Teignbridge District Council secure funding from several schemes to encourage the move to electric vehicles.

Although most people will charge electric vehicles from either home or work, Teignbridge Council recognise that they can encourage the transition by the provision of chargers in car parks.

Rapid charge points have already been installed in Chudleigh and Buckfastleigh as part of a Highways England scheme.

A proposal to allocate £0.5 million to a district-wide post Covid recovery programme, put forward by Liberal Democrat councillors, was approved by South Hams District Council at last week's meeting [11^th Feb].

The Liberal Democrats have been calling for £500,000 - currently sitting in reserves - to be used to help local businesses and the community recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During this pandemic, carers have stepped up in very difficult circumstances to look after elderly, disabled and vulnerable people.

Carer's Allowance is just £67 a week. It's just not nearly enough.

Unpaid carers in particular are doing a remarkable and important job looking after our loved ones.

But many carers are facing extreme financial hardship.

Just like with Black History Month (October) or Disability History Month (which runs from November into December), it's typically filled with events (check ours out here) and discussion. LGBT+ History Month reminds us of the progress we've made, but also warns us about the injustices that we have only recently escaped - and injustices that are still with us.

During this pandemic, millions of people have stepped up heroically to look after elderly, disabled and vulnerable people.

Most carers are simply exhausted during coronavirus. Most haven't had a single break since the pandemic began.

A recent survey by Carers UK found that 81% of carers are spending more time on their caring responsibilities during the pandemic, mainly because the needs of the person they are caring for have increased or because the local care services they rely on have been reduced or closed.

For all of us, 2020 was a difficult year; some of us touched by death and many by loss of income, wellbeing and self-worth. So much has changed, and yet not changed.

Those of us with memories of SARS watched in concern at the British Government late and botched efforts to tackle COVID. We saw COVID-related hate crime spike as Chinese people were shunned, and verbally and physically assaulted. Internet memes depicting Chinese people as sources of COVID were widely shared.

The release of the government's white paper setting out legislative proposals that will result in profound changes to the provision of health care is only a small step in the right direction since it has failed to lay out a substantial plan for social care, despite consistent calls for reform.

Devon Liberal Democrats are calling for legislation on the funding of social care as a matter of urgency, as well as increasing the role of public health in preventing illness.

Councillor Alan Connett

Teignbridge District Council Leader
Lib Dem Group leader at Devon County Council

Welcome to the Weekly Whip. Your one-stop shop for Lib Dem Parliamentary updates, covering the week that was and the week to come.

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Weekly Whip w/c 8th February

Monday 8th February

Two Urgent Questions were accepted on Monday morning.

Silencing the BBC shows that the Chinese government has no intention on stopping its human rights abuses.

The Chinese government's BBC ban, in response to their reporting on the Uyghur genocide and other abuses, marks their latest move in an unacceptable crackdown on fundamental freedoms.

We've already seen the consequences of this in Hong Kong.