“Today the Liberal Democrats send a clear message to the country: If you want to put right all the years of Conservative neglect, if you really want to make a difference but feel that Labour isn’t doing enough, then vote Liberal Democrat. Only the Liberal Democrats have the practical, targeted and fully costed policies for better schools, better hospitals and safer communities. And only the Liberal Democrats can be relied upon to work for you at the local level, to listen to your views and to make sure things get done.

“The Liberal Democrat record in local government is a record we are proud of. It is the reason why we have been trusted to run more than twice as many councils as the Tories. And it is the reason why three of the top five councils in last year’s Council of the Year competition were Liberal Democrat run councils. As a party, we pride ourselves on our ability to find new, innovative and cost effective solutions to local problems.

“So a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to get things done - a vote for smaller class sizes, for shorter waiting lists and for more bobbies on the beat. Every vote we get, and every seat we win, will be used to fight for better local services. Voting Liberal Democrat is the only way to make a real difference.”

“A year ago today, during the general election campaign, I said that if we were serious about expanding opportunities in this country, then we had no choice but to invest in our education system. That means no choice but to extend early years education, cut class sizes, buy more books and equipment and tackle the maintenance and repair backlog in our schools.

“I also said that if we were serious about improving the nation’s health then we had no choice but to invest properly in our National Health Service. That means no choice but to cut hospital waiting lists, recruit more front line staff, freeze prescription charges and restore key preventative health measures such as free eye and dental checks for everyone.

“And I said that if we were serious about making people feel safe in their streets and secure in their communities, then we had no choice but to provide the resources to get an extra 3,000 police officers out on the beat.

“The Liberal Democrats said we would do all these things AND we explained how we would pay for it. We made it clear that if people wanted better public services, they had to pay for them - a penny on the basic rate of income tax, 5p on a packet of cigarettes. Labour claimed to share our priorities but never spelt out how they would pay for them. We warned them that promises were just hot air unless the bill was attached. And we warned the voters that Labour was making promises they couldn’t keep. One year on, that is exactly what has happened. In Labour’s first year of Government their early pledges have fallen by the way-side. As we warned last year, you can’t stick to Tory spending limits unless you also stick to Tory cuts.

“Under Labour, class sizes are NOT smaller. They are the largest they have been for 20 years and are still rising.

“Under Labour, NHS waiting lists are NOT shorter. They are at record levels and still growing.

“Under Labour, there are NOT more police officers on the beat. There are fewer than there were when Labour came to power.