The Liberal Democrats policies announced this week on education would have a great effect on school in Southampton. Currently under a Labour government councils across the country are forced to keep class sizes at around 30 pupils per class, under Liberal Democrat plans extra funding would be made available to local authorities to make average class sizes for Infant school 20 pupils per class and for junior school 25 pupils per class.

The past couple of weeks have seen a series of meetings to discuss the future of schools in Harefield, Bitterne Park and Townhill areas of Southampton. David Goodall, the Parliamentary spokesman for Southampton Itchen, attended all the public to hear to concerns of the parents.

David is very interested in these matters because he is also the local councillor for West End parents whose children attend at Moorlands Infants, Townhill Infants and Townhill Junior School, as well as, a Local Education Authority governor at Townhill Infants and a parent at Townhill Juniors.

Southampton Liberal Democrats have selected David Goodall to fight the Southampton Itchen seat and Steve Sollitt for the Southampton Test seat at the General Election, expected in May. The Liberal Democrats are the up and coming party in Southampton and since the last general election have become the largest political group on Southampton City Council.

A packed public meeting at the Parish Centre heard of a large number of individual concerns over the traffic problems caused by large crowds at the Rose Bowl. In true cricketing fashion fielding the questions were the top two members of the Rose Bowl management team Nick Pike and Geoff Cox.

Also under close inspection was Inspector Paul Newstead, the Police Officer in charge of controlling traffic flows.

Firstly may I thank the Parish Council for organising this meeting. It builds on the informal meetings that the both the HEWEB committee has had with both Inspector Newstead and Geoff Cox in the past and the excellent work that Kerry Payne has done on behalf the Telegraph Road residents association to highlight various issues.

Eastleigh Liberal Democrats were today presented with a national award in recognition of their achievements in boosting party membership and involving its members in the party's activities.

The Penhaligon Award - which is awarded each year to a different constituency party - was presented at the Liberal Democrat National Conference in Bournemouth shortly before the leader's speech.

Recently a team a local young people from the Millennium Volunteers did a sponsored paint in West End. Eastleigh Borough Council sponsored them to paint railings in High Street, decorate at Merlyn House, and paint the Hilldene Centre Gates.

These young people did a great job and what are they going to do with their hard earned cash you may ask ? Well it's not party the night away, as some might think. They are actually raising funds to take disabled people for a good day out at the Queen Elizabeth Centre.

After months of public discussion it has been decided not to close Moorlands Infants School. Many parents on the Townhill estate, West End were extremely concerned over the schools future.

Liberal Democrat Southampton City Councillor Calvin Horner, the city council's executive member for education, has both ordered a review of all the place school places in the neighbour and a feasibility study look at turning the school into a 210-pupil primary school.

A meeting of the full council at Eastleigh Borough passed a motion calling on the Government to scrap the unfair and greatly disliked Council Tax and called for it to be replaced with the fairer Local Income Tax.

After much debate by all sections of the council the following motion submitted by Liberal Democrat Councillor Steve Sollitt was passed :-

Well we all have probably heard the saying that there are only two certainties in life - Death and Taxes.

Generally people recognise that taxes are required the point that most people make is that taxes should be fair.

The proceeding local tax the poll tax was widely recognised as unfair and the result was wide spread non-payment, protests in the street and eventually even the government listened.

Well we have had some very interesting speeches on this budget tonight. And we also had a briefing on the background to the budget by Nick Tustian, the council's head of Financial Services last Tuesday.

The two main elements that came out of the briefing were the need to keep healthy balances at a minimum level of 10% of net spend, and that currently expenditure exceeds income by about £500k per year.

Most of us live fairly normal, if hectic lives, working, taking kids to school, pursuing various hobbies and interests etc …

However, recently those of us living in the Culvery Gardens area would have been struck by the appeal of John & Jenny Smith on behalf of the P.D.G. TRUST. Their life is anything but normal. It is one of extraordinary love and care for their "…adopted very profoundly and seriously afflicted son", who requires "…2:1 care 24 hours a day, and needs resuscitating several nights a week". Their son Jason is now 15 years old, although he was not expected to see his fifth birthday, and the task of care has recently increased as his illness reaches its final stage. John has had to change his full-time job to part-time one to help his wife Jenny in this full-time care, and they have also had to employ two assistants to help them. This care is now taking its toll on their finances and so they are reliant on social benefits and charity donations.