Tessa Munt and the Liberal Democrats are main challengers to the Conservatives in the Wells Constituency.

Tessa Munt is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Wells Constituency

Tessa can be contacted by post at Freepost BS8452, Somerset BA4 4BR; by email on tessa@tessa4wells.com or by telephone on 01278 641494.

SAVE SOMERSET'S POST OFFICES

Tessa Munt and MP Lembit Opik campaigning locally

The Conservative record

3,500 Post Offices closed during the Conservatives' time in office.

Conservatives in government failed to take action to save the Post Office network, not realising the value of local Post Offices to local people.

In opposition, nothing's changed! 10 years after being kicked out of government, the Conservatives still do not have a plan to save the Post Offices.

The Labour record

4,000 Post Offices have closed so far under Labour and they plan to close at least 2,500 more.

The Labour Government has systematically stripped services from the Post Office - £168 million in the last year alone. Post Offices Ltd made an operating loss of £111 million. A complete lack of joined-up thinking from the Government is largely responsible for the current Post Office crisis.

The Lib Dem vision for Britain's Post Offices

Lib Dem plans would give a real investment of £2 billion in the Post Office, would increase the services offered locally and improve the network so every community needing a Post Office gets one. We are the only Party with a fully - funded plan to save the Post Office, giving it a long-term future, not just managing its decline.

Our plan would see:

• £2 billion invested in the Post Office network;

• New branches opening where needed;

• The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it

develop new business

• Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office

Please sign our petition to help save Somerset's Post Offices, follow the link below

www.savesomersetspostoffices.org.uk.

Lib Dems Pledge funding for PCSOs in spite of Government U-Turn

Jim with the PCSOs

The arrival of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), has been hugely popular in Somerset and so everyone was delighted when in June 2006, the government pledged to increase the funding for new recruits. However, the Home Office later did a u-turn and reduced this funding by a third. The Avon & Somerset Police Authority and the Liberal Democrats at County Hall were bitterly disappointed with this, so much so that whilst the Police continued to bid for funding, the councillors committed to underwrite the shortfall up to an estimated half a million pounds.

At this week's Executive Board meeting, the figures were looked at in detail and the proposal passed for an additional thirteen PCSOs to be funded by the County Council and hopefully another thirteen, funded jointly by the five district councils (who haven't committed to this as yet). The maximum level of funding now available would provide a total of 137 PCSOs in Somerset, 70 and 67 in Somerset East and West respectively and whatever else happens, the Liberal Democrats' commitment will bring this figure up to 150.

Cllr. Jim Mochnacz, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, commented after the meeting:

One of the major outcomes hoped for, is to tackle alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly tackling sales of alcohol to minors through test purchasing and it would be possible for a PCSO to be used for this. Therefore, in addition to the core service provision of 150 posts, it is agreed that Somerset County Council totally funds two additional specialist PCSO posts (one in each Policing District) to be 'seconded' to the county's Trading Standards department. They will work specifically with trading standards officers checking for under age sales of alcohol in pubs, clubs and off-licenses.

"Communities are strongly identifying with their PCSOs and are reaping the benefits of having them. Besides tackling under-age drinking, our agreement with the police involves the PCSO helping in many other areas, such as; truancy, violence and bullying, responding to public concerns within a reduced time-scale and dealing with doorstep crime, scams and rogue traders. This is why the Liberal Democrats have promised this funding for three years, to get the posts well established."