West Berkshire Liberal Democrats

Dear Alan,

I wanted to write to reassure you that the current reports in the media about Government plans to snoop on your emails are complete nonsense.

Liberal Democrats have always been, and will continue to be, opposed to a centralised database that allows government to monitor your internet activity at will.

That is not going to happen under these proposals and never will happen in a government that includes me and the Liberal Democrats.

The proposals being considered would simply update the current rules - which allow the police in criminal investigations to find out who was contacted and when - to cover new forms of technology that didn't even exist when the original laws were made, like Skype.

What this will not do is allow the government, or the police, or any other agencies, to read your emails and Facebook messages (or any other social media for that matter) at will. The content of your communications is currently, and will always be, protected by tough rules that mean a warrant is needed before any interception could take place.

Our party has a proud history of defending civil liberties which has continued in this Coalition Government.

We've scrapped ID cards, ended child detention for immigration purposes, stopped indefinite retention of innocent peoples' DNA, restored the right to protest in Parliament Square, scrapped control orders and ended 28-day detention without charge - to name but a few!

And as long as Liberal Democrats are in Government we will continue to fight for everyday freedoms that our party has long held dear.

Yours,

Lynne Featherstone MP

Freeing the poor from Tax, Building a Greener Economy and pumping billions into our schools is just the beginning - we need people like you today to help build a better Britain

Over 20 million working people will be better off next year after Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government delivered the biggest ever increase in the income tax personal allowance in the Budget.

The massive £3.5bn tax cut for working people delivers:

• The biggest ever single uplift in the tax threshold
• A personal allowance of £9,205 in April 2013
• 21 million working people getting an extra £220 tax cut
• Brings the total tax cut for basic rate tax payers to £550
• Brings the total number of people lifted out of tax to 2 million.

Tory Councillors in Falkland vowed to 'Stand up for our community' if elected in Falkland. Unfortunately when the community is against the Sandleford development which is set to congest the roads, put unnecessary stress on our schools and destroy our beautiful countryside - The Tories don't stand up, they stand aside.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg used his speech to the Party's Spring conference in NewcastleGateshead to call for the forthcoming budget to be a "budget for fairness" and pledged that it would help working familes.

The Deputy Prime Minister pledged that by 2015 Britain would have seen an end to control orders, the first gay marriages and the first elections to the House of Lords.

Fairer taxes, promoting green jobs, protecting your civil liberties - these are just some of the achievements of the Liberal Democrats in government.

We're building a freer, greener and more liberal country - and stopping some of the worst excesses of the Conservatives. Find out more in this infographic.

At the Budget setting council meeting last week the Conservative Leader of West Berkshire Council admitted that providing services to the neediest was not his priority. This rubbishes the claim that they are 'Caring for and Protecting the Vulnerable' found on the front page of their new Council Strategy.

Concerns have been raised about some of the "savings" in the Children & Young People directorate. Particularly the proposal to reduce the school improvement team by 3.2 people (saving £185,000), removing the school meals subsidy - which will increase the cost of meals to between £2.15 and £2.30, and reducing the grants to voluntary organisations for respite care by 50%. Careless Tory cuts once again target the most vulnerable in Theale.

Lib Dem Councillor Macro together with parish councillors, attended a meeting arranged by Reading Buses this morning to discuss their proposal to re-route the Jetblack 1 bus service away from Theale High Street. They want to serve Theale station and better serve the ArlingtonBusinessPark. However, they are also concerned by delays caused by hold-ups crossing the roundabout on the A4 and in Theale High Street.