

Residents deserve a council that ensures your tax is spent wisely and meets statutory obligations.

We will:

Identify genuine savings in delivering council services without compromising the quality of those services for local residents.
Make full use of available funding streams while keeping council tax rises and service charges fair and under control.
Invest wisely in projects that improve services for residents and generate medium to long-term savings for the council.
Make better use of technology to create a more open, efficient and people focused local council while making sure no one is left behind - whether due to age, disability or lack of access.

The Conservatives have had years to sort out our crumbling roads and pavements but they just keep kicking the can down the pothole-ridden road. They rejected Lib Dem proposals to fund long-overdue pavement repairs, leaving residents to deal with dangerous footpaths. They have also failed to deliver key infrastructure, including the promised Eastern Link Road to ease congestion across Aylesbury. Their neglect has left our town without the vital Aylesbury Link of East West Rail, stifling local businesses and cutting off residents from better transport links. It is time for a council that actually delivers.

Buckinghamshire’s roads and footpaths are a concern for residents. Although severe weather conditions contribute to damage, a significant cause of the current issues is underinvestment in road maintenance over several years. It is now estimated that £500 million is needed to bring the roads up to standard.

Public transport across the county is highly inconsistent. Rural areas often lack reliable bus and train services, and even essential routes—such as those connecting Aylesbury, Buckingham, and Milton Keynes—suffer from limited services, especially in the early mornings and evenings.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will:

Prioritise better road maintenance using innovative technologies (already used in other countries) to reduce costs and speed up repairs.
Explore ways to increase the frequency of road sweeping and better coordinate it with gully clearance to reduce flood risk and help maintain road surfaces.
Set up a task force to ensure value for money from our highway maintenance contractors.
Reduce delays in investigating and repairing collapsed drains to improve road conditions and prevent flooding.
Increased investment in pavements to create safer environments, particularly for our elderly and disabled residents.
Although the Bus Services are not a responsibility of Bucks Council, we can set up a task force to collaborate with them, making sure that they are providing the best possible service.
Expand the use of the Village Connect Buses who currently only run in a few of the villages in Bucks. There is a huge demand for this type of service.

For several years, grassroots sports teams have faced neglect from the Conservative administration at Bucks Council. The facilities provided across Buckinghamshire are in poor condition, despite being among the most expensive in the country to rent. Some facilities have been deemed unsafe, while others lack essential amenities such as changing rooms or hot water, yet they continue to be rented at full price. Aylesbury United Football Club currently does not have a dedicated home ground and shares a pitch with Chesham United.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will:

Transfer parks, community centres, and green spaces to Town and Parish Councils as promised by the Conservatives during the 2020 roadshow. This will save taxpayer money that can be re-invested in healthcare, education, and public safety, and reduce costs for local clubs and teams while providing high-quality facilities.
Establish a binding agreement with Town and Parish Councils for the management of these areas. For smaller parishes lacking the capacity to manage these assets independently, provide necessary support structures and frameworks to ensure seamless and efficient administration. Make it clear that any delay or failure to execute this transfer is unacceptable and detrimental to the community's interests.
Update the Town and Parish Council charter to be more robust and inclusive, meeting community needs. It should establish stricter accountability and enforcement to ensure responsible and transparent management of green spaces, upholding public trust and fulfilling promises made by officials.
Collaborate with Town and Parish Councils to address community needs through sports teams that encourage good mental and physical health practices, potentially reducing demand on NHS services.

A Town Full of Life and Culture
We will continue to provide a full year-round programme of free and fully accessible events for residents, including Parklife Weekend with Proms, Pride in the Park, Aylesbury on Sea, and the St George’s Day Parade, fostering a vibrant town and boosting visitor numbers.

Backing Local Businesses
Our management of the Christmas Lights display and switch-on event has been a great success. We will continue hosting business roundtables and employ a Town Centre Manager to promote economic growth and footfall.

Investing in Our Youth
We are committed to providing safe spaces, activities, support, and both volunteering and paid employment opportunities for young people to help them develop essential skills and experiences.

A Greener Aylesbury
We will maintain our dedication to environmental projects, including litter picking, tree planting, bug hotels, wildlife-friendly areas, cabinet box painting, and the much-loved Aylesbury in Bloom initiative.

Protecting and Enhancing Community Assets
We will continue investing in the three community centres we rescued from Buckinghamshire Council, as well as the Railway Club, which now serves local groups and organisations. We will also work to take over and improve neglected town assets, particularly recreation grounds that have suffered from years of Tory mismanagement.

Holding Buckinghamshire Council to Account
We will keep the pressure on Buckinghamshire Council to deliver long-promised infrastructure, including link roads, additional doctors, school places, a new cemetery, and more allotments.

Boosting Grassroots Sport
We have already refurbished facilities at Bowler’s Field and improved drainage on pitches. We will continue working with Aylesbury United and Aylesbury Vale Dynamos to create a new Community Sports Hub.

Supporting Community Groups
Our grants programme will continue to provide essential funding to local community groups and charities, ensuring they can keep serving Aylesbury’s residents during difficult times.

Preserving Aylesbury’s Heritage
We remain committed to saving the Old Court Buildings and repurposing them for greater community use, helping to revitalise the town centre.

Delivering Value for Money
We are dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents while ensuring financial responsibility. We make every penny of the £2.57 per week (Band D) council tax contribution count, ensuring efficient and effective services for the community.

Our children are our future, and the Liberal Democrats believe every child deserves access to the education that best meets their needs, regardless of their dependent's financial situation. We recognise the urgent need to improve Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision in Buckinghamshire, as too many children face unacceptably long waits for assessments and the support they need.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will:

Maintain a diverse system of schools that appropriately caters to all children in Buckinghamshire and consider expansions in line with need such as ARP’s.
Investing in early education from birth can provide children with a solid foundation, reducing the need for costly special educational support later.
Advocate for a fairer system of SEND provision by lobbying the central government.
Increase the number of specialist SEND school places in Buckinghamshire to minimize the necessity for distant placements.
Conduct an urgent review of the school transport system to enhance its efficiency and safety.
Establish mental health hubs to address the growing crisis in young people’s mental health.
We will work towards enhancing the quality of all schools and addressing the demand for educational services. It is unacceptable that many secondary schools in Buckinghamshire are currently under Special Measures by Ofsted.
We will close the educational gap between diverse types of schools and are committed to expanding free tuition schemes provided by Fairhive Housing Association across Buckinghamshire to ensure equal educational opportunities for every child.

The Liberal Democrats will seek a fair deal for planning and housing that meets the needs of all residents and fulfils their aspirations for well-designed, sustainable homes that they need and can genuinely afford.

The Labour government’s changes to planning regulations, particularly weakening protections for the green belt, threaten irreversible damage to our countryside and limit opportunities for local people to have their say. These changes now leave Buckinghamshire more vulnerable than ever, as the Conservative-led council has failed to deliver an up-to-date Local Housing and Development Plan with sufficient identified housing sites, putting developers in the driving seat. This is not acceptable.

Across the country, there are examples of Liberal Democrat councils that have successfully delivered on housing:

York City Council, when under Liberal Democrat leadership, set in place a programme to deliver hundreds of new zero carbon Council houses.
Portsmouth Council is providing over 1,330 new Council properties – either built, bought from the private sector, or in the pipeline.
South Lakeland funded the building of over 1,000 housing association homes.
Kingston Council is building hundreds of new Council houses.
Eastleigh Borough Council, run by us since 1995, has delivered thousands of new homes.
Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, run by us since 1991, has delivered both homes and protected green spaces, with housing forming a major part of their successful 2023 re-election campaign.
Between 2012-2021, the Vale of White Horse was third highest put of 270 Local Authorities for net increase in dwellings as a proportion of their starting stock.

These projects generate income to be reinvested in council services.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will:

Work with town and parish councils to develop a community-led approach to building the homes we need, while protecting the environment from inappropriate and unchecked developer-led schemes.
Ensure new developments are well-planned, connected, and integrated with essential infrastructure, including health and social care, education, roads, transport, water, sewage, and energy.
Push for more environmentally sustainable construction and ensure developments integrate with and protect the natural environment.
Continue investing in the Council’s own temporary housing provision to reduce the costly need for placing vulnerable people in unsuitable accommodation, such as bed and breakfasts.
Create a robust Local Plan for housing and development that directs growth to locations where it is most beneficial, curbs unchecked development in unsuitable areas, and protects our greenbelt and natural spaces.
Consider developing our own social/affordable/shared ownership properties.

Buckinghamshire residents care deeply about health and social care, particularly the challenges of accessing GP appointments and NHS dental services. While these services are the responsibility of the NHS rather than Buckinghamshire Council, the Liberal Democrats recognise the vital role that the Council and individual councillors play in consulting with healthcare providers and the NHS Integrated Care Board for Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and West Berkshire. We are committed to advocating for the needs of our residents. We can scrutinise these services through the Health & Adult Social Care Committee and JHOSC Partnership Committee at Buckinghamshire Council.

Currently, adult social care accounts for 73% of residents' Council Tax, with a 500% increase in cases since 2021. This trend raises serious concerns about the Council’s long-term financial sustainability and its ability to support individuals in maintaining their independence at home.

Unpaid carers play a crucial role in delivering care, but their well-being is often at risk. Many face physical and mental health challenges due to the stress of caregiving. The Council’s ability to provide respite care is essential in ensuring unpaid carers can continue supporting their loved ones.

Charities also play a significant role in supplementing care services. However, many are struggling with funding challenges, and reductions in Council grant funding are putting the sustainability of these organisations—and the services they provide—at risk.

Buckinghamshire's Children’s Services have consistently let down vulnerable children, as highlighted in numerous OFSTED inspections. The impending report will be released after May’s elections. The council is finally reinvesting in local children's homes to ensure safe accommodation and reduce dependency on overpriced private providers outside the county. This belated move is inadequate given the urgent and complex needs of the service.

More needs to be done to make children’s services effective and sustainable. Foster families are essential for children who cannot stay with their own families. The council's recent efforts to recruit more foster families and invest in local children’s homes are positive but overdue steps.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will:

Create a scrutiny committee for children's services to ensure vulnerable children receive the necessary support while monitoring financial sustainability. Education will have its own separate scrutiny committee.
Residents' perceptions of Bucks Council need drastic improvement, as it is often viewed negatively. Parents must seek legal counsel immediately or brace for a gruelling and unpredictable battle to secure an EHCP (Educational Health and Care Plan). We need to provide guidance and support to parents.
Form a task force to evaluate the needs of unpaid carers in Buckinghamshire and improve council support. The Conservative Carer's strategy lacks tangible action for these community heroes.
Work with health and care organisations to access additional grant funding.
Develop an urgent plan to ensure ongoing day and respite care for vulnerable adults in Buckinghamshire. Evaluate long-term needs before deciding on the closure of care centres. Focus should be on both financial and residents' needs, not just monetary aspects.

We live in a beautiful county with valuable green spaces and a strong agricultural base. We believe access to nature offers enormous physical and mental health benefits, and everyone has the right to enjoy green spaces near their home.

Our farmers play a vital role in ensuring food security and maintaining a healthy rural landscape and economy. They need more support, not the neglect we have seen from the current Labour government.

As the effects of climate change and the global loss of nature threaten human well-being both now and, in the future, we in Buckinghamshire must take action to combat climate change and protect a healthy natural environment.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

We will

Provide stronger green space protections by speeding up the delivery of the Buckinghamshire Local Plan for housing and development.
Measure and double tree canopy cover across the county by 2050.
Establish an effective flood mitigation response team to coordinate with stakeholders, such as the Environment Agency, local landowners, town and parish councils and voluntary organisations, including resident groups, to improve flood prevention.
Work to access and secure all available funding for improved flood prevention measures.
Collaborate with private providers to improve the availability of electric vehicle charging points, including curb-side charging.
Support farmers and landowners in nature conservation efforts.

For a Fair Deal in Buckinghamshire.

Our Positive Plan

Residents deserve a council that ensures your tax is spent wisely and meets statutory obligations.

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

Across the country, there are examples of Liberal Democrat councils that have successfully delivered on housing:

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

Our fair deal for Buckinghamshire:

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