Today (Thursday, 16 January) the West Midlands Liberal Democrats formally announce Beverley Nielsen as candidate for the region’s Mayoral election, taking place on Thursday May 7.
Beverley Nielsen is a Councillor on Malvern Hill District Council, holding the Economic Development Portfolio and having gained a great understanding of the region’s strengths and priorities both as candidate during the 2017 West Midlands Mayoral election and having worked in the region over the past 20 years.
Liberal Democrat candidate for West Worcestershire, Beverley Nielsen has welcomed the announcement from the national party to start the largest tree-planting programme in history to help fight the climate crisis:
“With national tree week kicking off on Saturday I am committed to ensuring the level of tree cover is doubled in West Worcestershire. This is exactly the level of ambition we need to show if we are to ensure that the global world temperature increase remains below 2°C ; any higher the IPCC is warning, will have a devastating effect on our climate.”
Last night, we held our Liberal Democrat manifesto launch event in Camden, North London, where Jo Swinson laid out our ambitious government plans for both people and the planet.
In her speech, Jo emphasised that the Liberal Democrats are the only party that can take votes away from the Conservatives, the only party that will stop Brexit and the only party that can build a brighter future for our country.
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for West Worcestershire Beverley Nielsen has been speaking about the escalating crisis in the NHS:
“Despite the continued and unwavering dedication of our healthcare professionals, it is shocking to learn of the ongoing performance failures of our Worcestershire Acute Hospital. It is saddening to hear patients in West Worcestershire being abandoned, be it waiting for hours for treatment in A&E or for months in pain for routine operations. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust needs to improve and this government are not the people to demand and enforce this change.
Responding to the news that Nigel Farage's Brexit Party will not be standing a candidate in West Worcestershire, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate Beverley Nielsen said:
“Nigel Farage's comments show he is running scared of the Liberal Democrats as the strongest Remain party in areas like West Worcestershire. He knows that we are the only true Remain party at this election that can take seats like this from the Conservatives and stop Brexit.
“Boris Johnson's Conservatives and the Brexit party are now one and the same. Both want to see an extreme Brexit that will damage our local economy, public services and limit opportunities for our children and grandchildren.
“Voters in West Worcestershire have a historic opportunity at this election to elect a Liberal Democrat MP, stop Brexit and build a brighter future for our country."
Lib Dem PPC for West Worcestershire, Beverley Nielsen, says that the government’s top-down development policies are failing our beautiful county.
She is calling for greater freedoms to give our local councillors the powers to produce a plan that meets our real household needs and not one that is stacked in favour of developers, every step of the way.
Her proposals would see local authorities having the ability to identify sites more proactively and set in place the conditions to meet our own growth plans through a vision for a smarter, greener, fairer place. This would remove the need to comply with the government’s ‘Standard Methodology’ – the same formula used in calculating the ‘new homes need’ in Westminster as in Malvern Hills – and required to ensure a five-year housing supply as part of our Local Plan.
Associate Professor Cllr Beverley Nielsen IDEA Institute, Birmingham City University
In writing this piece today, Sunday 20thOctober, I had hoped greater clarity would be emerging after the ‘Super Saturday’sitting of the House of Commons.
With such a thing not having occurred in 37 years, the scene was set for the government to drive through the PM’s new withdrawal agreement, Saturday being the last opportunity to avoid having to ask for an extension of Article 50 under the European Union (Withdrawal) (No.2) Act 2019, known as the Benn Act.
However, clarity remains as elusive as ever as we battle to comprehend not only where we are, but where we are going.
Action lines have opened up on four fronts – in government, in Parliament, in court, and across the EU, with business doing its best to simply get on with things regardless.
The Liberal Democrat candidate for West Worcestershire has had her say on yesterday’s High Court ruling.
After the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully in suspending parliament, Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Beverley Nielsen, said: “This is an extraordinary day for democracy. You can’t ride roughshod over the principles which make this country great.
“The ruling that the suspension of parliament by our Prime Minister was unlawful is momentous. He aimed to frustrate Parliament’s core functions in its ability to scrutinise the executive at this crucial time for our country.
“It’s incredible our democracy owes so much to one individual, Gina Miller, in bringing two constitutional cases over the past few months.
“We owe her a great debt as a nation, together with the actions of those who brought the case to the Scottish Court of Sessions.”
A COUNCILLOR from Malvern says an industrial site “makes Gullet Quarry look safe”.
District Councillor Paul Bennett visited the Cemex site in Ryall to look at the deterioration of the site and said: “The County Council expected this site to be restored and landscaped on cessation of quarrying work. Does this look landscaped? It makes Gullet Quarry look safe.
“What we have been left with here is a site that’s not been restored as was expected. It’s clear that it’s not being looked after and our environment is the loser.”
Both Cllr Bennett was joined at the site by Lib Dem PPC for the area Beverley Nielsen, who said: “When people put up signs saying ‘Danger, Quicksand, Stay Away,’ it’s clearly not restored land and it’s a real worry for local people.
“Who would have thought we’d be left with acres of dangerous quicksand in the Malvern Hills area?”
MALVERN’S MP and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate have each reacted to this week's goings on in Parliament.
Beverley Nielsen says Boris Johnson “has little interest in healing the divisions that have riven our country since the referendum” - after the Prime Minister lost his first commons vote by 27 votes.
In the vote, the government was defeated by 328 votes to 301, with 21 Conservative MPs voted to take control of Wednesday’s parliamentary agenda.
Mrs Nielsen said: “Johnson is obsessed with the 17.4 million who voted to Leave. Given this, he’s trying to out-Brexit the Brexit Party in blatantly promoting a no-deal Brexit.
“He’s ignoring the government’s own advice about serious shortages of fuel, food price increases and shortages of vital medicines, with disruption at our ports impacting farmers’ and businesses’ integrated supply chains. "
