The Liberal Party notes with concern the announcement that Brilliant Energy has now entered administration.

The company will be the 10th small energy provider to have done so in in the last 12 months, which included Spark Energy Supply Limited in November 2018 amongst others.

Although the regulator Ofgem will ensure no customer is left without a supplier, customers risk finding themselves matched to an energy provider at short notice with no opportunity to find an optimum tariff.

The failure of so many suppliers illustrates the difficulties new entrants have in the domestic and business energy markets, and the difficulty of breaking the monocopy of the 6 largest providers.

The Liberal Party believes that only the expansion of choice within the UK energy market will lead to better price competition to the benefit of consumers.

The Liberal Party supported BREXIT in the referendum.

Liberals believe that in respect of the Northern Ireland/EU border question,  a  camera  system  should  be  installed,  similar  to  the  London  Congestion  Charge  system together with implementing a trusted trader trader system administered by the DVLA.  Such proposals are  supported  by  up  to  85%  of  the  people  in  Northern  Ireland,  according  to  a  recent  survey. 

With  regard to the present arrangements, there is a physical border, and the police on both sides, along with technical border arrangements including  VAT,  Corporation  Tax  and  personal  tax,  all work efficiently and amicably. This is part of the free travel area which has been in existence since 1922.

The major concern remains smuggling, which the proposed camera scheme would do much to ameliorate, and together with good will and close co-operation between law enforcement agencies should not present insurmountable difficulties in the absence of physical border checks.

Approved 8th January 2019

The Liberal Party notes the recent migration of Labour and a smaller number of Conservative MP’s to the newly formed The Independent Group.

The Independent Group is not a full-fledged political party, instead a grouping of Parliamentary members with common cause over the handling of the BREXIT debate, and for labour members the ambiguous response to alleged anti-Semitism in their former party.

The Liberal Party sees no similarity with the 1981 creation of the SDP, and notes that the motivations of those Labour participations include dissatisfaction with their party’s leadership, and the political direction the party has drifted.

We also note the lukewarm reception the grouping has given to co-operations with the LibDems, the party which emerged from the subsequent merger of the SDP-Liberal Alliance, a merge which those who perpetuated our own party were unwilling to endorse

I have read with interest your most recent coverage of the ongoing sage of Reading Borough Councils completion and submission of the accounts for the years 2016/17(31st January).
 
Unfortunately, your headline understates the amount of council tax which has been squandered to these ends. As more accurately stated towards the end of your coverage, the final bill is likely to be in the region of 500,000 pounds, yes half a million pounds.
 
By the time these have been formally signed off they are also likely to be over 17 months late, at a cost of nearly 4000 pounds a page for the 135-page document now uploaded on the council website.
 
One would presume the impetus to get these and the accounts for 2017/18 signed off is the loaming local elections in May. One would also presume canvasing Labour candidates will be anticipating some very awkward question on the doorstep.

The Liberal Party welcomes the news that the Parliament’s Treasury committee will investigate the issue of Business Rates in this country.
 
Bricks-and-mortar retailers in this country face a perfect storm of rising business rates, unrelenting competition from online retailers and declining footfall.
 
The party welcomes the government previous undertaking of business rates relief for half a million small retailers, whose business premises have a rateable value of £51,000 or less, but this fails to assist larger retailers and chains.
 
These face a multiplier on their rates equivalent to a 50 percent tax on their properties in the next financial year.

The Liberal Party respects and welcomes that the majority of Latin American countries and Canada have called for democratic elections and a transfer of power to the elected National Assembly Leader Juan Guaido 

The Liberal Party values the environment, equally for its recreational value as its obvious commercial contribution to the economy.

We recognise that the landscape is a working landscape in many parts of our crowded island with crops and livestock,
but such activities can co-exist with great recreational opportunities and the therapeutic benefits of visiting rural areas.

We believe the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, should be re-invigorated to allow for a greater "right to roam" within responsible limits, thus providing greater access to the countryside.

We support the sustainable funding of low carbon energy research, the fitting of solar panels and energy efficiency initiatives such as free cavity installation for low income households

The party opposes fracking as an unproven and potentially environmentally damaging process. Its promotion not only re-enforces our addiction to carbon-based fuels but goes against all public opposition.

The party believes that all effects should be expended in reducing global Co2 emissions and restricting the rise in global temperatures and the inevitable rise in sea-levels.

Even if you do not believe in the phenomenon of Global Warming is it not simply common sense not to soil and degrade the world you live in and share with others? A failure to do so risks passing on a damaged legacy to future generations.

Greater efforts need to be expended to improve the air quality within the UK, particular in the most crowded urban areas.

We believe that the nations water resources should be manged responsibly in the interest of human consumption and the wider environment. Over exploitation of subterranean aquafers riskslong-term damage when so much water is lost between reservoir and consume through fault pipe networks.

This motion was referred back for further discussion after Octobers Assembly.

Constitutional Reform.

The Liberal Party wishes to offer the population of the current United Kingdom greater regional autonomy, with the aspiration to the adoption of a federalised structure.

The party offers the three options for constitutional change:

Greater regional devolution – a stepping stone to Federalism but lacking a English Parliament and written constitution.

A four Nation Federation – four home nation parliaments with an over-arching federal parliament

Three Nation plus English Regional Parliaments federation – each English region having equal status.

The party fully acknowledges that the last two option required considerable constitutional work and the formulation of a written constitution.

NB This motion was inspired by the following discussion document written on behalf of Common Weal:

We in the Liberal Party campaigned for the referendum on the United Kingdom remaining in the EU or leaving, giving the British people their right to determine our future.

Having all major parties agree to the referendum, the Prime Minister is absolutely right to suggest those MP's seeking to sabotage any deal are bringing Parliament into grave disrepute.

On Saturday 5th January 2019 Liberal Party members met in Birmingham and discussed the current Brexit plan at great length.

Those MP's who have concerns about article 132 locking us into the EU and our future being determined at their will are right to be nervous over this legally binding clause.

If the EU is able to declare that this clause is time limited, then there is no reason why this cannot and should not be written into the legal text.

Every businessman or woman will know declarations saying one thing and a legal agreement saying something else is a duplicity we should all avoid at our peril.

Cllr Steve Radford
President of The Liberal Party

Key Policy Decisions made were:

Support for abolishing House of Lords replace with a Senate of 300 members elected by STV across the UK.

This places us in line with the Electoral Reform Society Policy however the only addition we would do is give opportunity of each of the overseas territories to elect an additional senator.

We supported greater protection for leaseholders and those in shared ownership schemes.

We called for greater measures for sustainable energy to avoid fracking.

We welcomed the moves by Greater Manchester authorities, Wales and Scots Assemblies to prevent fracking.

In respect of the Ni Border we urged use of technology to avoid any need for a hard border.

In respect of the current governments Brexit Plan we called for article 132 to be dropped or clearly time limited so the UK is not locked into the EU without meaningful and equitable negotiations. We accepted Brexit is a process that will evolve over time.

On Hate Crime we look for it to be replaced by more equitable magistrates’ discretion to look at all motives and impact of crime. The motion passed by a margin of 1 has been deferred so we have the opportunity to set out a clearer reasoning and alternative to be put to members on 22nd June at Tuebrook Hope Centre, Christ Church Buckingham Rd (12.00-4.00).

The annual LIberal Party Assembly will be Saturday 5th October Briar Rose, Bennett's Hill Birmingham,  12-4.00.