Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats

New figures reveal that in Oxfordshire 3,600 people benefitted from an apprenticeship last year, an increase of 42%.

This news comes as the Coalition Government has launched the National Apprenticeships Week, which will seek to build on last year's success with events in schools and businesses.

Commenting, Cllr. Zoé Patrick, Liberal Democrat Group Leader said:

Chairman In difficult financial times I would like to support the Cabinet in providing a Countywide Dial-a-Ride Service in Oxfordshire.

Dial-a-Ride is a much valued and necessary service enabling mobility impaired and frail people to get out and about to do such things as shopping and visiting friends, etc. For many of the people it serves it is the only day of the week that they can get outside the four walls of their homes. The fact that their carer is able travel free of charge with them makes the service so much easier to use and be enjoyed.

As members of the Cabinet are aware, the Liberal Democrat group have long maintained the value of the Food with Thought service to our schools and for that reason have always called for the Property and Facilities contract to be allowed to have that part of the contract separate. However, we appear to be at a situation now where the Cabinet has now made up its mind to pursue this option of having the service included in the contract as the way forward.

Post Offices in Oxfordshire have been saved by Liberal Democrat Business Minister, Ed Davey.

After ending Labour's shameful Post Office closure programme, which saw more than 7100 Post Offices disappear in their 13 years in office, Ed Davey has announced that a ten-year deal between the Post Office and the Royal Mail has been reached.

Firstly Chairman as I haven't worked in the Real Time Passenger Information market for the last five years I no longer have to declare any interests as I did in the past.

There is no doubt that RTPI produces more passengers on buses given the confidence it gives to them that a bus is on the way. However, Chairman the evidence also shows that this fact is even more so where rural routes have gained RTPI information at the bus stops. It can be clearly argued that passenger usage on routes where the frequency of buses is 10 to 15 minutes is not increased as much as on routes where the frequency is say only 30 minutes or hourly. Chairman to stand at a rural bus stop with the confidence that a bus is coming as indicated by the RTPI display will increase the passenger usage and therefore make rural routes more robust and require fewer subsidies which in the long term will pay for itself. I would therefore hope that we will pay more attention to rural routes in the future.

Chairman this is a very comprehensive document designed so that we will have a chance of achieving our rail priorities in Oxfordshire.

In the executive summary in the first paragraph may I suggest after the words "and for leisure days out" we add "holidays, etc." Merely saying days out does not cover the private use of the rail network.

Hot on the heels of the Coalition Government's approval for the East - West Rail Link and more recently the High Speed Rail 2 proposals, at Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 17th January, the Oxfordshire Rail Strategy was given the go ahead. This will now go out for consultation in February with a view to incorporate the final document into the latest Local Transport Plan 3. Liberal Democrats have welcomed the strategy as this will bring opportunities for business and the local economy and make public transport a viable alternative to our busy and congested roads in the county.

An extra £1,366,292 for social care in Oxfordshire will mean people can leave hospital earlier and receive better care at home.

This comes from an extra £150m announced by the Coalition Government this week to be spent on shortening hospital stays across the country during the busy winter period.

Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the cash can be used to access various preventative services such as better home care support, crisis response teams and specialist equipment for people in Oxfordshire.

At the recent Cabinet meeting on 20th December, Cllr. Zoé Patrick, Leader of the Opposition, questioned the County Council's Cabinet Member as to why the Common Hall Café are buying in their sandwiches from London instead of purchasing from a local company. This goes against the county's principle of supporting local businesses. Oxfordshire County Council has signed up to the Federation of Small Businesses' 'Keep Trade Local Campaign' - the Oxford part of which was launched back in November 2008.

The Coalition Government has announced councils and charities across England will receive £20m of funding to provide vital help to vulnerable people living in cold homes.

In Oxfordshire £160,000 will be spent providing practical support to people in the county who are in most need. The money could also be used to buy emergency electric blankets and fuel vouchers to cope with extra winter demand. There will also be a media messaging service giving people the consistent advice and help they need.