West Midlands Regional Conference and AGM

12.19.44pm GMT Sun 7th Nov 2004

The West Midlands Liberal Democrats held their Annual General Meeting at Solihull on Saturday 6 November. Over 200 delegates attended from all parts of the region, including four from the Wrekin and Telford local party.

Following a welcome to Solihull by the Mayor, the conference approved reports from the officers. The re-elected Regional Chair then introduced the new 5-year Regional Development Plan, which was formally adopted. Three proposals for action on different issues were debated. Two were carried unanimously, one concerning cutbacks to Midland rail networks, and the other opposition to a new motorway toll road alongside the M6 in Staffordshire. The third motion was narrowly defeated.

Presentations were then made by four Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for the West Midlands: Lorely Burt, PPC for Solihull; John Hemming, PPC for Birmingham Yardley; Susan Juned, PPC for Stratford-on-Avon; and Tom Wells, PPC for West Worcestershire. Four training sessions followed in the last period before lunch.

After lunch, three brief sessions dealt with the Hodge Hill by-election (candidate Nicola Davies attended later) membership recruitment, and the role of the English Party and English Council. The conference was then given reports by Paul Keetch, MP for Hereford and shadow spokesperson on defence, Matthew Green, MP for Ludlow and shadow spokesperson on local government and the regions, and Liz Lynne, MEP for the West Midlands, on their current activities for the LibDems.

After a presentation on English Devolution and Regional Assemblies, (influenced by the large NO vote in the recent North-East referendum) the conference split up for four more training sessions. Finally, Lembit Opik, the MP for Montgomeryshire and Shadow Secretary for Wales and Northern Ireland, gave a rousing speech to the assembly, and congratulated those who had worked so hard during the by-election campaigns.