Cambridge Liberal Democrat Manifesto 1998 Introduction

There are many good things about Cambridge. Its people are, on average, relatively well off; it has some of the most beautiful buildings in Europe; it is a centre of technological innovation and academic excellence; it has a world famous teaching hospital; and it has a lively cultural life.

But all is not well. The City's environment is threatened by pollution and strangled by traffic. There is homelessness and there are pockets of real poverty. There is also a general malaise, a feeling that the City is not fulfilling its potential. This is coupled with a feeling that people have little say in what is done in their name and that the city is run for the benefit of others.

This programme sketches out some ways in which Liberal Democrats believe that local government in Cambridge can help to build on the best things about Cambridge and to tackle some of the problems.

Local government can only do so much. The change in government at national level has done nothing to reverse the enormous centralisation of power that Britain suffers from. Indeed the present prime minister seems more hostile to local autonomy than his predecessor. But local government can help itself by making sure that local administration sets high standards of service and efficiency.

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