I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who joined me at the LGA’s virtual annual conference.
Our lobbying for it to be free paid off, and we had a record turnout of Liberal Democrat councillors.
I was delighted to welcome newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Green and Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP to our group’s AGM.
“Sir Ed Davey set out our opposition to the proposed planning reforms”
Sarah used the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to all those councillors and campaigners who were able to get along to Chesham and Amersham and play a part in getting her elected.
It also allowed me to pay my respects and thank our outgoing LGA Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Howard Sykes for all his work in leading the group over the past four years, and Cllr Ruth Dombey, who retired as our Deputy Group Leader.
I was also delighted to welcome our party Leader, Sir Ed Davey MP, to speak at the conference, where he set out our opposition to the proposed planning reforms.
We used the conference to celebrate the success of Liberal Democrat-led Eastleigh, Sutton and York in delivering housing for their communities, and to hear from our wonderful new Liberal Democrat leaders in Durham, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire on their stunning victories in May.
Both Bridget Smith, Deputy Leader of the LGA’s Liberal Democrat Group, and I took office last month, and reconfirmed our plan to raise the profile – in the party and beyond – of the work of Liberal Democrat councils and councillors.