New figures on the political website theyworkforyou.com have revealed that since 5 May 2005, Labour MP for Hastings and Rye, Michael Foster, has only disagreed with the Government on 5 out of 569 occasions.  There are a further 148 debates in which he was not present.

Responding to the results, Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner, says,

"I don't know about you, but I have disagreed with the Labour Government more than five times since 2005! 

"If they don't think it already, these figures will only confirm for local people that Michael is losing his ability to listen.  His loyalty to the Labour Party is coming before his loyalty to Hastings and Rye.

"Our constituency deserves better representation at Westminster.

"People are right to be wary of the Conservatives.  Their cynical pitch to be the caring, sharing party does not wash. 

"What Hastings and Rye needs is a Liberal Democrat MP."

Despite 72% of Observer readers voting that our Labour MP Michael Foster should not vote to abolish the 10p Income Tax band, Michael has backed the Government.

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner, has been pressurising the MP to say which way he would vote on the Finance Bill. 

Michael Foster refused to give a straight answer, eventually saying that the compensation proposals made by the Government were sufficient to gain his backing.

Nick says,

"Even without the information from the Observer website, I have been left in no doubt when I have been speaking to local people, that they have been shocked and appalled by the Government's action on the 10p tax band.

"I am terribly disappointed by Michael Foster on this.  First he would not give a straight answer to a straight question, and now he has ignored the views of local people and backed the Government on this highly regressive measure.

"The fact is that, despite the compensation (the details of which are extremely unclear), people in poorly paid work will lose out.

"Hastings has been let down by Michael Foster on this. 

"Labour is not listening."

Local Lib Dems have stepped up their campaign to get an answer from Labour MP Michael Foster as to how he will vote on the Finance Bill.

This Government Bill includes the abolition of the 10p Income Tax rate which will result in low-income families paying more tax.

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings and Rye, wrote to the MP last week and received no reply.  He has now written a second time to try to establish the MP's intentions.

Nick says, "All I am asking for is a straight answer to a straight question.

"The Lib Dems through Vince Cable opposed this measure in Gordon Brown's budget last year.  Michael Foster has made his own belated condemnation in his recent Observer column. 

"I hope he will not say one thing in Hastings and Rye and do another in London.

"Local people have a right to know how he is going to vote."

LIBERAL Democrats in Hastings are calling for government action to tackle homelessness after figures revealed there has been a shock rise in the number of local families living in temporary accommodation.

Government figures show that there were 236 households without a home of their own in Hastings in 2006/7. This is a rise of 221 since 1997 when Labour came to power.

During that decade there has been an overall fall of 450,000 affordable houses for rent from social landlords, such as local councils, in England .

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings and Rye said, “These are very worrying figures.  236 families are without a proper home.

“There has been a lamentable failure by the Government to address the housing crisis in England . Labour is strangling council housing. Gordon Brown has ensured only a handful of new council houses have been built during the past decade across the country.

“The rise in the number of people in temporary accommodation here in Hastings and Rye is a symptom of Labour's failure.

“In March, Liberal Democrats backed calls in Parliament to give councils the power and resources to build new houses. The measure was defeated by the Government whilst the Conservatives sat on their hands and refused to take part in the vote.

“Had the measures been agreed, we could start to address the housing shortage here. Instead, we will end up with more people in temporary housing and many others living in over crowded conditions.”