The government has changed the rules to make housing development easier on greenfield sites outside of designated town and village policy limits. Where councils don't have a five year supply of building land then the assumption is that development can take place on such sites unless there's a strong reason against, such as Green Belt designation. Whereas previously the existence of a neighbourhood plan also counted as a strong reason against, that has now been restricted to only include NPs less than two years old.

The Liberal Democrat Acting Leader has written an open letter to Conservative MPs urging them to "end the distractions" and support calls for scandal-hit Dominic Cummings to go, so the country can focus on the coronavirus emergency.

In his letter, the Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey urges all Conservative MPs to "put the interests of your constituents and country first, tell the Prime Minister that Dominic Cummings must go and end the distractions away from the fight against coronavirus.

The call comes as Opposition Parties demand an inquiry and as several Conservative MPs have broken cover to call for Dominic Cummings to quit, amid claims he broke coronavirus lockdown rules twice.

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

"Millions of people have made incredible sacrifices to stop the coronavirus. Even if the Prime Minister keeps his blinkers on, Conservative MPs cannot be oblivious to how angry people are with Dominic Cummings.

"Each minute the Prime Minister fails to act is another minute the Government is distracted from upscaling Britain's testing capacity, securing PPE for frontline workers and preventing the tragic deaths in our care homes.

"All Conservative MPs must stop defending the indefensible and put the health, well-being and economy of our country before efforts to save the Prime Minister's adviser."

Responding to a GMB survey that reveals four in five UK workers are worried about returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic, Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson Sarah Olney said:

"The Coronavirus crisis is leaving the most vulnerable at risk. Absolutely no one should be left suffering panic attacks with worry and being forced to go into the workplace until it is safe.

Liberal Democrat spokespoerson for SW Wiltshire, Ellen Nicholson said "Anxiety and worry is present across society at the moment, coronavirus has impacted so many people, not just those who are concerned about their safety returning to work, but those who have lost jobs and income as aresult of the pandemic".

"Any easing of the lockdown can only happen once the Government delivers a comprehensive strategy to test, trace and isolate to prevent a new surge. Sadly, the Prime Minister is creating more confusion than clarity by badly communicating his Government's plans.

"The Government is asking a lot of the public during this crisis, and the British people deserve clear, honest answers. Ministers must ease concerns by urgently setting out how they will support employers to adapt and create a safe work environment."

It may be a pathetic little change but at least it's something. The government is looking for a green dividend from coronavirus and is encouraging councils to open road space to pedestrians and cyclists. So WC is reducing the time pedestrians have to wait for the little green man to appear from 30 seconds to 15. There's no reason for any delay except to remind pedestrians of their inferior status, and to give them time to think that they really ought to aspire to be drivers. Here's the announcement:

Today stats released by the ONS highlight:
- Deficit/debt for April: highest monthly borrowing on record (going back to 1993)
- Retail sales for April: down 18% to a record low

• These figures show the devastating impact this crisis is having on our economy. People and businesses across the country are facing financial hardship, and it's right that the Government is using its ability to borrow money very cheaply to help save jobs.
• We must make sure that no one is left behind as we tackle this cruel virus. The Government must extend its support for self-employed people in line with the furlough scheme, and expand it to cover those who are currently left out, including the newly self-employed.
• As we recover from this crisis, it will be essential that the Government continues to invest to protect jobs and build a fairer, greener and more productive economy that works for everyone.

A complaint has been lodged against against a local conservative town councillor in #Trowbridge town over Facebook posts and claims they broke the authority's Code of Conduct.

The complaint is set to be independently investigated by Wiltshire Council's Monitoring Officer Mr Ian Gibbons.

The link is for the agenda to the Annual Meeting
https://www.trowbridge.gov.uk/…/2020/05/200519-Agenda-v2.pdf

The Liberal Democrats have announced a fresh leadership election timetable and plans to hold an online Autumn Conference - the first for any major political party - in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

At a meeting of the party's Federal Board last night, the party agreed to holding their leadership election from June through to August. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the contest will make use of online hustings and online voting.

President of the Liberal Democrats Mark Pack, who chairs the Federal Board, also confirmed the Liberal Democrats decision to hold a digital conference in the Autumn follows "careful consideration of the latest expert advice."

Liberal Democrat Party President Mark Pack said:

"Following careful consideration of the latest public health advice concerning the coronavirus pandemic, the Liberal Democrats are planning to run the biggest online conference in British politics.

"Conference plays a key role in our democratic party as well as being an important training and information exchange event. I am therefore pleased we will host an online alternative, the first for any major political party.

"I am also pleased to confirm the timetable to elect our next Leader. The sad state of our Government today shows how desperately the country needs a vision of an outward-looking, caring country that celebrates diversity and benefits from high-quality public services.

"With our party membership at record levels, I urge everyone else who shares our values to join us in the coming days and vote in the leadership election."

Yesterday evening, Tuesday 19th May 2020, via a pilot of a virtual meeting of Trowbridge Town Council, with lots of Conservative abstentions, a new mayor, deputy mayor and leader for Trowbridge Council were elected.

Peter Fuller (Conservative) was elected mayor for 2020-2021. Having held the post of Deputy Mayor of Trowbridge for the previous twelve months, He thanked outgoing mayor Cllr David Cavill for his efforts during the Mayoral year and also expressed his gratitude to those other councillors present for having elected him.