Gedling Liberal Democrats

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.

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.

In his keynote speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference, Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined his goals for the Government and the country over the coming years. He reiterated his commitment to liberal values on the environment and human rights and his determination to ensure a fair chance for every child, saying "every child can do good things, great things, if only we give them the opportunities they deserve."

The results for yesterdays Gedling Borough Council by election for Phoenix Ward are as follows:

Andrew Ellwood, Liberal Democrat - 566

Labour - 445

Conservative - 98

UKIP - 42

With just a few days to go, the Phoenix Ward by-election is shaping up to be a close contest between Labour and the Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Ellwood. Andrew lost out by just four votes in May but many former Labour voters are switching to the LibDems as they feel betrayed by the Labour Councillor resigning after just three months in the job. With Andrew Ellwood's record of hard work for the ward over the last four years, it is an easy switch for them to make.

Local campaigner and former Councillor Andrew Ellwood has been nominated to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Gedling Borough Council by-election on the 15th of September.

Despite a strong local record, Andrew lost by four votes to a Labour candidate in the Gedling Borough Council elections in May. The Labour Councillor resigned after only a few months to take a teaching job in Mexico. The by-election is expected to be a close contest between Andrew and Labour. In the May Elections the Conservatives failed to stand any candidates and finished a poor third in the previous Borough elections in the ward.

One of the newly elected Labour Borough Councillors for Phoenix Ward has announced that he is moving to Mexico! After only three months in the job, he has decided to up sticks and move abroad, letting down local voters who had every right to expect him to represent them on the Council for the next four years.This staggering lack of commitment has triggered a Gedling Borough Council by-election.

Liberal Democrat Councillors pressed for Council Car Parks to be made free for the first hour of use at a Borough Council Budget Meeting in March. This is the second year that Lib Dem Councillors have pressed for the first hour to be free.

Both the Tories and Labour voted down our proposals - the Tories wanting no free car parking at all, whilst Labour proposed free car parking but only in two thirds of the car parks (they were unable to say which car parks would be free under their scheme).