As Liberal Democrats we a strong believers in devolution. The genuine relocation of decision making, together with the resources required to implement those decisions, to the geographic area where the benefits will be experienced is good for democracy, the economy and social cohesion. So we gave a cautious welcome to the creation in 2017 of a Tees Valley "city region" with an elected mayor.
This letter, from local Stockton man Frank Medhurst, puts the whole of the EU debate into perspective. It was published in the Guardian last week, and has had many shares, including it being tweeted by Jo Cox just before she held her final surgery.
Why don't Labour want to try to keep their manifesto promises? This week North East Liberal Democrat Lord Shipley moved a motion in the House of Lords to give 16 year olds the right to vote in council elections. Labour Peers didn't even bother to turn up for the vote.
On Saturday the Liberal Democrats' North Eastern Regional Conference called on the Government to put more money into cleaning up contaminated former industrial land and provide social & affordable housing, so reducing the need to cover agricultural land with houses on the outskirts of built-up areas.
What does the EU mean to local Business?
