West Midlands Liberal Democrat Conference – Stratford on Avon – 7 November 2015

Sometimes one can be forgiven for thinking the universe revolves around Rugby. But of course it doesn't and it is good to get together with other Local Parties from across our region and find out how they are getting on .How they are meeting the same local challenges but trying different ways to meet the same objectives .It is also nice to bump into colleagues you may not have seen for years and provides a good opportunity for networking.

This year the Autumn regional conference was in Stratford. Liberal Democrat Regional Conferences are a mixture of draft policy motions to our federal conference next year and training sessions to help prepare for forthcoming elections.

We had an all-star panel of speakers throughout the day ranging from our leader Tim Farron, our president Sal Brinton and Baroness Lorely Burt (former MP for Solihull). And a lot of new and capable young members bringing fresh thinking on how the party should develop and policy areas to consider.

I spoke in the Fracking debate, I have a keen interest in energy and climate change .My concern was how the government was railroading through changes in planning law on fossil fuels to get quick decisions on applications without a sound evidence base and little environmental protection to support the application. This would be to the detriment of the communities affected, would undermine local determination, and rules out other options like renewables which are being side-lined by the removal of feed in tariffs. The motion was passed overwhelmingly with a tiny number of votes against.

We will be asking local party members to come forward as regional conference reps at our AGM in December. If you are interested come and let us know.