The first ever TV debate between the three candidates to be the next Chancellor has seen Lib Dem Vince Cable win a clear victory. In a Channel 4 on-line poll carried out immediately after the debate, Vince out-polled both Alistair Darling and George Osborne.

The Channel 4 vote results are at http://tinyurl.com/yza4m6a and place Vince Cable as clearly ahead of both the Labour and Conservative contenders:

At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions.

From 7pm on the night, Channel 4 will be hosting a discussion of the debate. You can send questions and comment to chancellordebate@channel4.com and follow the debate and comment at http://www.channel4.com/microsites/A/askthechancellors/

So, has Tory parliamentary candidate Andrew Bingham accepted £110,000 from UK tax-avoider Lord Ashcroft to fund his campaign, or not? Are we to believe him or the Independent newspaper? I look forward to reading shortly that writs have been issued against the Indy by Messrs Sue, Grabbit and Run for besmirching Cllr Bingham's good name.

PPC for High Peak Alistair Stevens has just returned from Conference where he was inspired by Nick's brilliant final speech.

Alistair has now returned to High Peak where he will be leading the campaign in the run up to the election. Alistair says" If you would like to read the speech in full go to the link below and then if you believe like Nick and I that there is a better Liberal Democrat way come to the Campaign Meeting on Wednesday 17th March at 8pm at the New Inn, Main Road, Chapel-en-le-Firth and be prepared to work your socks off until May 6th!

The EU has a new Executive body in place - the Commission - which was voted into office in February by the parliament.

Initiatives are starting to emerge.

On Climate Change, the new Commissioner (who was the Danish Minister for the Environment and chaired the UN Copenhagen summit last December) has proposed how to reinvigorate world talks to deal with Climate Change. She proposes - rightly in my view - to raise the EU's own goals to cut back our emissions from 20% to 30% by 2020. The detailed document can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of the article if you would like to read it at

A trophy-winning children's football club on one of the North West's most deprived housing estates may be forced to take the early bath unless it can find a new playing field.

Gamesley Villa, founded in 2002, which has 120 boys and girls in training each week, is about to lose its pitch because the local primary - which owns it - has decided to turn it into a community farm. The club needs a playing ground close to the estate, near Glossop, in High Peak, but all efforts to find a site have so far failed. No-one can find a home for the pioneering club even though it has won five cup finals, a sportsmanship award and taking the coveted Player of the Year trophy three times in the local Tame-side and District Junior League.

In a speech to the King's Fund, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg guarantees a week's respite care from caring every year to the 1m unpaid carers who provide more than 50 hours care each week.

In the speech Nick Clegg says:

"The way a society treats its elderly and vulnerable people is a true mark of its identity. With an ageing population, rising numbers of people suffering from dementia and millions of people in need of care with basics like washing, dressing and feeding themselves - if ever there was an issue for cross-party talks, this was it.

A New Year Parliamentary Question by Chesterfield MP Paul Holmes has forced the Government to reveal the depths of the affordable housing crisis in Derbyshire.

The figures show that in the year from October 2008-September 2009 (most up to date figures available), only 540 affordable homes of all kinds were built (360) or acquired (180) throughout Derbyshire with a total of only 60 in Chesterfield.

Commenting on figures from the Office for National Statistics showing an estimated 2m pensioners in the UK are living in poverty with a further million in fuel poverty, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

"Labour's changes to the pension system have not protected many older people from the indignities of poverty.

Following a week in which Mountain Rescue Teams across the country have been providing vital emergency support to help deal with the adverse conditions caused by blizzard like weather, South Lakeland MP Tim Farron has called on the Government to show their appreciation by delivering some much needed financial support to the organisation.