This week, many of the nearly 900,000 people who have been lifted out of paying Income Tax and the 23m basic-rate tax payers who have received a £200 tax cut will receive their first pay cheques since the changes came in.

The Income Tax threshold, the point from which people start paying their taxes, has been raised by £1,000 to £7,475.

Leicester City Council is set to receive £1.4 million extra this year through the New Homes Bonus.

Through the New Homes Bonus, the Government will match the council tax raised from new homes for the first six years, with a further bonus of £350 per year for each new affordable home. Empty homes brought back into use will also qualify.

From today, around 4,400 people in Leicester will no longer have to pay Income Tax and a further 95,000 will get £200 extra in their pockets.

Liberal Democrats in Government secured a rise in the Income Tax threshold, the point from which people start paying their taxes, of £1,000 to £7,475 which comes into force today.

From today, every pensioner will get a guaranteed rise in their state pension matching the highest of inflation, increase in average earning or 2.5%. This means that this year 41,600 in Leicester will get a rise of £4.50 a week, totalling £9.7 million of extra money for pensioners in Leicester.

This is the start of pension reform under this Government. On Monday 4 April 2011, Liberal Democrat Pension Minister, Steve Webb announced that the Government will be introducing a flat-rate pension of £140.

Thousands of hard-working Leicester people will be better off - thanks to the Liberal Democrats.

Last year, the Lib Dems pledged to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000. This move will take millions of hardworking people out of income
tax and give millions more a much needed tax cut.

By joining the Coalition Government, the Lib Dems are now delivering the first phase of this policy.

Labour council bosses have spent over £300,000 to rebrand the council which includes banners on lamp posts across the city. Each one of these banners costs local taxpayers an incredible £112 a time!

Local Lib Dem Cllr Dale Keeling said:

"On one hand the Labour council is cutting services for the vulnerable, while at the same time blowing huge sums of money on these banners. Local people deserve better!"

Health campaigner Zuffar Haq is fighting to keep the Cardiac Unit at Glenfield Hospital. This lifesaving unit faces closure thanks to a review set up by the last Labour Government.

Glenfield Hospital only appears in one of the four options for future children's heart surgery centres in England.

Zuffar Haq and the local Lib Dems want to keep the unit here in Leicester and have launched a petition that local people can sign in support.

Health campaigner Zuffar Haq is fighting to for the future of children's heart surgery at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.

Glenfield Hospital only appears in one of the four options for future children's heart surgery. Zuffar Haq and the local Lib Dems want to keep the unit here in Leicester.

Please sign Zuffar Haq's petition to keep children's heart services at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

Zuffar has family links with Leicester South that almost go back 100 years - Zuffar's family is originally from India and his grandfather first came to Leicester in 1919. Zuffar's father was a fire-warden in the city during the Second World War.

Zuffar went to Avenue Junior School, Lancaster Boys and Gateway College in Leicester. He set up his own business in the area in 1987.