STEPHEN LLOYD

THE INDEPENDENT

Stephen (Anthony Christopher) Lloyd was born on the 15th of June 1957. He is a British Liberal Democrat politician and current MP for the constituency of Eastbourne in the House of Commons (@ January 2019).

Born in Kenya, Lloyd was privately educated in Surrey, before working first as a commodity broker and then in business development roles. He moved to Eastbourne to launch a political career, becoming the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate and then MP for the town.

First elected in the 2010 general election, he served for all five years of the 2010-15 UK Parliament and supported the Cameron–Clegg coalition. Having lost his seat in the 2015 general election, Lloyd went on to regain it at the 2017 general election.

Lloyd serves as the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Lloyd has described himself as a “business-wing” liberal, in favour of light-touch regulation except in the case of investment banking.

He is in favour of promoting apprenticeships as a viable career development alternative to university, suggesting the creation of a 'Royal Society of Apprentices' to improve the low perception of apprenticeships.

REFILL PLASTIC FREE EASTBOURNE -  Worried about the Liberal emptying of our plastic discards into the oceans, local MP Stephen Lloyd, was curious to know how machines like SeaVax might realistically be deployed in sufficient numbers to make a difference, given the scale of the problem, spread over five oceans (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific & Southern) umpteen Seas and hundreds of international borders (beaches).

According to the Cleaner Ocean Foundation the secret is not a secret. They have published a World Ocean Action Plan, spread over 10 years at an estimated cost of $35 million dollars, or roughly $3.5M a year before the planet sees any payback. These are not for profit estimates, where the Foundation is a charity.

Essentially, once the prototype is developed, the Foundation then gives the design away to operators all over the world on a free basis, also providing technical and international geographical operational support. The idea is to make ocean plastic recycling economically viable, where at the moment Governments all over the world are struggling to come up with solutions. Former Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell was also at this event. Photograph courtesy of the Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd © 26-01-19.

STILL NO BLUE ROOM - Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne Stephen Lloyd, today chaired a meeting of David Cameron, George Osborne, Liberal Democrat led Eastbourne Borough Council, Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the town’s tourism industry.

Stephen Lloyd said:

"I am delighted that the Government has supported my calls for financial support for Eastbourne. The money will be a great help in the aftermath of this dreadful fire to our beloved Pier.

"I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister talk about his admiration not just for Eastbourne, but the way our whole town responded to the fire.

"My priority now is to ensure we get the Pier back up and running as soon as possible and that our clear, constant message to the rest of the UK and beyond is that Eastbourne remains well and truly open for business."

FACEBOOK 10 May 2017 - Remember our shocking Pier fire?

I'm sure you all remember the dreadful experience the whole town went through when our beloved Pier caught fire. I was sitting in my office at the time just up the road and still recollect, as if it was yesterday, rushing out to see what on earth was going on.

As we know the Blue Room was gutted and for a time it was touch and go the conflagration may spread to the rest of the Pier. Thank heaven the quick work by our firefighters, the Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboat and Coast Guard meant the core structure was saved.

I know I speak for the whole town when I give thanks to all of them to this day!

The reason I'm flagging the memory though is that only last week I visited two wonderful local artists Hannah and Jon Hammond who specialise in wood carvings and artwork. I first met them shortly after the fire when they approached me about obtaining some of the burnt wood from the Pier. Their idea was to use it in their carvings as a way of preserving our Eastbourne Heritage for years to come in people's homes locally and perhaps, even, around the world. A bit of Eastbourne across the globe!

I thought this was a brilliant idea so helped them get access to the charred wood, and the rest of the story really should be theirs:

"Not long after the fire that devastated the Blue Room on Eastbourne Pier in the summer of 2014, we got in touch with Stephen Lloyd - our MP at the time - to ask if he would help us salvage whatever wood had survived. We wanted to do something for the town that would commemorate the last piece of the original Victorian Pier that had been lost to the fire, and keep the history alive for generations to come. Stephen was passionate about this idea, and immediately agreed to help us. He got in touch with those running the clean up operation, and before we knew it Jon was in a hard hat and high-vis jacket, walking between the blackened joists, collecting the remains of the decking.

After almost three years of work, the decking we reclaimed that day now exists as bowls, art pieces, and jewelry in the homes of hundreds of people all around the world, some as as far-flung as Tanzania, Canada, and Australia! Thanks to Stephen's dedication to the town and its local businesses, we are now going strong as Hammond & Hammond - the husband and wife artist team who work exclusively in reclaimed woods. Our mission is to preserve local history, and it's through Stephen's endless devotion to his town that the important cultural heritage of Eastbourne can be treasured timelessly within our art.

Thank you Stephen for all the work you do in the local community, past, present, and future."

Jon and Hannah Hammond.
www.hammond-hammond.com

My pleasure both. I am just glad to have been able to help you get started, and delighted you've managed to do something which will keep the elemental spirit of sections of our old Pier alive for generations to come.

Back to the day job folks. Have a good one. Sun's out in Eastbourne and we've got a snap general-election to win......

Writing in a 2013 publication for the Liberal Democrat group Liberal Reform, Lloyd criticised both the left and the right for their attitudes to welfare; accusing the right of "boneheaded vituperation" and the left of "complacency" and of being patronising. He considers the Work Programme workfare scheme and Universal Credit introduced by the coalition government to be the liberal solution for unemployment.

Although he was publicly supportive of welfare reforms, he repeatedly warned Employment Minister Chris Grayling against the use of negative language to describe the unemployed.

Lloyd voted to remain in the European Union in referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the EU. In the referendum’s aftermath, Lloyd said “[I] gave my word in the lead up to the referendum [that] I would respect the result and that’s exactly what I am going to do.” As a result, contrary to Liberal Democrat party policy, Lloyd has refused to support a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU and has instead committed to “lobbying...the government to try and make sure that we get the best deal possible for Brexit."

THE VOICE - Thu 31st July 2014 - Stephen Lloyd on the Eastbourne pier fire: “I am as shocked and heartbroken as everyone.”  Eastbourne pier on fireStephen Lloyd, Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne, has posted the following message on his Facebook page to update people on what action is being after the fire which ravaged the town’s pier:

Dear all,

Thanks for the support posted here after the tragic fire at the pier yesterday. I am as shocked and heartbroken as everyone. The important thing now is to get this fixed; keep pushing out that Eastbourne is well and truly open for business and to do what we can to help the Pier owners and the folk who had concessions on the Pier. Some of the kiosk owners have lost their livelihood and it’s important we rally around.

I fixed a meeting yesterday for today at 10 am at the Town Hall to begin the process. It’s just finished. Very productive and very determined! The Council, Chamber of Commerce, Eastbourne Hospitality Association, Town Team and others were all there to discuss next steps for our iconic seafront.

Our local council has a key role in making this all happen so I proposed at the meeting that rather than me chair the Committee going forward, the two joint chairs should be the Leader of the Council David Tutt and Opposition Leader, David Elkin. This also underpins what I believe to be one of our town’s strengths – when something really demands it; we pull together for our town – and this incident is one of those times!

Amidst the sadness and disbelief at seeing the pier ablaze, I was nonetheless heartened to see everyone in Eastbourne, and, judging by the emails of support I’ve had, across the country, show such concern and affection for our lovely Pier. Once again I would also like to thank all of the fire fighters, RNLI and police for their tireless hard work yesterday afternoon and throughout the night.

Will try to keep everyone informed as best as I can.

Thanks, SL

Thankfully, fire-fighters have succeeded in saving two-thirds of the pier, and it appears the damage is less severe than the fires which ripped through the piers at Brighton and Hastings.

As well as advocating for improvements to the A27, Stephen has campaigned to retain services at the Eastbourne District General Hospital, against cuts to school budgets, and against cuts to adult social care services.

Lloyd uses Facebook Live videos to run virtual advice surgeries for constituents and has the largest following on Facebook out of his fellow Liberal Democrat MPs.

Lloyd organised for hundreds of presents to be delivered to the elderly and vulnerable who were in hospital without any visitors over Christmas 2017. The campaign generated a surplus of donated presents. These were delivered to elderly patients in the community over the festive period.

In 2010, Lloyd created an 'MP's Commission', composed of local business and community leaders in his Eastbourne constituency. Its initiatives included bringing back the Eastbourne 'Sunshine' Carnival; and organising a procurement conference to encourage further economic cooperation between the private sector and major public sector bodies in the town.

In 2011, Lloyd developed a successful local apprenticeship initiative, aiming to recruit 100 apprenticeships in 100 days in Eastbourne. The initiative ultimately created 181 apprenticeships and received praise from David Cameron. In 2014, Lloyd was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Honouree for this work.

In 2011, Lloyd was also associated with lobbying for additional funds for local housing projects and supporting negotiations over the regeneration of Eastbourne’s Arndale shopping centre.

In 2014, The Guardian reported that Lloyd's "toil has yielded high levels of recognition and support, some of it close to admiration." Christina Patterson in The Independent remarked that "a political system that can produce elected representatives like this may well be as good as it gets."

In 2015, Lloyd supported appeals made by the parents of a five-year-old girl who died in his constituency, when the child's grandparents were denied visas to enter Britain to attend her funeral. He offered to personally guarantee their return to Zimbabwe.

CONTACT STEPHEN

House of Commons

London, SW1A 0AA

Tel: 020 7219 1298

Email: stephen.lloyd.mp@parliament.uk


Freepost

100 Seaside Road

Eastbourne, BN21 3PF

Tel: 01323 733030

Email: stephen.lloyd.mp@parliament.uk
http://eastbournelibdems.org.uk/
https://stephenlloyd.org.uk/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephenLloydEBN

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephenLloydEBN

CONSERVATIVE QUICK FIX - Thousands of nurses, doctors, teachers, public sector contractors and freelancers could be made bankrupt because of the retrospective tax measures contained in the Government’s 2019 Loan Charge. They have been labelled both unfair and draconian.

These workers find themselves in this position because back in 1999 the Government, in an attempt to prevent employers avoiding National Insurance contributions by classing their employees as contractors, introduced a piece of legislation called IR35. IR35 sought to class many freelancers as employees.

As is often the way with legislation, IR35 contained unintended loopholes, and it gave birth to a whole new array of employment umbrella arrangements – usually paying people through loans – which promised employees safety from IR35. These all claimed to be approved by the UK Tax Authorities, the Queen’s Counsel and several top accountancy firms. Many well-intentioned freelancers received advice from tax professionals who were all too often prepared to send their clients down the new umbrella route. 

The Government are now saying that these arrangements were invalid, and are ‘not what Parliament intended’. This is despite years and years – almost 20 years - of tax returns being filed, dues paid and HMRC not flagging that anything illegal was taking place. Instead, HMRC has suddenly opted for a ‘quick-fix’ by coming up with a law which will enable them to place a charge on all ‘loans’ going back as far as 1999.

Hard-working contractors are now being hounded by HMRC with Advanced Payment Notices (APNs) without any right of independent appeal. People who acted in good faith are being punished for the Government’s own imprecise legislation, which enabled agencies and tax advisers to take advantage of loopholes and flourish off the backs of honest contractors. I have been contacted by many people from across the country affected by this change of Government policy, frightened that they are going to lose their homes and livelihoods. Many face six-figure tax bills and charges on outstanding ‘loans’.

Going after the freelancers, rather than those who advised them, is in my view wrong of HMRC. Some firms still offer employees similar arrangements today, yet the Government and HMRC are doing nothing to stop them. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that Rangers Football Club – rather than its staff – must foot the bill for any tax shortfall that occurred due to these payment arrangements. If that is the opinion of the highest court in the land, it suggests the Government has no legal right pursuing workers for the unpaid tax arising from these arrangements.

Only in wholly exceptional circumstances can tax law changes be applied retrospectively. Not my words, but those of the Treasury in March 2011 and I fail to see how an arrangement that was used for 20 years by tens of thousands of people is in any way ‘exceptional.’

Through my Early Day Motion (EDM 1239) which has cross-party support, I am calling on the Government to revise its legislation to avoid unnecessary harm to thousands of lives. The Loan Charge should only apply to disguised remuneration loans received after the Finance Act 2017 gained Royal Assent. This is only fair and reasonable, principles that form the basis of civilised law.

UK POLITICS

The United Kingdom has many political parties, some of which are represented in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Below are links to the websites of the political parties that were represented in the House of Commons after the 2015 General Election:

CONSERVATIVE PARTY

CO-OPERATIVE PARTY

DEMOCRAT UNIONIST PARTY

GREEN PARTY

LABOUR PARTY

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

PLAID CYMRU

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY

SINN FEIN

SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC AND LABOUR PARTY

UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY

ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY

Conservative Party

Co-operative Party

Democratic Unionist Party

Green Party

Labour Party

Liberal Democrats

Plaid Cymru

Scottish National Party

Sinn Féin

Social Democratic and Labour Party

UK Independence Party

Ulster Unionist Party

We are concerned with how the make up of the above parties and (reasonably) popular policies may affect the Wealden district, because we are all brothers on two islands in the Atlantic Ocean and what we do or fail to do is likely to rebound on ourselves and our fellow man in other nations around the world. How we act today influences policies in other countries in our global community. It is not just about us and our patch.

DISTRICT & BOROUGH COUNCILS

East Sussex has five District and Borough Councils, each with a border on the coast. From west to east they are: 

Eastbourne Borough Council

Hastings Borough Council

Lewes District Council 

Rother District Council 

Wealden District Council

There is also East Sussex County Council as the provider of services to the 5 East Sussex districts.

As near neighbours and with councils now sharing facilities and working together, these area of Sussex are included in our remit and an area where climate change and affordable housing are issues that need urgent attention. Where the coastline is a feature in every Council, Blue Growth is a food security issue, especially where this side of of our local economy is under-exploited.

http://eastbournepier.co.uk/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/stephen-lloyd-the-lib-dems-saved-the-country-but-we-destroyed-ourselves-10108729.html

https://www.libdems.org.uk/eastbourne_pier_meeting_stephen_lloyd

https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/economy/financial-sector/opinion/house-commons/95264/stephen-lloyd-mp-government-must

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24754/stephen_lloyd/eastbourne

https://stephenlloyd.org.uk/en/

hthtps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Lloyd

https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/stephen-lloyd/3968