The campaign to end Hounslow's expenses scandal and reform our democracy
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REFORM OUR DEMOCRACY
LOCAL DEMOCRACY
Cllr Andrew Dakers' and Hounslow Liberal Democrats are proposing to reinvigorate our local democracy with action in a number of key areas:
  1. Greater Executive accountability;
  2.  
    Reinvigorate full council;
  3. Signpost how decisions are made and how citizens can influence decisions;
  4. Revise the concept of “consultation” to a new process of “reaching agreement through dialogue”;
  5. 100 citizen scrutiny call-in;
  6. More online democracy;
  7. Strengthen links to Youth Council;
  8. Transparent links to and monitoring of outside bodies;
  9. Empower local area committees;
  10.  Put the environment at the heart of local government decision-making;
  11.  Fair allowances and annual reporting;
  12.  Establish a convention on relations between political parties;
  13.  Through the Sustainable Communities Act Hounslow should explore changing the local voting system.

 
Download the full proposals: Reinvigorate our local democracy in Hounslow.
 
NATIONAL REFORM - THE UK PARLIAMENT

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats are calling for:
  1. Constituents to have the right to sack their MP;
  2. Constituents to know MPs can't be bought off by party donors;
  3. Constituents to have the right to find out what government is doing;
  4.  
    A cut in the power of government;
  5. Peoples' votes to count.

 

For all the detail on the proposals, download Nick Clegg's 100 day plan to reform our democracy.
 
REFORMING EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the following reforms of our democracy at a European level...

  1. European Union (EU) Council of Ministers must meet in public when it passes laws;

  2. Give local and regional authorities a greater say in the design and management of regional projects funded through the EU so that local people have a better say in how the money is spent;

  3. Toughen controls on EU countries and the EU itself to ensure the responsible spending of EU money.  Both countries and EU institutions should be named, shamed and fined for repeat offences – for example the Rural Payments Agency for England and Wales has a poor track record of using EU funds;

  4. Wholesale reform of the EU budget so that money is spent only on the things the EU really needs to do and there is a more rational system for contributions by member states.  This means in particular further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy;

  5. End unnecessary spending on the organisation of the EU institutions themselves.  Scrapping the European Parliament’s monthly move to Strasbourg and basing it permanently in Brussels would save around ?200m a

    year;

  6. Give MEPs and MPs greater power so that EU institutions can be held properly to account;

  7. Give extra powers to national parliaments to scrutinise and object to EU proposals;

  8. Ensure the European Parliament has the power to scrutinise and amend EU justice and home affairs agreements

    such as on data protection, privacy and fundamental legal rights;

  9. Open up European meetings and give clarity over the legislation that has been agreed at the EU level.  We want the UK Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament to hold Ministers to account for the positions they take in Europe;

  10.  The UK Prime Minister should explain his approach on issues in front of Parliament both before and after

    attending European Council meetings;

  11.  Introduce regular European Affairs Question Time in Parliament so that MPs can question Ministers on the positions they take in Europe;

  12.  End the UK Government using EU rules as an excuse to enact burdensome and centralising regulations -- the so-called “gold-plating of EU rules;

  13.  All MEPs and candidates must sign a binding Code of Conduct on the use of their parliamentary allowances -- as Liberal Democrats have already done.  This must include making public the names of all staff, including family members, and strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the European Parliament rules;

  14.  Continue to work to reform MEPs expenses, ensure transparency and end the abuses that have undermined public confidence in the European Union.