We asked each of the parties to say what they would do for St Albans. Below, Cllr Chris White writes for the Lib Dems.

The Lib Dems will accelerate the modernisation process at St Albans District Council in order to make it more useful to local residents.

Currently the council receives 2,000 phone calls each working day. This is far too many and the whole organisation needs to be restructured to make it friendlier to residents and more cost efficient.

By contrast, the area where people really do need to have conversations – planning – remains under resourced and underperforming.

In other areas we will:

  • Work to ensure that the new recycling contract is brought in smoothly
  • Improve the management of existing highways, housing and leisure contracts
  • Work constructively with the county council to find ways of mitigating the effects of its disastrous bus cuts policy
  • Encourage more businesses to devise green travel plans and reduce the car usage of district council staff
  • Find ways of funding a refurbishment of Clarence Park and its pavilion as well as seeking long-term solutions for reducing pollution of Verulamium Lake and the Ver
  • Overhaul the housing department to ensure that tenants’ money is spent more effectively and efficiently
  • Work with other councils to oppose the government’s plans to reduce the quantity of affordable housing in the district.

We are planning to old the existing seats which are up for election – and make gains.

National politics does have an impact on local voting but for us, post the 2015 General Election, nothing like what is has been over the past five years.