Vince Cable MP spoke at a public event last night in Hampstead to a 70-strong crowd of local residents. The event gave local people a chance to air their views on Lib Dem tax and economic policy and ask Vince questions on topics as diverse as his leadership ambitions, his views on London’s transport problems and how the Party would act in a hung Parliament. His visit also served the purpose of reminding residents of the seat of Hampstead and Kilburn that the Lib Dems are the only party who can challenge Labour here, with the Conservatives trailing in third place.

Ed Fordham and Hampstead and Belsize Liberal Democrat councillors have spoken out against Transport for London’s plans to close the Northern Line at weekends over the next two years. Up to 80 closures have been requested, which would have the effect of cutting off NW3 and destroying local shops and traders.

Ed Fordham commented "After all the fuss and delays over the Jubilee and Metropolitan Line closures it would seem that Transport for London and Mayor Johnson have learnt nothing.  I raised the issue of closing the Northern Line at weekends at the same time as the Jubilee and Overground will be down and it is clear that the much needed communications between TfL, the Mayor, Tube Lines and LOROL have not taken place.

Nick Clegg MP, the leader of the Liberal Democrats,  came to the Kilburn High Road today to launch the Party’s new “Vibrant Local High Street” policy. This follows hot on the heels of the announcement in the Kilburn Times of Ed Fordham’s campaign to clean up Kilburn, with Nick lending his support to this initiative.

Speaking to local trader Anis Kapadia about the effects of the recession on the Kilburn High Road, Clegg pledged that the Liberal Democrats would support local businesses, saying “Thriving high streets are at the heart of local communities, but they have borne the brunt of this recession.

Local resident and campaigner Ed Fordham is launching a campaign to make Kilburn a better place to live, work and shop. Ed’s plan was announced in the Kilburn Time on the 4^th February, and received extensive coverage (see pictures).

Ed is calling for local residents and traders to come together to give the High Road a new lease of life, and to work with local councils and the police.

Four specific and immediate steps have been identified to make the area better now: 

NW6 transport campaigners recently made a deputation to Camden Council to pressurise TfL and Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson to listen to the concerns of residents and traders in North West London.

Closures on the Jubilee, Metropolitan and Overground lines have left parts of London such as West Hampstead, Kilburn and Brondesbury completely cut off at weekends, and the transport chaos looks set to continue well into 2010.