London Region Autumn Conference 16th November 2024
Main Hall Schedule
| Time | Item | |
| 10:00 | Opening | |
| 10:05 | Welcome to Wimbledon | Cllr Paul Kohler MP |
| 10:15 | London and General Election Reflection | Mayoral Candidate Rob Blackie and Campaign Director Alice Bridges-Westcott look back on the campaigns which delivered our best GLA result since 2008 and a general election campaign which doubled the number of Lib Dem MPs in London. |
| 10:45 | Q and A to MPs - life in Parliament | So, what is life like now we have 72 MPs in Parliament? Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park since December 2019 (and 2016-2017) and Cllr Bobby Dean, newly elected MP for Carshalton and Wallington answer your questions about life since the election |
| 11:20 | What happens next? | There is now a Labour government, a diminished Conservative Party and a record 72 Lib Dem MPs. What does that mean for Lib Dem strategy? Party President Dr Mark Pack looks ahead |
| 11:45 | Policy Motion 1 | Lib Dem Campaign for Racial Equaity motion to conference Read Policy Motion 1 here |
| 12:10 | Race: Back on the agenda | The LDCRE team and Nicole Turner, Lib Dem D&I Manager, will provide practical advice to achieve the ethnic diversity the Party urgently needs. Please come with your questions and they will try to answer them! |
| 1:00 - 2:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 2:00 | Lords and MPs report back | Our newest member of the House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Pidgeon MBE, reports back on the work of the Upper Chamber and Sarah Olney MP reports back on the Commons team. |
| 2:20 | Policy Motion 2 | Better transport for young people Read Policy Motion 2 here |
| 2:45 | Lib Dem voices in opposition | Lib Dem councillors in opposition do an important job holding councils to account. Cllr Rachel Bentley (Southwark), Cllr Scott Emery (Haringey), and Cllr Anthony Fairclough (Merton) join Baroness Caroline Pidgeon MBE to discuss how they have made a difference in their boroughs. |
| 3:10 | Zero to hero | There are 19 London boroughs with no Lib Dem councillors - we want to change that in 2026. Hear from Cllr Claire Bonham (Croydon) and Cllr Julie Ireland (Bromley) as they join Cllr Hina Bokhari AM to talk about what it took to make the breakthrough in 2022. |
| 3:35 | Lib Dems are building more houses | London's three Lib Dem-run councils are building homes - and bringing communities with them. Cllr Emily Davey (Kingston), Cll Jim Millard (Richmond) and Cllr Jake Short (Sutton) join Cllr Gareth Roberts AM to discuss what they are doing. |
| 4:00 | London Region Awards | |
| 4:15 | Keynote Speech | Luke Taylor MP |
| 4:30 | Close of Conference | The ‘Merton machine’ invites you to a “power hour” of campaign door knocking training in Wimbledon’s Hillside ward. Kemi Badenoch is a Hillside resident in this marginal Lib Dem-Tory ward. The Merton team is especially keen to help anyone who is new or returning to speaking to residents on the door step.
We also have space booked at The Alexandra pub from 4.30pm MAP |
Training Schedule
| Time | Room 1 | Room 2 |
| 10:15 - 11:15 | Getting more from digital campaigning How can demystifying digital campaigning help us win in London? Join to find out! Run by Campaign Manager Eva Steinhardt and Head of Campaigns Dan Purchese this session will be practical and creative, asking participants to think critically about how they engage in digital campaigning to build support, membership, money and - crucially - votes. | Policy review engagement Ed Davey and the party’s Federal Policy Committee have set up a new working group to develop a strategic, focussed and ambitious programme for renewing our policy. Join Jonny Singh and Ulysse Abbate for a consultation session to help build a policy platform that: tackles the priorities of the British people; builds policies that speak to a liberal vision of the UK; meets other strategic policy priorities for the party. |
| 11:20 - 12:00 | How we took on Labour in Sheffield Join Simon Drage and new Campaign Manger Patrick Gilbert to reflect on the experience of taking on Labour in a big city. We will be thinking about the unique challenges Labour present, talking about lessons from running a Labour-facing parliamentary campaign, and looking towards future opportunities and how we can exploit them. | |
| 12:10 - 1:00 | Campaigns Surgery Bring your example leaflets and campaign questions. Come and ask Alice Bridges-Westcott and the campaigns team any questions you have and we'll try to find an answer for you. | Narrative for London What is the Lib Dem message in London as we move forward from the London Assembly and general election to our all-out council elections in 2026? Join Guy Russo, architect of the 2024 London manifesto, incoming London policy chair Ulysse Abbate and campaign manager Eva Steinhardt |
| 1:00 - 2:00 | Lunch | |
| 2:00 - 3:10 | Building winning email lists Gary Malcolm says "We never lose a by-election when we have a 1000+ strong email list!" Come and hear how to build your list | Political speech writing Build your confidence in speech writing for the council chamber, hustings or conference. Alex Davies is a former councillor who has written speeches for Caroline Pidgeon, Vince Cable and others. |
| 3:15 - 4:00 | How we won a by-election in Ealing - Ealing Team How we won the by-election in Ealing's Hanger Hill Ward | Membership Recruitment Alice Bridges-Westcott introduces the new membership recruitment pack and shows how you can boost your team locally |
Lunchtime Fringe at 1pm
| Room | Event | Speakers |
| Training Room 1 | Let's talk about Ukraine | Join the Liberal Democrat Friends of Ukraine for a lunchtime discussion on the journey of welcoming Ukrainians into our local communities. We’ll reflect on achievements, consider areas for improvement, and explore what lies ahead to ensure ongoing support. |
| Training Room 2 | All about the GLA | Join our London Assembly members Cllr Hina Bokhari and Cllr Gareth Roberts to find out how the Assembly works, why it matters and how our representatives can help your local campaigning. |