In their bold local election manifesto, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to rebuild the local economy and maintain a balanced budget, so that Milton Keynes can recover from COVID-19.

The Group have said that they will:

• Support training in industries of the future and encourage lifelong learning.
• Provide residents with advice when it comes to career changes and retraining.
• Support and develop the existing Economic Recovery Plan for Milton Keynes.
• Encourage the growth of small businesses, the potential relocation of head offices to our city, and long-term, inward investment by providing advice and support.
• Lobby the government to provide financial support for our high streets.
• Work with partners to ensure local organisations and businesses are getting the support they need now the Brexit transition period is over.
• Ensure scrutiny work within the Council is upheld with appropriate financial backing.
• Work to balance the budget for another year and maintain Council reserves.
• Fight for fair funding for Councils through the Local Government Association.
• Support plans such as the Oxford to Cambridge Development Arc, the new Milton Keynes University, Plan:MK and the Strategy for 2050.

Liberal Democrat Finance Spokesperson, Councillor Robin Bradburn, said: “The future of Milton Keynes now depends on how our economy recovers from the impact of COVID-19. As a Council we must do everything in our ability to put in place the infrastructure and support for businesses to thrive again. By doing this, we will attract businesses, investment, and jobs, as well as achieving a further balanced budget so we can continue to maintain reserves which have proved so essential during the pandemic.”

Robin added: “Some of our residents will unfortunately face redundancy and unemployment, so we have a plan to support retraining and lifelong learning. We will fight even when things are out of our control, for instance by lobbying the Conservative government to give our high streets the financial support they need.”