Cllr John Howson, Lib Dem Candidate for Castle Point said,
"Mental health services have been badly neglected in this country. young people are especially at risk if early symptoms are not dealt with quickly. Too many young people requiring in-patient care are also being sent long distances making family visits difficult and creating a sense of isolation. "
Nationally, Lib Dems recognise that the NHS is the envy of the world, but our mental health service is not. Waiting times are being missed, people are not being referred for the treatment they need, and often action is taken only when at 'crisis' point, or too late.
That's why the Liberal Democrats are dedicated to transforming mental health services by treating them with the same urgency as physical health.
Approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. For too many, treatment is a postcode lottery; with waiting times for psychological therapy up to 176 days in Leicester.
Making mental health services accessible to all is fundamental, and no one should be forced to travel unreasonable distances away from home. By prioritising young people coming out of care, and supporting students from school through to colleges and universities, it is possible to ensure that no one will have to travel out of area for all but the most specialist mental health services.
By putting a penny in the pound on income tax and ring fencing £11 billion in funding for mental health, the Liberal Democrats will provide real parity between mental and physical health care. We want to make prescriptions for people with chronic mental health conditions available for free on the NHS, as is the case for conditions such as cancer and diabetes.
The Liberal Democrats believe that in 21st century Britain, none of us should need to fear discrimination.
We believe that we should all have the same opportunities regardless of where we come from or our circumstances; and that our children and grandchildren can be who they want to be without any fear of persecution or intrusion.
We don't know about you but we had a wild Saturday night!
Our leader Jo Swinson kicked off her election tour of the UK with a supporter's rally in Battersea. We're taking the fight across the country - starting last week with our plan for a brighter future.
Jo led by paying tribute to the many young people in the room and pledged to fight to leave behind a better world:
The UK is in a knife crime epidemic, but successive Governments have taken the wrong approach to dealing with it.
For 25 years, Conservative and Labour Governments have been competing to seem tough on crime, without doing enough to actually prevent it.
"Liberal Democrats will build a brighter future for young people by investing £500 million a year in youth services and taking a public health approach to youth violence."
Lib Dem and Remainer social media is aflutter today with discussions of the Canterbury situation.
Some people argue with great passion that we should be standing aside for Labour's candidate Rosie Duffield. I know Rosie and she is a good person. I think she would be a much better fit in the Liberal Democrats, but she has chosen to stay in Labour. I understand people's instinctive desire to give her a clear run at her seat in the name of Remain.
Jo Swinson would make a better Prime Minister than either Johnson or Corbyn.
Yesterday, the Liberal Democrats filed legal proceedings against ITV.
They have refused to include Jo Swinson in their Leaders Debate numerous times. This is despite Jo being the leader of the biggest and strongest Remain party in the country.
As the world grapples with a climate emergency, the Conservatives are turning their backs on communities most at risk by failing to provide adequate flood defences.
Following the flooding across northern England this week, we've announced that a over the lifetime of the next parliament, a Liberal Democrat government will create a £5bn flood prevention and adaptation fund. The fund will help the UK build resilience against future flooding, and ensure all communities can access the funds they need during periods of crisis.
Today marks Guru Nanak Gurpurab, which commemorates the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith. Sikh communities across the world will be celebrating the life of a great thinker; someone who stood up for equality, justice and fairness.
The teachings of Guru Nanak are profoundly significant. As we mark 550 years since his birth, let us reflect on his message of love and community service to others. These teachings continue to resonate with millions today and are a source of inspiration to people of all faiths and those of none.
Working hard should mean secure work and a decent income, but for too many people that's not the case. In an ever changing workplace, people often need to develop new skills, but the cost of courses and qualifications shuts too many people out.
Neither the Conservatives or Labour have the answers to these challenges. They are stuck pursuing 20th-century policies that simply won't work in our 21st-century economy. They would take our country backwards.
A lot of people have noticed something in our online ads… something about "skills wallets".
So what is a "Skills Wallet"?
It's a major, new, innovative policy and a key part of our Plan for the Future.
A Liberal Democrat government will provide every adult with £10,000 to spend on education and training throughout your lives. This "Skills Wallet" is meant to give every person the opportunity to retrain and upskill for jobs that we can't even imagine yet.
Hard-working doctors and nurses from the EU are fundamental to the NHS. We all have loved ones whose lives have been saved through their skill and dedication.
But today, the full extent of the Tories' contempt for our dedicated doctors and nurses was revealed.
Even though the NHS is critically understaffed, the Tories have revealed that part of their nightmarish Brexit plan is to charge EU nurses and doctors £464 to come to the UK to save lives.
![Castle Point Liberal Democrats (By Chris Beach from London (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)](/en/image/61CNnG/1828/752/castle-point-liberal-democrats-2.png "Castle Point Liberal Democrats (By Chris Beach from London (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)")
