Happy New Year!

Over Christmas and New Year, a team of HQ staff and almost 60 volunteer testers from across the party as well as the team at Prater Raines have been hard at work testing Lighthouse, the party’s new Local Party Management tool.

The feedback from those users has been really encouraging, they’ve found the system really intuitive and easy to use.

It’ll also work for all parts of the party – from branches up to state parties and will solve a number of other long-standing issues as well (though not all on day 1!)

Of course, launch day is fast approaching – and you’ll all soon be able to get your hands on it.

This is how we’re planning to roll out Lighthouse:

The launch version should be a like for like replacement for the current portal. You’ll be able to do everything you can do now.

Friday 10th January

The team will be deploying the final Alpha test version on Friday. This should have all of the features the release version has and we’ll be testing it over the weekend to make sure it’s as top-notch as possible. 

The launch version should (effectively) be a like for like replacement for the current portal. You’ll be able to do everything you can do now.

Monday 13th January

Once that testing has been completed, we’re planning to launch the closed Beta test of the new system on Monday 13th January. Anyone who was involved with the Alpha testing team or anyone who has registered as a Super User by the 9th January will be sent a login.

You’re looking for an email from “Lighthouse” using the email address “membership@libdems.org.uk”. The subject line should begin “You’ve been granted access to”

This will be to the live system with all of your member, supporter and donor data present.

If you’re in this initial group and you spot anything that doesn’t look right with the system, just drop membership@libdems.org.uk an email with “Lighthouse” in the subject line and we’ll take a look.

Friday 17th January

We’re then planning to run that initial closed Beta test until Friday 17th January, when we hope to have updated the system again and from the following Monday 20th January, we’ll start adding on more users and move into an open Beta test.

The open Beta will keep running until we’re satisfied that all of our core milestones are in place and working as intended. We hope this will be completed in plenty of time for the Spring Conference in York.

These dates are obviously potentially subject to some slippage. We’ll update you if that’s the case.

We’re planning to keep adding more features and refining things to make your lives easier and make managing your local party simpler.

Training & support

The team has also been hard at work drafting step by step guides to every feature in the system. 

We should have around a dozen of these task guides ready to go and we’re uploading them to www.libdems.org.uk/lighthouse as they’re finished. You’ll also be able to find them in the knowledgebase on Lighthouse.

We’ve also updated the Membership Geek Sheets to reflect the new system and will be producing more of these soon.

Lastly, we’re hosting some webinars to run people through how to use the system and answer your questions. You can find all of the details here: www.libdems.org.uk/lighthouse – and there’ll be more webinars coming.

We’re also hoping to be able to run training at all of the Regional and State conferences (and if you’re organising one of these, please keep a spot open for me!) this spring and will be running two sessions on how to use Lighthouse at Spring Federal conference.

Longer term

The launch next week won’t be the end of development on Lighthouse. 

We’re planning to keep adding more features and refining things to make your lives easier and make managing your local party simpler.

Future developments that we’re looking at include allowing bulk import of donations from other party systems and making training that your members are doing visible to you.

If there’s anything else you’d like to see in the system, please do let us know and we can build it into our development roadmap.

Today I’ve announced my team of spokespeople in the House of Commons.

We’ll speak up for the millions of people who voted for the Liberal Democrats in the general election, and the millions more who are dismayed with the actions of this Conservative government.

The team’s portfolios can be found below:

Iran is governed by a brutal regime which has been openly hostile to the west.
 
Donald Trump has yet again radically and recklessly escalated tensions in an area where peace-keeping was already on a knife edge.

As my Presidency draws to an end on New Year’s Eve, I wanted to write to you with a final thank you for the extraordinary help that you have given the liberal cause over the last five years.

To have faced three General Elections and the EU Referendum during these five years – as well as the snap European elections this year – has been unprecedented, draining for everyone who has worked in them. Our candidates and teams, party staff and the many members and supporters who have continuously found that extra bit of energy and effort kept fighting the liberal cause.

Added to this, our local government teams, led by ALDC, have worked consistently hard in elections every year and their success has been rewarded with substantial growth in councillors and councils that we control or run jointly with others. And in Scotland our MSPs hold the SNP to account, and Kirsty Williams is a brilliant Education minister in the Welsh Assembly.

I have been really proud to campaign with colleagues across the UK over the last five years, seeing members building the party in their areas and I want to thank you for your warm welcome over my Presidency. In 2017 alone I covered over 4,000 miles, getting to every part of the country! I have also witnessed the party develop its use of online campaigning, not least honed on the Stop Brexit campaign over the last three years.