Former health minister Paul Burstow MP has proposed new criminal sanctions for care home owners who allow the abuse and neglect of
vulnerable patients.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam has published a report, Care and Corporate Neglect. The report sets out how a new law could be enacted and what the Government needs to do to ensure adult safeguarding in England is improved in light of the Winterbourne View care
scandal.

A new independent pubs Adjudicator will be set up by the Coalition Government to help struggling landlords suffering from unfair practices in the industry, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable has announced.

The Adjudicator will enforce a new statutory Code, which will oversee the relationship between publicans and large pub companies. It will ensure publicans get a fair deal on rent and the prices they pay for beer.

Paul Burstow MP has urged the government to defuse the elderly care "time bomb" by concentrating the winter fuel payment on the poorest pensioners and using the money saved to pay for a cap on care costs.

In a report published by the think tank CentreForum, the former care minister calls for the "appropriate legislative levers" to be inserted into
the draft care and support bill so that the Dilnot Commission's proposals on care financing can be delivered in full by the end of this parliament.

The last twelve months have been lit up by moments that will stay with us forever. When Mo Farah approached the final stretch of the 10,000m final, who wasn't up on their feet, screaming at the TV?

When Nicola Adams beamed at the crowd after winning the first ever women's Olympic boxing, who didn't smile back? I was lucky enough to be there, and that's one I'll never forget.

Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have given schools in Sutton and Cheam a Christmas present of £5,071,500.

The cash is an increase in the Pupil Premium funding, which targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have. In Sutton, this comes to 5,635 children.

Hard-working Sutton residents will receive a tax cut next year, meaning thousands will be better off.

As pushed for by the Liberal Democrats, the Government announced last week that the Income Tax Allowance is due to rise to £9,400, giving a tax cut of more than £600 to over 20 million people nationwide.

Sutton's Liberal Democrat Councillors have decided they will be recommending a freeze in Council Tax again for the 2013/14 financial year. This will be the fourth year running that there has been no increase in council tax and householders will be paying the same amount of council tax next year as they paid three years ago. This has been achieved at a time when Sutton has seen the grant it receives from central government cut by about 30%.

Carers Rights Day is about getting carers the information and advice they need to claim benefits, access practical support and find out how technology can help take the pressure off.

It is estimated that there are 18,000 carers in Sutton, who without payment look after or provide help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour who could not manage without their help. It is estimated that of these 1,000 - 2,000 are children or young people under the age of 18.

Paul Burstow MP today called on the government to introduce plain, standardised cigarette packaging in the UK to discourage the next generation of smokers.

Research has shown that plain packaging would reduce tobacco's attractiveness, increase the effectiveness of health warnings and stop misleading claims about the harms of smoking.