GREEN BOOST FOR LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AS GLOUCESTERSHIRE HEADS FOR CONFERENCE

11.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 16th Sep 2007

LIBERAL Democrats from Gloucestershire have welcomed the results of an audit of policies of the three main political parties that shows Menzies Campbell's party as the best for the environment.

The audit was carried out by a group of major environmental organisations, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust and WWF-UK.

It awarded the parties "green lights" according to how green their policies were. The Conservatives scored zero, Labour one and the Liberal Democrats three.

Speaking at a meeting of Liberal Democrat members about the forthcoming party conference in Brighton, Cllr Roger Brown, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Environment, said the verdict was a great boost for the Liberal Democrat group.

"This audit has confirmed what we have been saying in Gloucestershire for years," said Cllr Brown. "Liberal Democrats are leading the battle of ideas for protecting the environment and cutting the pollution people cause.

Over the last year the Liberal Democrat group have secured a commitment to carbon reduction from the County Council and led the campaign to investigate the use of tidal energy in the Severn. The recent flooding problems have put a strain on the Council's budget and there is now talk of reducing funds for the Council's green projects. The Liberal Democrat will be opposing this every step of the way."

Roger Continued

"At the party conference next week Liberal Democrats will be debating plans that will put us even further ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. These include plans to shift more people from domestic flights to a greatly improved high speed rail system.

"The party will also discuss plans for cutting income tax by 4p in the pound to 16p, paid for by shifting more of the tax burden onto pollution."