Queen's Speech a disappointment for Devizes - Lib Dems

12.00.00am GMT Fri 9th Nov 2007

"A disappointing string of announcements with no vision" - that's the

verdict of Liberal Democrats in Devizes as local residents digest the

contents of the Queen's Speech, the government's plans for the coming

year.

In a message to residents, Wendy Johnson, local Parliamentary

Spokesperson said, "The West Country has suffered from extreme weather

this year, a result of global warming and climate change which is

caused by carbon emissions. The government's response is to bring in

a weak Climate Change Bill that lacks targets and the real action

needed to tackle the problem.

"Thousands of residents of Devizes Constituency are hit hard by

council tax, the unfairest tax around. But there was no mention of

scrapping it and replacing it with a fairer system based on ability to

pay.

"Many people in Wiltshire are unable to live in a home of their own

because the government has failed completely over the past decade to

ensure there is enough affordable housing. Yet the measures in the

Queen's Speech on housing will only scratch the surface of the problem

in Devizes.

"Gordon Brown has been at the heart of the Labour government since it

came to power over ten years ago. He has now been Prime Minister for

four months. Yet there is little in the way of a vision in the Queen's

Speech of where he wants to take the country.

"Much of it is a collection of knee jerk reactions, rather than a

picture of where Labour wants to take the country. And much of the

rest is about grabbing headlines by trying to look as if problems that

Labour have failed to tackle over the past decade are now being taken

seriously.

"Many people in Devizes Constituency will be disappointed by this

Queen's Speech from the government. What could have been a great

stride forward for both Devizes and the country has turned out to be a

timid mishmash that will get us nowhere."