As well as a full programme of training, events, networking and parties – at autumn conference this year we have a huge package of policy motions, which all members have the chance to debate, amend and vote on.
Find out more about the policies we will be debating at autumn conference right here.
And if you haven’t yet, book your place at conference right here:
F4 Continuing the fight for gender equality
This motion updates party policy on gender equality. It calls for: the Istanbul Convention to be ratified and brought into law; free sanitary products to be provided to people in schools, hospitals and other crucial services where they could be needed; working with the EU to remove VAT on sanitary products; legislation to end the gender price gap; increased transparency around the parental leave policies of large companies; for the Lib Dems and all political parties to publish their candidate diversity data; and, for parental and carer leave entitlements for parliamentarians to be strengthened in a way that ensures that their constituents continue to be represented.
Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 120 Expanding Opportunity, Unlocking Potential (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f4-gender-equality
F7 Business Tax Reform
This motion introduces new party policy about business tax reform. It proposes a long-term stable rate of business tax to replace corporation tax, which would form the basis of a simpler and more predictable tax system for businesses that would help them properly plan for the future. The motion also proposes measures intended to prevent businesses unfairly moving profits out of the UK. Existing policy is set out in policy motion Encouraging Companies to be Responsible Corporate Citizens (2017) and the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future.
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f7-business-tax-reform
F9 Equal Marriage
This motion updates party policy about marriage equality. It reiterates the party’s commitment to removing the spousal veto and strengthening the rights of cohabiting couples. It includes new proposals to introduce equal marriage legislation to Northern Ireland and to use the UK’s influence to promote marriage equality more widely. Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 120 Expanding Opportunity, Unlocking Potential (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f9-equal-marriage
F10 A fairer share for all
This motion updates and brings together party policy on income and regional inequality. It calls for: reducing the wait for the first payment of benefits from five weeks to five days as well as additional investment of £5 bn per year to make the benefits system work; the adoption of universal access to basic services as a guiding principle to ensure that people have access to all the services that they need for 21st century life; and, a £50 bn capital Rebalancing Fund to address historic investment disparities between the UK’s nations and regions.
Existing policy is set out in Policy Paper 133 Good Jobs, Better Businesses, Stronger Communities : Proposals for a new economy that really works for everyone (2018), Policy Paper 129 A Rural Future: Time to Act (2018), the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 124 Mending the Safety Net (2016).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f10-fairer-share
F12 Rehabilitation of Offenders
This motion updates party policy on rehabilitation. Among other measures, it advocates: a holistic approach to rehabilitation that would be driven by new local coordinating bodies; reducing the number of people in prison by introducing a presumption against sentences shorter than 12 months and ending prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use; turning prisons into places of rehabilitation and recovery by recruiting more prison officers and improving standards in prisons; and, increasing support to prison-leavers to reduce reoffending.
Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 118 Doing What Works to Cut Crime (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f12-rehabilitation-of-offenders
F14 Young Carers
This motion updates party policy concerning young people with caring responsibilities. Its proposals include: a bus pass that would allow young carers to travel for free with the person that they care for; the Carer’s Allowance to be extended to people who undertake over 21 hours per week of education; and, the provision of a support worker to all young carers.
Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 120 Expanding Opportunity, Unlocking Potential (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f14-young-carers
F15 Stop Brexit to Save the NHS and Social Care
The motion updates party policy around health and social care. It makes the case that Brexit is a serious threat to the NHS and social care services: it threatens access to staff, medicines and treatment and, through damaging the economy, will make it harder to properly fund health and social care services. It makes the case that, as a priority, Brexit must be stopped to protect these services.
It also proposes measures to: improve access to public health interventions and intervene early to give every child a healthy start in life; put mental health on an equal footing with physical health; deliver better, more joined-up services and strengthen local accountability; and, recognise the contribution and NHS and care staff by improving access to flexible working and training.
Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper, policy motion The NHS at 70 (2018) and Policy Paper 119 Protecting Public Services and Making Them Work for You (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f15-brexit-nhs
F19 Education is for Everyone: Investing in further Education and Learning Throughout Life
This motion makes new policy by calling for the introduction of universal Personal Education and Skills Accounts. Under the plans set out, all adults in England would have an account that they can use to pay for training courses into which the government would make three payments when people turn 25, 40 and 55. Employers, local authorities and individuals would be encouraged to make additional contributions through tax breaks or match funding.
Existing policy on skills and training is set out in Policy Paper 133 Good Jobs, Better Businesses, Stronger Communities: Proposals for a new economy that really works for everyone and the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future.
Read the full motion here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/f18-education-for-everyone
F25 Music Venues
This motion makes new policy around planning laws to protect music venues. It calls for local authorities to implement and enforce new powers to require proper soundproofing of new developments next to music venues and for legislation to introduce further exceptions to the laws around noise to protect longstanding music venues. It also proposes increased funding for grassroot music venues to help the sector flourish.
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f25-music-venues
F26 United Against Crime
This motion updates party policy around crime and policing. Among other proposal, it calls for: an expansion of community policing by providing enough funding for two extra police officers per ward and ensuring that officers have time to build community relations; investment in mental health services to ease the pressure that mental health crisis places on the police and ensure that people get the help they need; a focus on ending youth violence, by ensuring that every part of the country has a youth diversion scheme and investing in innovative and engaging youth services; extra funding for the National Crime Agency to tackle serious organised crime; and, the creation of a new Online Crime Agency to effectively tackle online crimes such as personal fraud and online incitement to violence.
Existing policy is set out in policy motion Knife Crime and Youth Services (2019), policy motion Gun and Knife Crime (2017) the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 118 Doing What Works to Cut Crime (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f26-united-against-crime
F29 Tackling the Climate Emergency
This motion updates party police around climate change and the low-carbon economy. It sets a new target date for net-zero emissions of 2045 at the latest and calls for early, credible action to set the economy on the path towards net-zero. Among other measures to achieve this, the motion calls for: building the net-zero objective into all decision-making by national and local government; creating a Just Transition Commission to advise on how to deliver a net-zero economy that works for everyone; working closely with European and global partners to raise global ambition and develop new technology; a widescale increase of home insulation to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions; ending the use of fossil fuels and banning fracking; and a massive programme of tree planting to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 109 Green Growth and Green Jobs: Transition to a Zero Carbon Britain (2013).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f29-climate-crisis
F31 Open Britain: Policies to Support Tourism
This motion updates party policy around tourism. It’s proposals include measures to: create a new Secretary of State for Tourism, Culture, Communications and Sport to provide greater emphasis on tourism at the Cabinet; redistribute visitors from the capital to the regions and nations of the UK to help less well-off communities in Britain gain opportunities through the tourism industry; promote growth to enable the industry to be internationally competitive and sustainable; establish a statutory registration scheme for the accommodation sector to level the playing field for the accommodation sector; and reduce taxation on tourism by central government by reducing VAT on visitor accommodation and attractions.
Existing policy is set out in Policy Paper 129 A Rural Future: Time to Act (2018) and the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and the policy motion Reducing Tax on Tourism (2015).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f31-tourism
F34 Deprivation of Citizenship
This motion creates new policy to restrict the circumstances under which someone can be deprived of their British citizenship to cases where citizenship has been obtained through fraud (or other types of deceit) or, as long as it would not make the person stateless, cases in which it is a proportionate response that is necessary for national security. The motion also proposes reforms to the process and the right of appeal to ensure that the courts give permission for deprivation of citizenship rather than the Home Secretary being the ultimate arbiter.
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f34-deprivation-of-citizenship
F37 Reforming Housing Legislation: scrapping section 21 ‘No fault Evictions
This motion creates new policy concerning the private rental market. It calls for the scrapping of no-fault evictions and the reform of court processes to ensure that landlords are still able to properly access justice in cases where tenants are found to be in breach of their tenancy agreements. Existing policy is set out in the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future.
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f37-reforming-housing-legislation
F38 Building Railways fit for the 21st Century
This motion updates party policy about the railways. It opposes the renationalisation of the railways and, instead, to make the railways work proposes: large-scale investment in existing commuter lines as well as new and reopened lines; fixing the broken fares system by using technology to simplify fares and making season tickets work for people with part-time jobs; creating a new Railway Agency to oversee the day-to-day operation of the railways; making the railways greener, safer and more accessible; reforming franchising and opening-up the bidding process; effectively devolving power to local and combined authorities; and improving freight services so they don’t slow passenger services.
Existing policy is set out in policy motion Fixing Rail Franchising (2018), the 2017 General Election Manifesto Change Britain’s Future and Policy Paper 119 Protecting Public Services and Making Them Work for You (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f38-railways