Lionel Blackman - Candidate for Esher & Walton

Tell me your views!

Contact me on Lionel.Libdem@gmail.com or visit www.libdemlionel.me.uk

Politics is about serving individuals. My entire professional career of 26 years has been devoted to this and I have pursued rights and interests of thousands of Surrey residents against various government authorities and private corporations. Someone who will listen and translate talk into effective action and bringing bureaucracy to account is what people want.

I'm a Surrey man having lived in neighbouring Epsom since the age of 10, and having settled here after getting married. Like my two young children, I attended local schools including Sutton Grammar, North East Surrey College of Technology (where I later taught) and Guildford College of Law. I also sponsored a local junior football team.

Having run my own legal aid practice and employed six lawyers for many years, I will use these management skills to run an accessible, effective, office right in the heart of the constituency.

I will make an effective contribution in Parliament. Already in my career I have revolutionised attitudes to legal services - at considerable saving to the public purse. I was the first solicitor to break the monopoly of QCs by leading and winning a complex case before the highest court of the UK - the House of Lords (as it then was in 1999), and have undertaken numerous jury trials including successfully leading for the defence at the Old Bailey.

Parliament has been dominated for too long by a self-serving clique of MPs, and researchers/lobbyists turned MPs and look where it has led the reputation! I am not a member of this 'club', and believe it's time for some skilled outsiders to return Parliament to ordinary people.

As a fellow at South Bank University and chairman of the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, I have a broad perspective and have led international missions and represented the UK in important legal and diplomatic work overseas.

I was outraged by the MPs expenses scandal and it is what motivated me to stand for Parliament now. Like many of you, I regularly travel into central London from Surrey and I would NEVER have dreamt it was justifiable to have a second home paid for by the public instead of making that commute.

Esher and Walton can elect an MP to share the proven record of the FOUR Liberal Democrat MPs of nearby Twickenham, Kingston, Sutton, and Carshalton. All were entitled to claim second home allowances, all have a journey time equal to the Conservative Esher MP and the Conservative Epsom MP. The Conservative MPs claimed second homes. NONE of the Liberal Democrat MPs did.

When I was a councillor in Epsom and Ewell, I was the only one NOT to claim expenses. I thought it was about public service - putting something back. Life has been generous to me thus far and I regard being an MP is a public service and putting something back.

Take this chance. Vote for change. Restore Parliament's independence and dignity.

Contact me on Lionel.Libdem@gmail.com

Nick Clegg and Lionel Blackman campaign together to protect Kingston Hospital

Lionel says - "Beware scaremongering about local Income Tax"

If a local income tax were introduced in Surrey it would replace the Council Tax. What is uncertain is the extent to which it would replace the central government grants to Surrey County Council, Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey Police. Grants that make up altogether more than 50% of these authorities' combined revenue requirements.

No one is going to charged twice for the same services. So if local income tax rises to replace central government grant wholly or in part then national income tax will go down a corresponding amount. The equation has to lead to a zero net change to the average taxpayer's tax burden; but one that is distributed more fairly according to ability to pay.

So when it is rumoured that a local income tax would lead to rises for the average council tax payer of £2500 this is errant nonsense and highly misleading.

A local income tax would not be introduced nationwide until pilots of the new taxation system were successfully piloted in authorities wishing to adopt it.

The idea of local income tax is not just to establish a fairer tax - so, for example, an elderly person residing alone in the old family home is not penalised, but to reduce dependency on the central government grant and thus give greater autonomy to local government.

Lionel Blackman