As the Black Lives Matter protests highlighted so powerfully, too many people’s lives both in the UK and across the world are blighted by discrimination, inequality and injustice. It is unacceptable.

There is still so much to do to tackle racial injustice in our country.

This motion called not just for support, but for acceptance for autistic people.

This Autism Acceptance Month comes soon after a Young Liberals motion, Autism Support, was passed at Liberal Democrat conference.

This motion called not just for support, but for acceptance for autistic people.

Autistic people are more likely than the general population to have other learning difficulties, mental health illnesses and even physical disabilities.

These create a large amount of barriers for our community.

We also face huge problems in other areas of life.

Only 16% of diagnosed autistic individuals are in full time employment, and 32% in part time employment.

Only 16% of diagnosed autistic individuals are in full time employment, and 32% in part time employment. Yet 77% of unemployed autistic people want to work. We need real action, now.

Only 8% of autistic people feel that their lives have improved in the decade since the 2009 “Autism Act” was passed into law – it doesn’t go far enough.

I’m so pleased that Young Liberals’ Autism Support policy being passed means that the Liberal Democrats will be calling for changes that autistic people have been fighting for for too long.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide better guidance on supporting autistic people in the workplace; to cut waiting lists for autism diagnosis by providing more funding; and increase training for teachers about autism.

The motion also calls for a wide range of changes across society. You can find the full motion as passed at conference here.

This Autism Acceptance Month, I’m excited for the road ahead. The road to autism acceptance is long, but it is liberal.

FCEC met last week, immediately after conference and for the final time before the run-in to May elections.

In short, from now to Thursday 8th April, the nominations of thousands of Liberal Democrat candidates are being collected and submitted to local councils across the UK in the biggest round of elections in recent years.

FCEC wishes good fortune to every one of you who is standing and ensuring that everyone in England, Scotland and Wales has at least one opportunity to vote Liberal Democrat this May.

Delivering the right message, at the right time, to the right person

For our part we are learning the lessons of 2019 and, following a significant piece of work looking at how people respond to our messaging, we are developing campaigns promoting those of our policies that will attract more voters to our cause, whilst continuing to champion the causes for which we are already known.

This does not mean that we stop saying what we believe, it just means that we say more about the things we believe that will encourage more people to vote for us.

Equipping you with the best tools

The problems we have faced with IT Systems were discussed and whilst things will not be perfect for May, there have been significant improvements. 

Discussion around how we support local teams with suitable systems is ongoing and consultations with party members and bodies are under way.

Tiering of local parties

The tiering of local parties will be reviewed following the local elections and any changes will be agreed by July. 

The tiering of seats is a qualitative assessment of the electoral success of local parties. It will be reviewed each year after the local elections and is the foundation on which our local, regional and federal development plans are built.

We discussed and agreed that, if a seat is being moved into or out of Tier 1 there will be consultation with the Regional Party and clear communications with the local team.

Campaigning 

This close to polling day, what really matters is more campaigning.

I have been particularly pleased, with restrictions easing near me (always check your local advice) to be able to get back out knocking on doors. Meeting the public really works. 

The doorsteps await!

New members of the team

Our most recent meeting saw two new members join the committee. Shelley Snelson takes up a new position as Deputy to the Registered Party Treasurer.

In this role Shelley will provide support to the Chair in committee work in particular managing communication to sub-committees, special projects, and communications with the Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats (POLD).

Following the loss of Paul Fox who needed to step down for personal reasons, Dave Hodgson was returned to the committee in a by-election. Don’t forget, you can find opportunities to run for committee posts, volunteer elsewhere, and apply for paid positions, on the website here. 

We welcome both Shelley and Dave to their roles and look forward to working with them.

Lib Dem HQ in Westminster

Many will be aware that the landlord was unwilling to extend our tenancy in Great George Street and hence we needed to seek an alternative location. There has been a lot of debate over the type of accommodation needed following changes to working practices forced on us by Covid-19.

We have been supporting the staff in understanding the financial and contractual elements of the move and are optimistic that, subject to continuing negotiations, we know that we will be able to secure something suitable for the staff and delivering a significant reduction in our fixed cost base.

Annual accounts

Operations updates continue to highlight the pressures on the Compliance team. This year’s financial account for Local Parties, without a requirement for audit, should all now be with Compliance. The focus now is on supporting those who need to submit audited accounts to the Electoral Commission.

Compliance have rolled out significant levels of support to local party officers through their ’28-day Challenge’ in February. There is much work still to be done in managing finances and Compliance through the elections across Great Britain in May.

We remain, as always, grateful for the efforts of local party officers in maintaining compliance and avoiding sanctions.

Financial report

The situation with Covid-19 remains challenging and we are still spending significant effort on understanding the impacts on membership and donations.

We realise that during this election period members will be receiving many requests for support, but if we are to succeed in May then every contribution matters. 

Fundraising

At the last meeting we gave our thanks to Mike German who leaves his role as Party Treasurer after some five and a half years!

The next meeting will see us welcoming Tilly McAuliffe to the committee as the new holder of that position – taking over as we continue to go through challenging times.

At sundown tonight, Jewish communities in the UK and around the world will mark the beginning of Passover, the eight-day festival commemorating the liberation of the Israelites after 400 years of slavery in ancient Egypt.