Manufacturers must scrap the “smorgasbord” of plastics which are used in packaging for key foods so that Bromley Council can reduce waste sent to landfill and increase recycling, Bromley Lib Dems are warning.

Analysis from the Local Government Association suggests that only a third of plastic used by households is able to be recycled. It found 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year but just 169,145 tonnes of this waste is able to be recycled.

The Lib Dems are calling for manufacturers to work with councils, including Bromley, to develop a plan to stop unrecyclable packaging from entering the environment in the first place. 

This week Transport for London (TFL), the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police released details of the ‘Vision Zero’ concept: aiming to eliminate all road deaths in the capital’s boroughs by 2041. The £2.2 bn strategy aims to tackle dangerous junctions, introduce 20mph zones in specified locations, and encourage sustainable modes of travel.

Bromley Lib Dems welcome this strategy, and call upon the Conservative Bromley Council to adopt many of the measures proposed. We would introduce 20mph zones around schools and around local blackspots. We would extensively consult local residents to determine where there was a desire for 20mph zones in residential areas, relying on local needs rather than town hall decree. We would also bin the ridiculous policy of relying on Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) figures to determine where action is needed. To achieve this, we would maximise Bromley’s share of central funding – something the Conservatives have consistently failed to do - in order to deliver safer road junctions and crossings across the borough.

There was a sense of frustration and missed opportunity at a meeting to discuss healthier streets in Bromley on Monday.  Hosted by Bromley Cyclists the meeting heard from representatives of TfL, Bromley Council and London Cyclists to discuss funding available from TfL for “Liveable Neighbourhood” schemes and other schemes to improve environments and promote safe and healthy modes of travel.   While there is funding available from TfL – as well as vision and inspiration from other parts of London that have seen huge benefits from imaginative schemes to help local areas – there’s still that overriding sense in Bromley that we’re different, we need our cars, what works in other parts of London won’t work in Bromley, and there’s little support for such schemes from within the Council. 

In a report commissioned by Bromley Council, St Olave’s school has been condemned for the harsh, unequal and illegal treatment of year 12 pupils who were refused a place in year 13 in July/August 2017.  The report also reveals gross misrepresentation of the school’s financial status in order to pressurise parents to increase their financial donations, funds for under privileged children that were never distributed, a questionable relationship with a private company that owned the St Olave’s brand, and huge profits made by the school from the sale of mock exam papers to prospective parents keen to help their children pass the entrance exam. 

Over 100,000 people marched through central London on Saturday 23rd June to demand a vote on the final Brexit deal.  Thousands of Liberal democrats joined the march including many Bromley Lib Dem members.   

The new owners of the Royal Bell in Bromley High Street opened their doors to the public on 6 June so the people of Bromley could see what the future might be for this valuable piece of Bromley's history.   They are planning a 5 star hotel with a significant extension at the back to provide enough rooms to make the enterprise financially viable.  

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted Liberal Democrat in the local election on 3 May.   Disappointingly we didn't win any seats, but saw a huge increase in our vote across Bromley and only missed out by 43 votes in one of our key wards, Bromley Town.  

We had Lib Dem candidates in all 60 seats for the first time in many years, and across the borough we nearly doubled our vote from 8% to 15%.   We came second in several seats, and overall we proved that the Lib Dems in Bromley are a force to be reckoned with. 

Nationally, the Lib Dems have had the best set of local election results for a decade, winning seats across the country.  We held every single Council and Mayoralty we were defending and took control of Richmond, South Cambridgeshire, Three Rivers and Kingston-upon-Thames. In total we've made net gains of +75 seats, more than any other party.  

Thank you to everyone who voted for change, it might not have come to Bromley this time but it is coming.   Why not sign up and help us - help us make that change - make Bromley a fairer place for all.  

Bromley police will merge with Sutton and Croydon police the Mayor of London has announced.  Bromley LibDems condemn this decision and ask all concerned Bromley residents to sign a petition calling on the Mayor to urgently reconsider this decision.  

"Bromley is geographically the largest borough in London, and the police here are already under strain - we lost 3 police stations just a few months ago.   Now our police cars will be expected to help in Croydon or Sutton - how on earth are they going to get back quickly enough to assist local residents?" said LibDem road safety campaigner Chloe-Jane Ross.  "We all know how much pressure the police are under due to Tory cuts, but while this might be a possible solution in inner boroughs, combining Bromley, Croydon and Sutton would create a huge area which in our opinion is just too big for one unit to cover without their own dedicated resources.   "

Bromley Council are one of the few London Boroughs that has not submitted  data to the new “Rogue Landlords” database launched by Mayor Sadiq Khan before Christmas.   

Records from 10 London boroughs have now been published on the database and a further 8 have said they intend to submit records in the next few weeks.  A notable exception is Bromley.  Lib Dem Campaigner Sam Webber called on Cllr Colin Smith,  Leader of Bromley Council, to commit to taking part in the database.  “With the lack of affordable housing in Bromley, more and more people find renting privately is their only option.   Fears of rogue landlords and agents make renters feel particularly vulnerable – by joining in this scheme Bromley Council will help to reassure renters that their prospective landlord or agent is not one of the unscrupulous few, while at the same time providing a deterrent to landlords against poor practice.”

Police in Greater London are facing a real-term cut of £26.3 million next year, the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

On 21 December the government announced that core funding for police budgets will remain exactly the same as last year.  Taking into account inflation, that means the Metropolitan Police will fall a real-terms cut of £26.3 million