Brentwood Liberal Democrats

It means that we have now secured a number of important changes to the Bill, including:

• Creating exemptions to the new offence of "entering or remaining in a designated area" so that it doesn't apply to aid workers, journalists, people visiting ill relatives or those attending funerals.
• Protecting journalism and academic research from the new offence of accessing terrorism-related material online.
• Requiring the Government to commission an independent review of the Prevent strategy.
• Limiting new powers to detain people at ports and airports to cases involving national security.

CALL FOR PAVING STONES HEEDED

A 'trip hazard' along Brentwood High Street has been repeaired after a local councillor highlighted the problem. Councillor David Kendall called on Essex County Council Highways to 'urgently repair' the section of pavement outside the Oxfam shop on Brentwood High Street back in August. After a number of paving stones had become loose along the High Street, Essex Highways repaired the section by filling them in with tarmac.

1. NHS 10 Year Plan

Our NHS badly needs support and everyone knows it. The Prime Minister was meant to put forward a ten year plan for the health service this year.

That didn't happen. Instead she has been forced to scramble for backbench support for her broken Brexit deal and run around Europe trying to grab last minute concessions.

Two years ago Brexit seemed inevitable. Now, with 117 Conservative MPs unable even to support the Prime Minister as Conservative leader, it is hard to see how she can get any version of her deal through when the Commons returns in January.

Meanwhile, 'no deal' is plainly unacceptable to all parties, except for the most extreme of Conservative backbenchers. Parliament is therefore in deadlock.

A toxic combination of exams, which needlessly heap pressure onto pupils from a young age; unhealthy competition between schools, leaving teachers dreading the next Ofsted inspection; and funding cuts which mean numbers of school nurses have been reduced, is having devastating consequences.

The NSPCC say the number of schools seeking help from mental health services is rising and on average, 183 children a day are referred to NHS child and adolescent mental health services.

Brexit is a national embarrassment

Brexit is a national embarrassment. The events of the last few weeks have proven that the government is in absolute chaos.

The Prime Minister pulled her Brexit vote; but if that wasn't bad enough her MPs' leadership challenge also spoke volumes: Conservative MPs can change their minds, but the British people cannot!

Earlier this year, we enjoyed our best council election results in 15 years. We snatched control of councils like South Cambridgeshire, Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond upon Thames from the Conservatives. And in cities like Hull, Sunderland and Liverpool, we gained ground against complacent Labour councils who've taken their residents for granted.

Next year over 9,000 council seats and the control of councils around the country will be in the balance. It's a huge chance to build on our successes and make more headlines for the Liberal Democrats.

1. Thersa May rules out revoking Article 50

The ECJ rules that No Brexit is an option but Theresa May blindly ploughs ahead with her broken deal. We were given the option to get out of this mess and Theresa May turned it down.

Only by having a People's Vote will Theresa May listen and cancel Brexit before it's too late.

After years of putting pressure on the Government, on Tuesday they agreed major concessions on the Tenant Fees Bill.

We campaigned to:

• significantly limit the fees that could be charged to a tenant by their landlord or lettings agent,
• require a greater amount of transparency when deciding not to refund a holding deposit, and
• limit the maximum security deposit a landlord can require to five weeks rent.

Yesterday I introduced a bill in Parliament to legalise cannabis for recreational and medicine use.

The evidence is clear - prohibition isn't working.

The war on drugs has been a catastrophic failure, leaving young people vulnerable to dangerous strains of cannabis sold by dealers who have absolutely no interest in their welfare.