North Somerset Liberal Democrats

Clevedon By-election

New Year, New Election!

North Somerset Lib Dems hope you have had a really happy Christmas break.

If this break left you in need of exercise, we had a remedy for that.

You may have heard that there is to be a by-election in Clevedon South. This is scheduled for the 5th of February and it is one we can win. We have a great local candidate in Jude Chambers, whom some of you will know.

A group of folk gathered together last Sunday for what we call an action day. We had letter-box leaflets ready to go and with many people delivering for an hour or so, it became an easy job to cover a lot of the ward.

We will also be delivering and talking to local people later in the month as the campaign grows. Why not come along and bring your friends?

Alison Crawford
Chair,
North Somerset Lib Dems

Leading the Way

Sir Ed Davy presents the Party's Policy Review:

I am delighted to be launching the final report of the party’s Policy Review.

This has been a massive project that the party’s been working on since the General Election – with contributions from thousands of you, our members – and I hope you’ll find the results both interesting and inspiring.

For the past year, I’ve had the privilege of chairing the fantastic Policy Review team, made up of activists, councillors, parliamentarians and policy experts from across the party and around the country.

I am incredibly grateful to them all for the time, dedication and effort they put into this important work for our party.

Together, we examined the opportunities and challenges facing the UK today, analysed how well existing Liberal Democrat policies address them, and took a huge amount of evidence from think tanks, academics and policymakers.

But our most important job was listening to you: Liberal Democrat members and supporters.

We ran an enormous programme of engaging with members at federal and regional conferences, as well as through an online consultation that received thousands of responses.

We heard what you think about the vision you want for the future of our country, and the areas where we need bold new policies to make that vision a reality.

So I want to say a big thank you! This report is your report. Its findings are your findings. I’m immensely proud of it, and I hope you are too.

Please read it here, and share it with anyone you think might be interested:

https://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/papers/autumn-2025/leading-the-way

MORE SUPPORT FOR OUR CHILDREN

The Liberal Democrats are celebrating another huge win today!

After years of us campaigning for an extension of free school meals in order to help tackle child poverty, the Government has finally listened - any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be eligible from next year.

As recently as March, the Government voted down our amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would have extended free school meals and automatically enrolled those eligible.

After immense pressure, the Government’s change of heart to implement a Lib Dem manifesto commitment is a fantastic victory for campaigners fighting to ensure no child goes hungry.

The change will improve children's nutrition, boost educational attainment, and help families struggling in the cost of living crisis.

And a deeper analysis of the impact of Sir Ed's book....

The Guardian has a very thoughtful review of the implications of Ed Davey's stance on care.

https://www.theguardian.Sm/cpread the word :-)ommentisfree/2025/may/26/the-guardian-view-on-ed-daveys-mission-build-politics-around-care-if-not-cruelty-will-define-it

Well! THAT was fun!

Games Day! Good company, good weather, decent grub (Blush!).

We need to do more of this because the Council Elections are only two years away and we want not only to hold on to our three wonderful councillors, but hopefully to add to their number.

So the next gathering is due to be a barbecue at the lakeside home of one of our members in Portishead. Watch this space!

And thanks to our guests' generosity we raised £140 for the Portishead branch with a tombola.

:-)

So - what happened at the annual dinner?

It seems a long time ago but it was a wonderful evening. 40 of us met up and shared good food, good company, good conversation and the chance to catch up with not just one, but two MPs!

Brian Matthew, newly elected for Melksham and Devises, and Tessa Munt, Wells and Mendip Hills, came to be with us. Brian spoke of the “delights” of eventually being elected and joining the House of Commons after many years of service on his local council.

We were so encouraged by the evening that we have come away determined to arrange more events this year.

Advanced notice; the first of these will be a Board Games afternoon and evening on the 10th of May.

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