Now Government should help pensioners, says Theo

AN urgent income tax cut to help pensioners has been called for by West Somerset Parliamentary candidate Theo Butt Philip (pictured).
The Liberal Democrat candidate last week said pensioners’ lost income from interest on savings due to Bank of England rate cuts was a price worth paying for the greater good of the country.
Now, Mr Butt Philip, of Wells, wants the Government to help pensioners who will lose income on their savings as a result of the record-low interest rate.
He said: “While the Bank of England was right to cut interest rates for the sake of the economy as a whole, the Government must take action to help those who will lose out.
“Pensioners who supplement their State pensions with personal savings will be badly hit by the latest interest rate cut.
“The Chancellor should raise the income tax personal allowance so that those on low incomes pay no income tax at all.
“This, combined with abolishing the unfair council tax, would provide much needed relief for those who are suffering.”

Income cut for pensioners is price worth paying to save economy says Lib Dem candidate

PENSIONERS and others in West Somerset who had managed to put away money in savings would have to suffer a loss of income for the greater good of the country, the district’s Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate said today.
Theo Butt Philip (pictured) was speaking after yesterday’s Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to cut interest rates to a record low of one per cent.
Mr Butt Philip, who lives in Wells, said: “The bank was right to cut interest rates.
“It is a desperate, but necessary, measure.
“The current economic situation is a very difficult one, and this cut will not help savers.
“However, for the sake of the economy as a whole, it is imperative that we get people spending again.
“The interest rate cut alone will not be enough to see us through these difficult times.
“The Government must do everything it can to increase the flow of credit.
“That means temporarily nationalising those banks which are already majority owned by the taxpayer and directing them to increase lending.
“Furthermore, the Government should bring forward investment in capital programmes and in projects to protect the environment.
“By building more social housing, insulating our current housing stock, and investing in railways, the Government could create jobs, stimulate the economy, and create assets which will be of real long-term value to the country.”

Theo blasts Government for refusing crisis loans to hard-up families

THE Government has been criticised for refusing crisis loans to thousands of people, many believed to be local to West Somerset.
It follows the discovery the Liberal Democrats that applications for the loans, aimed at low-income families and pensioners unable to obtain credit elsewhere, rose by more than a third last year to 117,760.
But in the Westcountry, 35,200 people had their application turned down by the Government last year.
The figures come at a time when the Government has been encouraging banks to increase lending.
Theo Butt Philip (pictured), Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset said: “People who apply for crisis loans are desperate and have nowhere else to turn, yet too often they get turned away when they need to get help.
“It is very worrying that with the recession hitting the South West hard, even more people will turn to the Government for help.
“Yet, the evidence for the past year is that more and more people will be turned away by Government-run JobCentre Plus.
“At a time when the Government is demanding that the banks lend more, here we have the Government itself doing the opposite.
“The Government has got to practice what it preaches to the banks and make more cash available to families through these loans.”

New woman takes the helm for constituency's Lib Dems

FORMER Sedgemoor district councillor Marilyn Wallace (pictured) has taken over as chairman of Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency Liberal Democrats.
Mrs Wallace succeeds Janice Beasley, who lives in Cannington and who had been chairman for the past three years.
She was elected at the branch’s annual meeting of Bridgwater and West Somerset LibDems held in Nether Stowey.
Mrs Wallace, who lives in Chedzoy, said: “This will be an exciting and busy year as there will be both county council and European elections.
“We must also be prepared for a General Election when it comes.
“I am looking forward to working with our Parliamentary candidate Theo Butt Philip, our members, and supporters, and hope to encourage new people to join us in our social and campaigning events.”
Mr Butt Philip said: “Marilyn has been involved in the Lib Dems locally for many years as both an activist and a district councillor.
“Her experience will be invaluable.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Janice Beasley for the sterling work she has done as chairman for the last year.
“She has been a great source of strength and support to me and to the whole of the Bridgwater and West Somerset Liberal Democrats.”

MP Lembit rallies West Somerset's Lib Dems

LIBERAL Democrats from across Somerset converged on the Phoenix Centre, Watchet, on Saturday to hear MP Lembit Opik speak at the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency annual dinner.
Two former Parliamentary candidates for the constituency, Christina Baron (1979) and Ian Thorn (2001), also attended, as did current Lib Dem candidate Theo Butt Philip.
After a meal prepared by volunteers from the Phoenix Centre, the speakers were introduced by former county councilor Fay Ross-Ward, president of the constituency party.
Mr Opik, who is MP for Montgomeryshire, spoke on current political events in his trademark humorous manner.
He rallied local Lib Dem campaigners, reminding them that in 1997 the party came within 2,000 votes of winning the seat, and he believed that with hard work they could win at the next election.
Mr Butt Philip thanked Mr Opik and went on to rally local members for the coming county council and General Election campaigns.

• Our photograph shows Lembit Opik (left) with Theo Butt Philip outside the Phoenix Center. Photo submitted.