Liberal Democrats, Labour and Green Councillors teamed up on Tuesday 23 May 2017 to challenge Conservative Council leader Izzi Seccombe's attempts to restrict democracy and accountability in Warwickshire.

It's the job of opposition councillors to scrutinise and hold the decision makers to account to ensure best value for the tax payer. However, the Conservatives have given all the chairs of Scrutiny Committees to members of their own party.

This election is important because it will set the agenda for the next five years as we negotiate our way out of the EU and the choices we make for our schools, the National Health Service, the police, the economy, the environment, infrastructure and housing.

Rugby and Bulkington needs a strong local champion who will stand up for the area. Jerry Roodhouse is a tireless campaigner who has a track record of promoting to great affect the interests and causes of people in Rugby.

Liberal Democrats have announced they would end years of pay restraint for nurses, teachers and police in Warwickshire by lifting the 1% cap on public sector pay and increases wages in line with inflation.

Under Liberal Democrat plans, the 5,126 teachers working in Warwickshire would get an average pay rise of £895 by 2021, while the 853 police working for Warwickshire Police would see their pay boosted by £471.

The plans would also lead to an estimated pay rise of £527 for the 1,925 nurses working in Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust by 2021, helping to tackle the shortage of nurses and potential strikes over pay this summer.

In contrast, the Conservative's public sector pay cap combined with rising inflation since the Brexit vote will mean that by 2021, the average nurse will be nearly £4,000 worse off.

The announcement comes as a survey by the Royal College of Nursing has revealed nine out of 10 nursing leaders say they are worried about their ability to recruit nurses and that there are an estimated 40,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby & Bulkington, Jerry Roodhouse, said:

"The NHS and our schools are struggling to recruit the staff they need and rising inflation not helped by Brexit means that prices in the shops are rising and living standards are falling. It's also been reported in the news that nurses are going to food banks just to get by. This is terrible and Theresa May doesn't seem to want to do anything about it. The Liberal Democrats believe a better future is possible. We will stand up for our schools and hospitals and give hard-working nurses, teachers and police the pay rise they deserve."

Jerry Roodhouse, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby and Bulkington has pledged his support for pub-goers and beer drinkers in Rugby by backing CAMRA's Election Manifesto.

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and its members are asking candidates to promote and celebrate Britain's 1,540 breweries and over 50,000 pubs by considering a range of measures to help make pub-going and beer drinking more affordable for UK consumers.

1,046 3-4 year-olds in Warwickshire would benefit from Liberal Democrats plans to triple funding for the early years pupil premium, with gives extra cash to nurseries, preschools and school receptions when they take on children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The cash would triple the funding to £1,000 per pupil per year - up from £302 in 2015-16. This will increase the allocation for local authorities in the Warwickshire County Council area from around £301,217 to £903,651 and will pay for every disadvantaged child who benefits to receive 570 hours of state-funded early education.

J erry Roodhouse, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby and Bulkington, has pledged his support to the Samaritans Local Action Saves Lives campaign to help prevent suicide in Rugby.

There are more than 6,000 suicides in the UK each year. It is the biggest killer of men under 50, and the biggest killer of young people aged 20-34. But it is not inevitable.

The Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto on Wednesday 17 May 2017, which reveals a raft of policies to give our children and young people a brighter future.

The Liberal Democrats have also pledged to increase income tax by a penny for every earner to fund a £6bn-a-year cash injection for the NHS and social care. Under the Lib Dem plan, 1p would be added to the basic, higher and additional rates of income tax and the rate of dividend tax from the next financial year, with the £6bn raised being ring-fenced for the NHS, social care and public health.

On Friday 5 May it was announced that the Special Council meeting of Rugby Borough Council that was due to be held on 25 May to consider the submission draft of Rugby's Local Plan has been postponed on the advice of senior officers.

The Local Plan sets out a vision, policies and proposals for future development and land use in Rugby Borough. The meeting will now take place on 21 June at the BENN Hall.

After months of campaigning Eastland Ward Councillors Neil Sandison, Sue Roodhouse and Dale Keeling have welcomed the news that repair work including upgrading the bandstand at Whitehall Recreation Ground will take place.

Rugby Borough Council is consulting on planned improvements to Whitehall Recreation Ground, after confirming that work to give the park a facelift has already started.

Rugby Liberal Democrats are very pleased to announce that Jerry Roodhouse will be our Parliamentary Candidate for Rugby & Bulkington at the 8 June General Election.

Jerry Roodhouse is a tireless campaigner and has a proven track record of promoting to great affect the interests and causes of the people of this area. Jerry operates at the community edge of politics. He is never afraid to challenge the establishment and be unpopular with officials and political opponents in pursuit of his constituents' interests. His common sense and no nonsense straight talking are needed at Westminster.