Rutland & Melton Liberal Democrats

Autumn Conference 2007

Several local Liberal Democrats attended the successful Autumn conference to hear speeches, join in debates and attend or help at fringe events such as those put on by the "Liberal Democrat Friends of the Armed Forces" or the "Liberal Democrat European Group". The debates were on issues including peace in the Middle East, creating a carbon neutral Britain by 2050, dealing with supermarket packaging, scrapping centrally imposed targets on local government, improving the NHS and dentistry, 4p cut in income tax, immigration reform, adopting a new constitution, increasing flood defences, rolling back the 'surveillance society' legislation and working towards ending the underachievement in our schools. (Details below.) Guest speaker Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, explained very clearly why Britain needs Europe, Europe needs Britain and we all need the Reform Treaty. Sir Menzies Campbell's closing speech laid into "the cosy consensus" of the Labour and Conservative parties. He criticised Brown for not scrapping ID cards or bringing the troops home from Iraq. Under his leadership, the Liberal Democrats will confront the difficult issues and take the tough decisions that are necessary to create a country that is free, fair and green.

The Liberal Democrat Conference backed proposals to make Britain carbon neutral by 2050. The plans include commitments to double investment in the railways, paid for by introducing motorway tolls for road freight, phasing out of petrol cars by 2040, increased use of green taxes to help cut pollution and income tax, as well as the introduction of 'green mortgages' to enable people to make their homes more energy efficient.

All nationally set targets for local government in England would be scrapped under plans passed yesterday by the Liberal Democrats. Other measures in the paper 'The Power to be Different', which aims to encourage a new renaissance in local and regional government in England include: the introduction of a fair voting system for local elections, using the single transferable vote, and giving local authorities the power to scrap unaccountable quangos.

The Liberal Democrats called for check-ups at NHS dentists to be free to allow dentists to properly promote preventive oral health.

Conference backed radical new measures to reduce poverty and tackle inequality in Britain. The plans aim to lift 5 million of the most vulnerable out of relative poverty by 2020. The proposals contained in the policy document include the introduction of a 'pupil premium', with £1.5bn extra targeted at children in the greatest need and wholesale reform of tax credits system, in addition to increases in Child Benefit and the replacement of 'Job Centre Plus' centres with a one-stop-shop 'First Steps' agency to support all benefit claimants.

Radical new tax plans that will drop the basic rate of income tax to its lowest level since 1916 were also adopted by conference. The plans will lift the tax burden on low and middle income earners, whilst making the rich and people with environmentally damaging lifestyles pay a fairer share. The proposals in the document 'Reducing the Burden' include reaffirming the commitment to abolishing Council Tax, replacing it with a tax based on ability to pay, removing tax loop-holes exploited by the super-rich, radically simplifying the tax code and reforming stamp duty to reduce the amount of tax paid on properties worth less than £500,000.

Wholesale reform of the immigration system was also agreed. The proposals include improving border controls through the introduction of a National Border Force and increasing the price of work permits paid by businesses for particular immigrant workers. The revenue raised by the latter would be used to re-train British workers in sectors affected by immigration. A new pathway to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the UK for over ten years, tied to requirements to learn English or Welsh, were also included in the package.

In a keynote speech to the conference Lib Dem Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb set out his vision for the NHS - establishing genuine local democratic accountability, rather than the "glorified focus groups" proposed by Labour. Mr Lamb said the four principles underlying the Lib Dem vision for the NHS were fairness, efficiency, empowering patients and empowering communities. On empowering patients he said Labour claimed to be in favour of choice, but it was choice only on Labour's terms, where often the patient was not really involved in the key decisions about their care. In a Liberal Democrat NHS, he said, it would be for the patient to make these decisions, guided by their GP and proposed new patient advisers. Mr Lamb also attacked "the horror of chronic under-investment by the Conservatives" on healthcare, and made a promise that the Lib Dems will champion the interests of those with mental health problems, to improve access to services for them.

The Lib Dems backed measures to roll back the legislation that has turned Britain into a 'surveillance society.' The proposals include commitments for the immediate repeal of the Identity Cards Act 2006, the destruction of all DNA samples taken from those not charged or convicted of an offence, updating the Data Protection Act, in addition to greater regulation of CCTV.

The Liberal Democrats also backed measures to substantially increase funding on flood defences and give the Environment Agency strategic control of Britain's whole flood management system. Other measures include plans to limit building on flood risk areas and ensure that infrastructure for new developments is able to cope with increased flooding in the future.

Conference backed proposals for a comprehensive package of radical constitutional reforms to resolve the crisis in British politics. The proposals in the policy document 'For the People, By the People' include a constitutional convention, involving members of the public along with parliamentarians, to draw up a written constitution to be endorsed in a national referendum, and citizens' juries, similar to those in criminal trials, to assess new public policy. The paper also renews longstanding party policies such as proportional representation for both Houses of Parliament, votes at 16 and fixed parliamentary terms.

David Laws, the new Lib Dem Shadow Secretary for Schools, said the party should look at ways to inject more choice into the secondary education system. Mr Laws said he wanted to make it easier for independent schools to come into the state system, outside the local authority umbrella, provided the schools accepted standard admissions policies and minimum curriculum standards. Rather than rebranding schools as academies and specialist schools, the Liberal Democrats should give all schools the right to innovate on the curriculum without interference from Whitehall, he added. Mr Laws also proposed an independent Education Standards Authority to restore confidence in the exam system, and a £1.5billion pupil premium, to target inequality and underachievement.

Liberal Democrats backed plans to dramatically reduce levels of packaging used in UK shops. The proposals will force supermarkets to take back unwanted packaging, as well as encourage consumers to re-use plastic bags, in order to cut the amount of waste reaching landfill. UK households produce 26 million tonnes of waste each year, of which five million tonnes is packaging.