Last week an article appeared in the Manchester Evening News telling a familiar story - an important council post being cut to save money. You may agree with the cut, you may not - but you will agree that it is the latest in a long line of services and facilities the council has cut over the last decade. You will almost certainly be aware that the squeeze on council budgets comes from Westminster - and probably feel a reasonable degree of sympathy for a council forced to make incredibly difficult decisions in order to balance the books. Afterall, they are doing everything they can...

Simon Lepori is the Liberal Democrat choice to replace Andy Burnham as Mayor of Greater Manchester

The Liberal Democrats have selected former healthcare worker and long time Trafford campaigner Simon Lepori as their candidate for the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Simon has lived in Stretford, Greater Manchester with his partner for the past 15 years. He worked in the health and social care sector for 17 years from 2002-2019 and returned to the NHS frontline during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has been a committed Liberal Democrat campaigner for the past 5 years campaigning in Trafford and across Greater Manchester on issues like Brexit, healthcare and standing up for our Green Belt.

Simon's priorities are:

- building a healthcare and social care system fit for the 21st century in Greater Manchester

- refocusing policing back into communities, with well funded youth services from local councils to help stem the tide and cycle of crime and disorder

- a transport system that works for Greater Manchester not against it

- a housing plan that puts people first, not developers.

Simon says "I am honoured to have been chosen by my Liberal Democrat friends and colleagues to be our candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor. I look forward to meeting residents, online or in a socially distanced way, from across the 10 boroughs, and challenging Andy Burnham on our Police, Transport and protecting our green belt. Let us rise up from the ashes of Covid & recession and rebuild Greater Manchester together"

More than 170 musicians have urged Ministers to organise paperwork-free travel in Europe for artists on tour.

The extra costs will make many tours unviable, especially for young emerging musicians.

The EU Trade deal makes it extremely difficult for touring artists because they now need a costly work permit and face a mountain of paperwork for their equipment.

Local champion Dean Larder has been selected by Rochdale Liberal Democrats to fight for the Smallbridge and Firgrove ward in May.

Known to many for his local campaigns for local safety improvements, Dean has the experience and skills to bring about real change in the ward. "For too long Labour has simply taken the people of Smallbridge & Firgrove for granted. There are dozens of issues that people have brought to my attention that are simply being ignored." said Dean to the FOCUS team, in a short break from campaigning.

The Liberal Democrats are the most pro-European party in British politics. We truly believe that we are stronger together, and internationalism will always be one of our core values.

That hasn't changed now that we have left the European Union.

I am proud how we Liberal Democrats campaigned tirelessly against Brexit, and proud that last month all Liberal Democrat MPs voted against Johnson's dreadful EU Trade Deal - already proving so disastrous to small businesses, fishermen and the wider economy.