Cheltenham MP Delighted at Lib Dem RSS Commitment and Issues Election Challenge

Martin Horwood, Cheltenham’s MP since 2005 and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for the town, has welcomed the specific Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment which will spell the end of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy that currently threatens green land around Cheltenham.

After co-writing the party’s policy on this issue which was confirmed by the Lib Dem conference last September this position has been re-affirmed in the party’s manifesto published today. The manifesto states ‘Liberal Democrats will abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and return decision making, including housing targets, to local people.’

Martin said ‘I am delighted that this explicit commitment to return housing targets to local control is in the manifesto in black and white. This means the end of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy and its unsustainable housing targets for Cheltenham and means that we can start to tackle homelessness without destroying the countryside.’

Martin has also challenged other candidates in Cheltenham to openly state their views on reforms that will help to restore public trust following the scandal over politicians’ expenses.

Martin has taken part in DEMREF 2010, the non-party election web initiative that allows voters to compare the reform policies of their candidates. He believes that all candidates should put themselves forward for voter scrutiny in this way, in the interests of openness and accountability. The campaign focuses on issues such as reform of the electoral system, fixed
term parliaments and reform of the House of Lords.

"Voters want to know where we stand on reforming politics following the expenses scandal that has seriously damaged public trust," Martin said. "I challenge my fellow candidates to take part in DEMREF 2010 so that the voting public can scrutinise our views and make an informed choice about which of us has the best policies for cleaning up politics."

DEMREF 2010 asks candidates for their views on fixed-term parliaments, free voting, the electoral system, open primaries, voting age, recalling MPs and House of Lords reform. There is also space for candidates to put forward their own favoured reforms.