Local councillors and residents are stepping up their campaign to have something done about the Thelwall 'eyesore' at 40 Thelwall New Road on the corner of Alderley Road.

Many years ago the building used to be a shop but for a very long while it has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and it now looks worse than ever.

The Liberal Democrat Group on Warrington Borough Council has voiced its opposition to the new version of the proposed Local Plan for the Borough.

Members voted against the Plan at the end of a debate in the Town Hall on Monday evening. Seven Liberal Democrat councillors spoke during the debate.

Cllr Ryan Bate said, "The Liberal Democrats fully recognise the need for Warrington to have a robust Local Plan. We recognise that Warrington cannot stand still. There is an urgent need for housing, especially housing that is truly affordable. There is a need for employment land. There is a great need to address our current infrastructure failings and we also have a moral obligation to redress the social and economic inequalities across our town. Unfortunately, we do not believe that the draft Local Plan we have before us will achieve those things.

Responding to the Chancellor's announcement on police funding in his Spring Statement, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

"Faced with the current epidemic of knife crime claiming the lives of so many young people, the Government's response today is shockingly inadequate.

"The Conservatives have cut £1 billion from police budgets since 2015, and now they offer just £80 million back. They have taken 5,000 police officers and 2,600 community support officers off the streets, and now they offer to fund some extra overtime.

"This is an insult to our hard-working police and an insult to the victims of knife crime and their families.

"The Liberal Democrats demand better. The Government must give local police forces the funding they need to recruit more officers and restore the community policing that prevents crime and keeps us safe.

"The Government must also invest in a proper public health approach that brings together youth services, community groups, schools and the NHS to tackle the shocking rise in knife crime."

The Draft Local Plan was submitted to the Council's Executive Board on the 4th March.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Ryan Bate says, "From our initial look at the headline figures, we are both pleased and relieved that the amount of development proposed has been reduced significantly and that less Green Belt will be lost. We're also pleased that brownfield sites will be used as efficiently as possible and that there is a commitment to build infrastructure first.