Today as we mark the international day for persons with disabilities, I am very aware that one billion people around the world live with a disability – that’s roughly 15% of the global population. I am one of them, mainly using a wheelchair and sometimes walking with sticks. I could have written something smooth and supportive, but I am angry at having to be an afterthought in our society today.

I am angry at having to be an afterthought in our society today.

Climate Change isn’t just an environmental problem, it’s a human one too.

Climate Change isn’t just an environmental problem, it’s a human one too.

Look at our country – and the impact of weather extremes likely linked to climate change. This summer, Manchester’s Moorlands were turned into an inferno. Food prices spiked as farmers struggled in an unseasonal heatwave. Back in March, parts of the country were brought to a standstill with massive snowfalls from the Beast from the East.

The latest report from Shelter has revealed that 1 in 52 people living in the capital are homeless.

“I am delighted to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London.

I will show the Lib Dems can offer a fresh alternative

I will show the Lib Dems can offer a fresh alternative to London’s tired two party politics.

Sadiq Khan isn’t delivering the right solutions to violent crime and only the Liberal Democrats can provide a genuinely public health approach. The Tories have shown how out of touch they are with London’s values by selecting an illiberal, pro-Brexit candidate.

Only the Lib Dems have truly stood up for Londoners against Brexit and we will continue to be a strong, liberal voice for our city.” Siobhan Benita

Local government is the bedrock of our communities. It is central to people living happy, healthy and productive lives, and if properly funded, has the potential to solve some of the biggest problems in our society.

Local government is the bedrock of our communities.

Local government faces many challenges.

I’ve argued repeatedly in Parliament and in the press that local government has experienced deliberate and systematic destruction over recent years, and I see this as one of the great political tragedies of our time.

But #OurDay is a day for positivity. I want to focus on the potential that local government has to tackle some of the biggest issues in our society.

Let’s take the housing crisis. The private sector has proved beyond doubt that it’s incapable of building housing that people can genuinely afford. The task now lies with local government. Our policy of building 50,000 to 100,000 new homes for social rent every year is a project for the good of the nation. The local state has a role here in securing the wellbeing of its citizens, and ensuring they reach their full potential by providing everyone with a home.

They know what’s best for schools serving their communities.

This responsibility goes further than housing. Local government has a key role to play in the shaping and delivery of social care and public health services. And it also should have full responsibility for the start of people’s lives.

Local government is accountable to local people, and they know what’s best for schools serving their communities. Local government can solve the Tories failed education policies, if they are given the responsibility to do so.

Local services, for local people, delivered locally is how our country should be structured.

#OurDay is a celebration of the people who dedicate their lives to doing this.