Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has written an open letter to Cllr Peter John, the leader of Southwak Council, calling on him to abandon unpopular council proposals to to cut the number of Community Councils and the frequency of their meetings.

The full text of the letter can be found below:

Post Offices in Southwark have been saved by Liberal Democrat Business Minister, Ed Davey.

After ending Labour's shameful Post Office closure programme, which saw more than 7100 Post Offices disappear in their 13 years in office, Ed Davey has announce a ten-year deal between the Post Office and the Royal Mail has been reached.

Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark has congratulated Peter Tatchell on his 60th birthday.

Simon said: "I warmly congratulate Peter Tatchell on his birthday. There are many years left for campaigning after 60. I know I have just discovered this for myself!"

The full text of Simon's birthday message can be found below:

Speaking to a Liberal Democrat meeting in Derby on Saturday (January 21st). Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, set out his case for an English parliament.

He said:

"It is now clear that there will be a vote during this parliament on Scottish independence. Given the policy and election commitments of the SNP government in Scotland this is right and proper.

Southwark Liberal Democrats are fighting to save Community Councils as Labour plan to cut them in next Tuesday's (24th) Cabinet meeting. The proposals, buried deep in Tuesday's Cabinet agenda, seek to merge 8 Community Councils in Southwark into 5 and reducing the number of meetings to 5 per year. Proposals also strip funding from the Community Councils and remove their influence over planning decisions, completely destroying the principle of Community Councils and the local decision-making that comes with it.

Dear local resident,

Save your Community Council

You may have heard your local Community Council is under threat. We need your help to save them.

Liberal Democrats believe in local democracy and local residents making their own decisions. That's why we are proud we introduced Community Councils in Southwark - a way of giving local people a say over how money is spent in their area.

Simon Hughes MP has met Lord Henley, the Home Office Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction, to discuss ways to tackle the epidemic of metal theft in the UK, following two recent high profile incidents in Southwark. Simon pressed the minister to take action urgently, and urged him to consider adding some new provisions to the government's Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill currently in the House of Lords, or to consider supporting, with adaptations if necessary, the private member's Metal Theft (Prevention) Bill coming before the Commons this Friday. At worst, Simon urged ministers to have a bill ready for the Queen's speech in the spring. Simon encouraged ministers to end cash payments for scrap metal, and improve the recording and proof of identity of all sellers. The minister also agreed carefully to consider Simon's proposals to introduce public registers in each council area of objects of local significance, and to support community camera, monument marking, alarms and tagging of public works, war memorials and monuments.

Local MP Simon Hughes is backing a bill which could result in moving the clocks forward by one hour.

Simon Hughes, who represents Bermondsey and Old Southwark, is backing the Daylight Saving Bill which receives its Third Reading in the House of Commons this Friday. The bill calls on the Government to conduct a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of putting clocks forward an hour throughout the UK, resulting in lighter evenings every day of the year.

A much needed review of the contraflow bus lane on London Road will soon be taking place following action taken by local MP Simon Hughes, local councillors and Caroline Pidgeon, the leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.

Following numerous complaints by local residents about safety issues a meeting was held at City Hall where local councillors, Caroline Pidgeon and Simon Hughes set out a number of specific concerns to Transport for London engineers about how the contraflow bus lane operates.