Going for Gold – the South Cambridgeshire Story

Going for gold

Written by Kevin Wilkins March 2019

Going for gold Foreword

Local government is the backbone of our party, and from Cornwall to Eastleigh, Eastbourne to South Lakeland, with directly elected Mayors in Bedford and Watford, Liberal Democrats are making a real difference in councils across the country. So I was delighted to be asked to write this foreword for one of the latest to join that group of Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson MP CBE councils, South Cambridgeshire. Deputy Leader Liberal Democrats Every council is different, and their story is individual to them. It’s important that we learn what works and what doesn’t, and always be willing to tell our story so others can learn. Good practice booklets like this one produced by South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrat Group at the Local Government Association are tremendously useful.

This guide joins a long list of publications that they have produced promoting the successes of our local government base in places as varied as Liverpool, Watford and, more recently, Bedford. Encouraging more women to stand for public office is a campaign I hold close to my heart. It is wonderful to see a group of 30 Liberal Democrat councillors led by Councillor Bridget Smith, a worthy addition to a growing number of Liberal Democrat women group and council leaders such as Councillor Liz Green (Kingston Upon Thames), Councillor Sara Bedford (Three Rivers) Councillor Val Keitch (South Somerset), Councillor Ruth Dombey (Sutton), and Councillor Aileen Morton (Argyll and Bute) South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats are leading the way in embedding nature capital into all of their operations, policies and partnerships, focusing on meeting the housing needs of all their residents, and in dramatically raising the bar for local government involvement in regional economic development. Their story is inspirational, as are many of the other stories I hear from Liberal Democrat councillors up and down the country. We should celebrate them all.

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Contents

The South Cambridgeshire area...... 7

A political history...... 8

New local government structures...... 10

The new knowledge economy and its politics...... 11

Shock...... 13

The recovery, the build up...... 16

How many to target?...... 20

What to conclude...... 26

Who can learn from this?...... 28

Acknowledgements...... 29

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South Cambridgeshire landscape – view of Linton © John Sutton creative commons licence

6 The South Cambridgeshire area

A rural district of just under 150,000 Many of its people, especially those people at the last census, South living close to Cambridge, work in the Cambridgeshire contains no towns, ever-growing science-based industries though two new ones are under in and around the city, the universities construction in Northstowe and there, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Waterbeach. Its largest settlement Or they commute to London. For all currently is Cambourne, a large and its rurality, South Cambridgeshire growing village of 10,000 homes does not rely on agriculture for major with a further 6,000 in the pipeline. employment but there are a wide Unusually, the district wholly surrounds variety of micro economies in the another district – Cambridge. more remote villages. The countryside is gentle and its South Cambridgeshire is frequently hills, such as they are, could not even listed as one of the most desirable be described as rolling, nothing so places in England in which to live. extreme. But this isn’t the flatlands Life expectancy is three years of the fens; they are in the districts higher than the national average and to the north. Its villages are mostly unemployment is low. prosperous, though with pockets of This apparently comfortable state was deprivation, yet struggle with the then blown apart, in people’s minds at 21st century pressures of online least, by the vote to leave the European sales and poor public transport. Union.

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Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners in South Cambridgeshire

Elections were held every year. Except A political in county council election years. One third of the council was up for election history at a time, but a variety of one-, two- and three-member wards meant that some South Cambridgeshire was established district wards went to the polls every as a district council under the Heath year, while others did so only every Government’s reforms of 1972. other year or every fourth. For its first 20 years, it was run by Independents until a growing Throughout these years the district Conservative presence from the mid council as a whole, with its large 1980s moved the council to No Overall vociferous group of independents, Control in 1992. The Alliance made seemed to lack coherence and strategic little impact but by the mid 1990s, the vision, characterised by a planning Liberal Democrat group had risen to committee that seemed determined to double figures, as did briefly the protect each and every village. Labour group.

8 From the mid 1990s, the Liberal Bridget Smith had taken over from Democrat group grew further and Sebastian as leader of the group. Both emerged from the all-up elections were from Gamlingay in the far west of of 2004 with 19 out of 55. The the district, an area that has a weaker Conservatives, on 23, had become relationship with Cambridge than most the largest party, overtaking the villages and also looks to Bedford. Independents in 2000. Sebastian’s flamboyance was replaced by Bridget’s engaging combination of Liberal Democrat councillors had joined a business-like approach and heartfelt a multi-party cabinet and in 2005, compassion. Sebastian Kindersley was elected as the first Liberal Democrat Leader of A large new intake of party members the Council. He brought a clarity and following Nick Clegg’s admirable leadership to the council that it had resignation speech was common previously lacked but with cabinet across England but, while many areas comprising the three large groups, only benefited from their membership he didn’t have the votes to introduce subscriptions, South Cambridgeshire significant Liberal Democrat policy saw some significant new activists. changes. The 2016 elections saw a net gain of three seats and a clear determination to The Conservatives however took every change the way the Liberal Democrats opportunity to attack his leadership fought elections locally. and in 2007, they gained overall control of the council, which they held through to 2018. The new Tory leadership was neither as strident as fellow Conservatives elsewhere in Cambridgeshire, nor as parochial as the Independents had been. But it lacked dynamism and energy. The Conservative rise was halted briefly in 2010, the Liberal Democrats winning a narrow majority of the 19 seats being contested. But the Coalition inevitably saw a decline in Liberal Democrat fortunes but a less dramatic one than many areas suffered.

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the Cambridge sub-region and to New local ensure that housing growth met the huge local demand. It meant greater government co-operation between the county council and the two districts, South structures Cambridgeshire and Cambridge, but it also recognised that the economic The public has long been understandably sub-region did not follow local confused by the separation of functions government boundaries, extending and responsibilities between district into North Hertfordshire for example. and county councils. But various British The new Coalition government governments decided that things were introduced Local Enterprise too simple. Partnerships (LEP) and then City Deals The Greater Cambridge Partnership (the current one confusingly called (GCP) was created in the 2000s to The Greater Cambridge Partnership) promote the economic success of but abolished the original GCP.

Bridget Smith and the team celebrate the moment victory is declared

10 The former was a curious body comprising not just all of The new Cambridgeshire but districts in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and knowledge Lincolnshire, plus the unitary authorities of Rutland and Peterborough, and economy and in 2017, Fenland MP Steve Barclay questionably identified the LEP as a its politics waste of money and had it abolished. The current GCP was a smaller The ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’, the authority combining the districts of extraordinary economic boom that South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge started in the early 1970s with the with the county council in a three-way expansion of Britain’s computer industry decision-making structure that required and has more recently produced much cross-authority agreement. Most of this country’s biotech industry, people expected it to lead to a unitary started as a series of university authority in the south of the county. spin-offs and initially coalesced in 1970 on the Cambridge Science Park But then, the Conservative government founded by Trinity College, Cambridge. decided to extend elected Mayors Ironically most of the land is in South and alleged devolution to East Anglia. Cambridgeshire. Norfolk and Suffolk objected to a scheme for the three counties but Tory While the British government of the rural Cambridgeshire agreed while 1970s worried about steel production Labour Cambridge succumbed to the in Ravenscraig and Port Talbot and car plan for a Mayor with Peterborough to plants in Longbridge and Cowley, a be elected in May 2017. variety of clever and enterprising people here made inventions and developed The result has been completely businesses that owed much more to shambolic. forward-thinking college bursars than to government. Government policy boosted R&D but it contained little that helped local government cope with the change brought about by the new, fast-growing knowledge economy. At the very least, funding settlements for councils and the NHS based on census information

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that could be almost 10 years out of groups were more liberal than the date caused significant problems in English population as a whole. one of the fastest growing areas of Equally strong has been the wave of the country. liberal university graduates and science The knowledge economy also brought workers moving out of Cambridge, a different set of problems: those especially as they start a family, when of success. People’s quality of life is their child outgrows the small second morally no more or less important here bedroom of the city’s terraces or when than anywhere else in the country the second child arrives. but well-educated people in jobs Over 50 years South Cambridgeshire that depend on their knowledge and has been getting relentlessly more adaptability can simply take their pick liberal – but with a small l. of well-paid jobs elsewhere, not merely if they can get more money but if their children’s school isn’t good enough or traffic congestion is too great. Politically, the result is that voters have been particularly concerned about maintaining the quality of life in their village which on the surface feels not so different from many rural areas. As in large parts of the south of England, they are not worried about economic failure. But here a large part of the adult population is connected to science- based industry, the two universities and the extraordinary research hub that is Addenbrooke’s Hospital. A generation ago, there was a belief that differential migration was encouraging liberals to move to live in a vibrant successful city like Cambridge, whereas small ‘c’ conservatives chose a quieter life in rural South Cambridgeshire. If there has been some truth to that, it missed the fact that incomers in both well-educated

12 or face-to-face conversations that Shock made the difference. Faced with the Conservatives running the district and Nothing prepared the people of South county councils, having both MPs and Cambridgeshire for the result of the now intent on taking Britain out of the 2016 EU referendum. EU, the new members could indeed be persuaded to get involved. In addition to its general prosperity and high levels of liberal education, That summer of 2016, James Lillis, then the University of Cambridge has Liberal Democrat Deputy Director of been the single biggest recipient of Campaigns and recently elected as a EU science funding in the whole of councillor in Peterborough, decided that Europe and countless companies here Cambridgeshire could elect a majority have benefited from such money. One Liberal Democrat county council in consequence was a huge influx of new, 2017. The Liberal Democrats had won cross, Liberal Democrat members. only 14 of 65 seats in 2013 down from a peak of 23 in 2005 and 2009 but In most of the county, the Liberal the referendum had shown southern Democrats then were organised by Cambridgeshire to be a strong ‘Remain’ Westminster constituencies and so area so significant gains there, decent South Cambridgeshire District was split results in pre-coalition strongholds in between two local parties: 65 per cent East Cambridgeshire and isolated wins South Cambridgeshire and 35 per cent elsewhere might take us to 31 seats South East Cambridgeshire, with the (new boundaries meant the new council former taking in one ward of Cambridge would have 61 seats). and the latter three quarters of East Cambridgeshire. In addition, the new Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was The biggest change then came within to be elected on the same day as the the South Cambridgeshire local party. county elections. Fresh from the relative success The challenge of the task ahead of the 2016 elections but reeling loomed. Arithmetic dictated that control from the referendum result, South of the county council depended on Cambridgeshire made a huge effort to winning a minimum of 45 per cent of contact its members, especially the the vote in 51 per cent of the wards, new ones. Organised by Mary Regnier- whereas winning the mayoralty Wilson, members received phone calls required winning an average of 40 per or visits. Yes they received welcoming cent of the vote across all of the wards. emails too, but it was individual phone

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The former ought to be much easier Then Theresa May called a General than the latter. But carried away by Election for 8 June and everything the success of the Richmond by- changed. election campaign and enthused by the The evening of the announcement, selection of Cambridge Councillor Rod canvassers reported a significant Cantrill as Mayoral candidate, unspoken hardening of the Conservative vote assumptions started to shift. and so it proved on election night. One Such a campaign had not been tried county division that we had hoped to systematically in South and South gain was lost by just two votes but East Cambridgeshire and it showed. many more were lost by significant Most rural county divisions struggled margins. to get close to the target of one Focus More encouragingly, Rod Cantrill had newsletter per month and many come second in the Mayoral election, buckled under the pressure of three coming first in both Cambridge and leaflets plus copious target letters in the South Cambridgeshire. All observers election campaign itself. had correctly predicted a clear Tory win The leaflets themselves, art-worked on but it had not been clear who would an industrial scale to common designs, come second and thus make it through didn’t quite connect with the voters to the second stage of the count. at either a county/district level or a We had not been second in the two ward level. Attempting that level of previous PCC elections. organisational expansion proved way The best news however was too difficult in one year. hidden from public view. The South The door-knocking was heavily data- Cambridgeshire box counts had driven for the first time in a countywide shown that the boundaries of the election here but as the most recent new divisions had made a significant data had been gathered before or difference to the results. Despite during the coalition it proved too the overall disappointment, South unreliable to enable the new techniques Cambridgeshire’s new district ward to pay dividends. boundaries soon to be contested in the 2018 all-up elections had the Despite all the difficulties, and although potential to produce significant gains. majority control had long been privately A strict interpretation of the figures put written off, everyone nonetheless us within striking distance of overall had reason to be confident of making control, with another group of seats significant gains. level on election day but lost on the postal vote and another small group

14 Bridge over the River Anker at Caldecote © Stephen McKay creative commons licence held by Liberal Democrat district County group leader, never really got councillors but in divisions we hadn’t going in South East Cambridgeshire as tried to win. Put these three groups people and resources were sucked into together, add in a somewhat poorer the Cambridge campaign to get Julian night for the Conservatives nationally Huppert back into Parliament. He had and majority control was feasible. lost by just 599 votes in 2015 making it the closest Liberal Democrat target But before thoughts could turn to in the country. But 2017 was a General 2018, there was a General Election Election best forgotten. to fight. The South Cambridgeshire constituency campaign team, motivated by their first proper election campaign together, started with great hopes for Susan van de Ven. The campaign for Lucy Nethsingha, the Liberal Democrat

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10 of the 13 victorious women in the new group of 30

their credit, agreed with the change The recovery, of approach and left it well alone. Crucial to the development of the South the build up Cambridgeshire local party had been Clare Delderfield as Chair, someone What was remarkable amidst the who understood the importance of raised and dashed hopes that followed taking people with you. The group dismal defeat, was the way the South had obviously crossed constituency Cambridgeshire local party then pulled boundaries but the local parties had itself together. rarely done so successfully. Indeed, A clear and crucial decision was antagonism between the Cambridge taken for the party to run a common and South Cambridgeshire parties had campaign across the district, without been a frequent feature of the previous regard to constituency boundaries. 25 years. But Clare had brought The Campaign Co-ordinating Group everyone together with campaign (CCG) that had been set up to run manager Aidan Van de Weyer and they Susan’s campaign was expanded to looked after a team of people with accommodate people from South different skills and who liked working East Cambridgeshire. The South East with each other. Cambridgeshire local party executive, to

16 But the post-mortem after the Villages across the district felt the heat general election needed to find a and our criticisms of the Conservatives’ way for the local party to emerge mistakes began to hit home. Of course from its disappointment. Strangely, some of the local feeling was against it developed an irrational loathing of development in general but there were Liberal Democrat tabloid newspapers enough examples of developments in but in practice this seemed to be an clearly unsuitable locations for our line effective, if somewhat random, way of to work without being NIMBY (Not In scapegoating an aspect of the recent My Back Yard). disappointments, enabling people to A few South Cambridgeshire villages move on. also had a whiff of, well, Conservative Nonetheless, that summer was hard councillors looking after their own for many activists and the autumn property interests. The problem seems saw rather less campaigning than far greater in other nearby districts but might have been hoped. Most of the even parish boundaries here became a staff from the various 2016 and 2017 hot issue where a dispute was believed campaigns had dispersed but two were to involve a councillors’ land. employed from late autumn to push This of course came against a backdrop the campaign forward. Yan Malinowski of Conservative county councillors was to continue his county campaign awarding themselves a 30 per cent work to mobilise the activist base while pay rise in the summer of 2017 and Kevin Wilkins, architect of Cambridge’s they were rewarded with the first success in the 2000s, was to write the of Cambridgeshire’s several recent literature and organise the campaign appearances in Private Eye’s ‘Rotten with Aidan. Boroughs’. Early 2018 saw yet another delay In the years since its creation, the City in the long-running saga of South Deal had not succeeded in anything Cambridgeshire’s Local Plan. Developed much. It had proposed a road closure in partnership with Cambridge, the new programme in Cambridge that had had plan was heading into its fifth year of to be withdrawn and had managed debate, inspection and amendment to change its name to the Greater and villages were under siege from Cambridge Partnership (the original developers pushing forward with GCP having been abolished) but there unsuitable plans that would win was no solution to the area’s traffic planning permission on appeal after the problems in sight. Ironically perhaps, five-year land supply had been shown the opening of the new Cambridge to be insufficient. North railway station near the Science

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South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats Park in 2017 had raised popular South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats expectations about solving or at least ameliorating the transport situation. The Conservative County Council, though deserving credit for its important role in the new station, on Over and Willingham had inflicted the worst bus cuts in on Over and Willingham England on rural Cambridgeshire and commuters into Cambridge knew Standing up for our that simply building more roads could Standing up for our not ease the congestion problems into and out of the city. A congestion two villages Our villages need Bill Handley charge would certainly be controversial two villagesand DawnOur villagesPercival need on the Bill Handley council,and speaking Dawn Percival up for us. on the but while firmly against the idea the council, speaking up for us. Over and Willingham have been let Conservatives failed to give any positive down byOver the andcurrent Willingham Conservative have been let Councillors.down by the current Conservative solutions. Councillors. On the key issues that matter: On the key issues that matter: • Inappropriate housing Any rural area can debate to what Inappropriate housing developments• in Over extent its villages are similar to or developments in Over • Too much traffic going through • Too much traffic going through different from each other. Needless Willingham Willingham we need two new councillors to get to say, residents, and councillors in we need two new councillors to get a fair deal for our villages. particular, are keen to stress how their a fair deal for our villages. village is different. Bill and Dawn will make sure people in Over and Willingham are kept informed about what’sBill and being Dawn done will by make the surecouncil people – not in kept Over in and the Willinghamdark, as happens are kept now. informed As the campaign approached and as the about what’s being done by the council – not kept in the dark, as happens now. issues faced by each ward campaign became clearer to everyone else, it You have 2 votes became obvious that the problems the You have 2 votes villages had were very similar indeed; Only the Lib ✘ Dems can beatOnly the Lib they all suffered because of the local the ConservativesDems can beat ✘ here in South the Conservatives Bill HandleyBill Handley plan failures and they all suffered, albeit Cambridgeshirehere in South in different ways, because of the failure Cambridgeshire All bars are ✘ to provide solutions to the transport 39.9% Dems Lib drawn All bars are Lab to scale drawn ✘

to scale Lib Dems 39.9% Dems Lib problems. 39.7% Conservatives 13.2% Lab Dawn Percival

Grn Dawn Percival Conservatives 39.7% Conservatives 13.2% 5.6% Grn The messaging problem had been 5.6% that the residents of village A are not Bill and Dawn stand up for this area actually very interested in stories about Bill and Dawn stand up for this area village B, unless perhaps they share an arterial route to Cambridge.

18 South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats This could even be true within wards. But the fact that they all shared the same two overarching problems made everything much easier. Locally, the Conservatives had two jobs Conservatives put own pay rise ahead of keeping children’s centres open on Over and Willingham and they had failed dismally at both. ConservativesYour put own paymoney rise ahead of keeping children’s in centres open on Over and Willingham Your money in their bank accounts Brexit was bound to be an issue Conservative-run Cambridgeshire Key public of course. No-one, presumably, Standing up for ourtheirCounty Council has voted tobank raise accountsKey public Council Tax by almost 5% but will services starved Conservative-runput most of theCambridgeshire money into its bank services starved Countyaccount Council rather has than voted use to it raise on important of cash despite imagined that winning control of South Councilpublic Tax services. by almost 5% but will of cash despite put most of the money into its bank Standing up for Despiteour the 4.99% rise, half of Cambridgeshire’s Council Tax rise accountChildren’s rather Centres than will use be closedit on and important money will be Council TaxUp 4.99%rise publickept services.back from key front-line services. Your taxes Cambridgeshire could stop Brexit DespiteThe theLib 4.99%Dems rise,proposed half of that Cambridgeshire’s an extra £500,000 was Your taxes 18Up 4.99%to be Children’sspent on Centres care for will elderly be closed people and and money more willmoney be Shire Hall Conservatives are taking money Children’s keptwas back invested from keyin services front-line for services.children with Special Shirefrom Hall your Conservatives bank account toare put taking in the money Council’s Children’s closed TheEducational Lib Dems Needs.proposed that an extra £500,000 was account and their own. 18 to be but a motion from Aidan to South from your bank account to put in the Council’s Centres spentThe on Lib care Dems for elderlyalso backed people plans and for more more money accountLeader ofand the their Lib Dem own. County Councillors. “It’s Centres No closedextra two villages wasmaintenance invested in ofservices footpaths, for children cycleways with and Special roads and Leadernot acceptable of the Lib to Dem put upCounty people’s Councillors. taxes and then“It’s do Road & path Educationalfor improvements Needs. to public transport, including a notnothing acceptable with tothe put money.” up people’s taxes and then do Road & path money Thefree Libbus Dems pass for also 16-18 backed year-olds. plans for more nothing with the money.” maintenance No extra Our villages need Bill Handley But there’s money for Cambridgeshire District Council in maintenanceBut these proposals of footpaths, were rejectedcycleways by and the roads and But there’s money for maintenance Upmoney 30% Our villages need Bill Handley forConservatives improvements who to wanted public thetransport, money including to sit in thea councillors’ own pay rise free bus pass for 16-18 year-olds. County two villagesand Dawn Percival on the Council’s bank account. Conservativecouncillors’ County Councillors own didpay make rise one County Up 30% and Dawn Percival on the “TheBut these money proposals raised fromwere taxrejected rises shouldby the be spent exception:Conservative they County backed Councillorsthe plans to didgive make themselves one a Councillors’ pay early 2018 called for the council to onConservatives important public who wantedservices,” the said money Lucy to Nethsingha, sit in the 30%exception: pay rise they at taxpayer’s backed the expense. plans to give themselves a Councillors’ pay council, speaking up for us. Council’s bank account. 30% pay rise at taxpayer’s expense. council, speaking up for us. “The money raised from tax rises should be spent Conservative rule Localon important publicpeople services,” said Lucy Nethsingha, Conservative rule examine the likely impact of Brexit on Over and Willingham have been let CouncilCouncil should should of South Cambs Over and Willingham have been let couldLocal lose people say on of South Cambs down by the current Conservative planning decisions planplan for for Brexit Brexit could lose say on under threat from the businesses and residents (including down by the current Conservative South Cambs Council’s terrible record impact on local under threat from Councillors. on planning could see decisionslocal people lose impact on local Lib Dems out. Councillors. South Cambs Council’s terrible record businesses Lib Dems The Conservative-run Council has one of the worst businesses on planning could see local people loseLib Dems are calling for South Cambs How South EU citizens) of the district and to plan records in the country at having planning decisions On the key issues that matter: CouncilLib to Dems take area lead calling on helpingfor South business Cambs Cambs overturnedout. on appeal. On the key issues that matter: cope withCouncil life toafter take Brexit. a lead on helping business Howresidents South voted The resultThe isConservative-run that the government Council could has allow one of the worst cope with life after Brexit. records in the country at having planning decisions“Brexit will cause real problems for many local Cambsin the council developers to bypass the council altogether. “Brexit will cause real problems for many local • Inappropriate housing overturned on appeal. firms,” said Lib Dem Cllr Aidan Van de Weyer. residents voted to help them adapt to the changes that This would have a serious impact on the ability From hi-techfirms,” business said Lib toDem agriculture, Cllr Aidan many Van de Weyer. elections last Inappropriate housing The result is that the government could allow • of local people and parish councils to affect local companiesFrom will hi-tech see problems business withto agriculture, recruitment many in theyear council developers to bypass the council altogether. developments in Over planning decisions through their elected councillors. caused companiesby Brexit. will see problems with recruitment elections last developments in Over South CambsThis would Council have is alreadya serious notorious impact on for the ability Exportingcaused will be by a Brexit.huge issue if the government year of local people and parish councils to affect local Exporting will be a huge issue if the government All bars drawn would ensue.

taking longer to produce a Local Plan than any other refuses to stay in the Customs Union. Con 39.7% Con to scale planning decisions through their elected councillors. refuses to stay in the Customs Union. • Too much traffic going through council in the country. “South Cambs Council can’t stop Brexit but it Lab South Cambs Council is already notorious for “South Cambs Council can’t stop Brexit but it Our villages are being should play its part in helping this area cope with Grn Con 39.7% All bars drawn taking longer to produce a Local Plan than anythe other problems should that play Brexit its part creates,” in helping said Aidan.this area cope with 39.9% Dem Lib 13.2% • Too much traffic going through hit by inappropriate Lab to scale 5.6% council in the country.developmentsOur villages are being the problems that Brexit creates,” said Aidan.

Willingham Lib Dem 39.9% caused by Southhit by inappropriateOut of touch with reality Out of touch with reality 13.2% Grn Willingham Cambs Council’sdevelopments 5.6% failure to producecaused its by SouthBut like their colleagues at Westminster, the South Cambridgeshire is not No voters angry at the prospect of Local Plan onCambs time. Council’sConservatives But havelike their stuck colleagues their heads at Westminster,in the sand the we need two new councillors to get and refusedConservatives to back the plan have to stuck help theirlocal headsfirms. in theSouth sand Cambridgeshirea place where Labour is not does Left, the mapfailure shows to produce its and refused to back the plan to help local firms. we need two new councillors to get the torrent ofLocal Plan onMost time. Conservative MPs and Councillors seem a placewell where in local Labour council does elections applications fromLeft, the mapcompletely shows Mostdeluded Conservative about the MPsimpact and of Councillors Brexit. seemwell in local council elections a fair deal for our villages. developers. the torrent of completely deluded about the impact of Brexit. Brexit would have been persuaded applications from a fair deal for our villages. Published & promoted by Aidan Van dedevelopers. Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. Printed by Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA Printed by Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA Published & promoted by Aidan Van de Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. to the Liberal Democrats simply Bill and Dawn will make sure people in Over and Willingham are kept informed because of the motion but it did make about what’sBill and being Dawn done will by make the surecouncil people – not in kept Over in and the Willinghamdark, as happens are kept now. informed about what’s being done by the council – not kept in the dark, as happens now. the district council elections relevant to them rather than merely being an You have 2 votes opportunity for protest. And it did show You have 2 votes that if Brexit went ahead they would Only the Lib ✘ want the council run by people who Dems can beatOnly the Lib the ConservativesDems can beat ✘ shared their values and wanted not only here in South the Conservatives Bill HandleyBill Handley Cambridgeshirehere in South economic survival but to protect EU Cambridgeshire citizens living here. All bars are ✘

Lib Dems 39.9% Dems Lib drawn All bars are Lab to scale drawn ✘

to scale Lib Dems 39.9% Dems Lib Conservatives 39.7% Conservatives 13.2% Lab Dawn Percival

Grn Dawn Percival Conservatives 39.7% Conservatives 13.2% 5.6% Grn 5.6% Bill and Dawn stand up for this area Bill and Dawn stand up for this area Many of the campaign leaflets made good use of overprinting in black on pre-printed stock

19 Going for gold

It might have persuaded some leader of the council had announced his Remainers to vote in a local election intention to stand against his erstwhile rather than being a national voter only colleagues. We eventually found two but it certainly helped some Liberal good candidates there, one of whom Democrat activists feel confident that only agreed to stand after nominations they could campaign on Brexit in a local had opened and the first election leaflet election. Of course when the Tories had gone to press. voted to defeat the motion, our case was made all the stronger. If Focus production speeded up in January, door-knocking took off in How many March. London borough campaigns had been well ahead of South to target? Cambridgeshire in their canvassing throughout the autumn and winter For experienced campaigners, the most but by March active wards were difficult question became ‘How many beginning to match the weekly wards can we target to win?’ activity levels of busy parts of The new council would be 45 councillors London (adjusting for size). strong. By mid March we were Monthly emails were sent out to voters delivering leaflets and knocking on doors in many wards from data collected from in wards electing 32 councillors between surveys and door knocking. They were them, way more than the 23 we needed deliberately a mixture of generic district- for majority control. (The current Liberal wide material, centrally produced, and Democrat council group was 14). ward stories locally written. They were The decision was taken that the 32 clearly less party political than Focus would get the full literature campaign but they were not apolitical. One story (although one councillor in a single- would contain something for which member ward refused) and we would the Tories were to blame. But once defer a decision about targeting door- approved by the candidates, the emails knocking. We did however agree that were sent out centrally; we could not the 13 seats not getting the centralised possibly have relied on the technical literature campaign would receive skills of each ward to do this. absolutely no leaflet or door-knocking We continued to look for candidates, activity from us at all and we were even in wards we had high hopes of grateful to the local candidates who winning. We were fortunate in one ward accepted that decision with good grace where a deselected Tory and former but regret.

20 It is important to remember here that the final week, each to a common our failure to reduce the 32 to a more template but with each ward having ‘sensible’ target came in large part from enough space for their content to hit our knowledge of the 2017 box counts. the right local buttons. Unusually for We had real evidence that, apart from a Liberal Democrat campaign they one or two parishes, all of the wards largely featured attractive pictures of we aimed to gain had performed well Liberal Democrats smiling rather than just 12 months earlier despite a good grumpily looking into a pothole (though night for the Conservatives. The question there was obviously some of that). was not whether we could win these Hand-delivered direct mail letters would wards this year but whether we had the be delivered with Focus, they would capacity to win all of them on the same highlight the ward issues and one day, ie whether by extending ourselves would major on Brexit. too thinly and trying to win too many we The data-driven approach to canvassing would win fewer than we might have was happily adopted by everyone, as done if we’d targeted more strictly. was miniVan. Without getting technical These questions were all the more as to what data-driven meant to us, difficult to solve as, by historical if you’re knocking on doors of people accident, some of the most promising who never vote or people who’ll never wards demographically had the least consider voting for us then you’re developed ward organisations and vice wasting your time. Some people think versa; in some of the less promising it’s important to call on those people areas, the Tories were in particular too but our advice is that if you really disarray; and in one of our best want to, you’ll have even more time to organised wards the threat came from continue doing so after you’ve failed to a popular Independent and his former gain your seat. Liberal Democrat sidekick. Every fortnight, printers Park received Candidates and activists had been the 16 wards worth of artwork and coming together every month to discuss delivered it back to us as planned the the campaign and from mid-March following Friday. Lacking a central these meetings moved to weekly. They location to stuff our own letters by highlighted the campaign successes that hand and deeply scarred by attempts in we had enjoyed, praised the wards that 2017 to push overly ambitious volumes had done the most and kept everyone through temperamental machines, informed about campaign plans. we got all our letter stuffing done commercially. Election Workshop didn’t The literature campaign would have let us down. three main colour leaflets prior to

21 Going for gold

The 2017 campaign had been very In another, a planning application for painful organisationally but despite, a new lorry depot on the edge of or perhaps because, of its ambition, it Sawston was hugely unpopular. In had shown us clearly what we needed another, the Highways Agency chopped to change to make everything work down a row of trees shortly before the smoothly the following year. Many election and the issue appeared on TV campaigns have been bigger than South a week before polling day. Cambridgeshire 2018 but few have gone In these cases, it would have been more smoothly and that was crucial to almost impossible to change the our ability to fight so many wards. standard templates we were using to What’s more, the smoothness adequately accommodate these issues minimised the amount of canvassing properly while also sticking to the time that candidates had to lose to external printing deadlines that meant other activities. It would be easy to the campaign ran so smoothly. It was exaggerate this, wholesaling the in fact easier to use the extraordinary leaflets to deliverers still had to be flexibility of an in-house Riso printing done, but the fact that every leaflet low volumes of extra leaflets to make turned up on time made everything real political capital. Of course, in-house much easier. Risos could theoretically have coped with the whole campaign but their great In a few wards, the fortnightly literature flexibility could all too easily lead to schedule allowed us to produce more slack deadlines, late leaflets and whole conventional ward leaflets on the local weekends of planned volunteer Riso for the off-weekends. But this was delivery missed. driven by the ward politics; it worked well in the wards where big local issues As April progressed, the canvassing blew up and we could really hammer volumes took off – at least in some home our popular line by doing so. wards. Put simply, it all seemed to be going very well, implausibly so. We tried In one ward, Duxford, our candidate to get more canvassers to canvass out was opposed by a Tory who was also of their normal ward so that we could a councillor in a district in Suffolk measure or discount the optimism bias and where he was already a Cabinet with which some of our door knocking member. The voters didn’t think much of team seemed to be infected. this when it was pointed out to them.

22 23 Going for gold

We didn’t really succeed with that until South Cambs takes longer to produce Local Plan than any council – ever! the final weekend where a month of South Cambs takes longer to produce Local Plan than any council – ever! extremely positive figures from the candidates in one ward were replicated The Slowest Council by experienced canvassers from The Slowest Council elsewhere. in England? “The“The enormous enormous delays delays to to Two things came back in the canvassing Government figures show that the Southin Cambs andEngland? Cambridge the theLocal Local Plan Plan mean mean badly badly stories, one explicit, one not. Firstly, local Governmentplan has already figures taken show the that planned housing estates longestthe time South of anyCambs local and plan Cambridge in planned housing estates people were repeating our messages: the countrylocal plan – ever. has already taken the are getting planning The Southlongest Cambs time plan ofstarted any nearlylocal fourplan in are getting planning yes the council had failed on planning, years agothe in countryMarch 2014 – ever.and it’s still got permission across South several months to go. The South Cambs plan started nearly four permission across South yes it had failed on transport. Voters told Only whenyears the ago Local in March Plan inspector2014 and has it’s still got Cambs” given herseveral approval months will theto go. speculative Cambs” building frenzy stop, and this won’t us that the map of all the unwarranted Only when the Local Plan inspector has happen until May at the earliest. given her approval will the speculative developments in the district looked like Cllr Aidanbuilding Van de frenzy Weyer, stop, Lib and Dem this won’t Let’s fund spokespersonhappen for planninguntil May said: at the earliest. Let’s fund an outbreak of measles, as our leaflets ‘The rulingCllr Conservatives Aidan Van de in Weyer,South Cambs Lib Dem have failedspokesperson our villages byfor permitting planning said: this had suggested to them. Secondly, but planning loophole to continue. Thousands our NHS ‘The ruling Conservatives in SouthBuilding Cambs in the wrong place: Lib Dem Councillors Anna our NHS of houses are being dumped in villages have failed our villages by permittingBradnam this andBuilding Ingrid in Tregoing the wrong outside place: an Lib inappropriate Dem Councillors Anna equally importantly, no voters seemed with no thoughtplanning to theirloophole impact to continue.on local Thousands services like doctors and schools.’ developmentBradnam off Bannold and Ingrid Road, Tregoing Waterbeach. outside an inappropriate of houses are being dumped in villages development off Bannold Road, Waterbeach. properly to be saying anything that might be a with no thought to their impact on local properly services like doctors and schools.’ Our NHS is facing a new winter crisis Tory message. Children’s Centres can be Our NHS evenis facing before a new a flu winter outbreak crisis hits. even before a flu outbreak hits. The problem is caused by underfunding of both Children’s Centres can beThe problem theis causedhealth serviceby underfunding itself and the of socialboth care system. While voters repeating our messages saved say Lib Dems the health service itself and the social care system. “Keep our Children’s Centres open,” Thousands of elderly people have been kept in “Keep our Children’s Centres open,” and slogans was encouraging, the failure say the Liberal Democrats. Thousands of aelderly hospital people bed over have Christmas been kept because in there isn’t saved say Lib Demssay the Liberal Democrats. a hospital bed suitableover Christmas care for becausethem out there of hospital. isn’t As a result, The County Council will be voting on its The County Council will be votingsuitable on its care forthousands them out of of operations hospital. Ashave a result,been cancelled due 2018/9 budget in February and the Lib of Tory messages was not surprising. 2018/9 budget in February and thethousands Lib of operationsto shortage have of beds. been cancelled due Dems will propose that the Conservative’s Dems will propose that the Conservative’sto shortage of beds. Developing a message grid for South £900,000 cut to£900,000 Children’s cut Services to Children’s be Services be Vince Cable calls for reversed in the comingreversed year.in the coming year. Vince Cable calls for Cambridgeshire had proved strangely Children’s CentresChildren’s are an importantCentres are and an important and better funded NHS valuable service valuablefor parents service of young for parents of young better Libfunded Dem Leader VinceNHS Cable has called on the difficult in the run up to the campaign children. children. Lib Dem Leadergovernment Vince Cable to hasfund called the NHS on theproperly: The Lib Dems areThe looking Lib Dems for the are support looking for the support government to fund“We the would NHS invest properly: £6bn per year in our NHS & because it was not remotely clear what of Conservative andof Conservative Labour Councillors and Labour Councillors Social Care system, paid for by a penny on income Liberal Democrat campaigners trying to stop the for the plans afterfor more the thanplans 3000 after more than 3000“We would invest £6bn per year in our NHS & tax.” the Tories could or would say. This was Conservative-run County Council chopping £900,000 people signed the peoplepetition signed to save the the petition 19 to saveSocial the Care19 system, paid for by a penny on income Children’s Centres from closure. tax.” a year from the LiberalChildren’s Democrat Services campaigners budget and closing trying to stop the Children’s Centres from closure. a product not so much of their council’s Children’s CentresConservative-run across Cambridgeshire. County Council chopping £900,000 a year from the Children’s Services budget and closing failure, though it can’t have helped, Children’s Centres across Cambridgeshire. but about the lacklustre nature of their …but there’s money for local leadership. Tories in nearby East …but there’s money for Conservatives’ own pockets rise30% for councillors, receive and instead gave themselves an While the Conservative County Councillors receive and instead gave themselves an Cambridgeshire are strident in their incredible 30% rise. rise30% for councillors, vote through cutsConservatives’ to important public incredible own 30% rise. pockets forced through by services, they nonetheless find the money to The Lib Dems voted against the rise and determination to cut public services in While the Conservative County Councillors The Lib Dems voted against the rise and give themselves a huge pay rise. will again be proposing to scrap the rise at forced through by vote through cuts to important public will again be proposing to scrap the rise at the budget meeting in February. Watch this the Conservatives The Conservativesservices, voted down they annonetheless find the money to the budget meeting in February. Watch this order to keep taxes down. It may not space. the Conservatives independent reportgive on themselves what they shoulda huge pay rise. space. be popular but at least it gives them The Conservatives voted down an independent report on what they should Published & promoted by Aidan Van de Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. Printed by Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA something to say. South Cambridgeshire Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA Tories genuinely seemed to have nothing Published & promoted by Aidan Van de Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. Printed by to say that would resonate with people and so it proved.

24 South Cambs takes longer to produce Local Plan than any council – ever! Labour meanwhile posed some South Cambs takes longer to produce Local Plan than any council – ever! concerns. They had been buoyed by their second places in the two The Slowest Council constituencies in 2017 and tried

The Slowest CouncilSouth Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats to argue that they were now the South Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats challengers to the Tories in 2018. It in England? “The enormous delays to Government figures show that “The enormous delays to wasn’t true but we had to keep pushing the South Cambs and Cambridge the Local Plan mean badly in England? the Local Planon mean Longstanton badly Printed by HLPS, 119 High Street, Sutton, Cambs. the line and using the magic bar graph local Governmentplan has already figures taken show the that planned housing estates Printed by HLPS, 119 High Street, Sutton, Cambs. longestthe time South of anyCambs local and plan Cambridge in planned housingon Longstanton estates to get the point across. The Labour the countrylocal plan – ever. has already taken the are gettingThe planning local team that The Southlongest Cambs time plan ofstarted any nearlylocal fourplan in are getting Theplanning local team that group on South Cambridgeshire had years agothe in countryMarch 2014 – ever.and it’s still got permissionstands across South up for our village several months to go. The South Cambs plan started nearly four permission across South Longstanton needs long been just a single councillor, Only when the Local Plan inspector has Cambs”standsWe need more up forTheThe promises promisesour villagemoreLongstanton buses to letneeds years ago in March 2014 and it’s still got good medical mademade about about residentsmore buses get whereto let We need more 3 given herseveral approval months will theto go. speculative Cambs” 1 facilities as the 2 NorthstoweNorthstowe must must 3 theyresidents need to get go. where goodpopulation medical grows 2 whose seat, rightly or wrongly, we building frenzy stop, and this won’t bebe stuck stuck to to they need to go. Only when the Local Plan inspector has 1 facilities as the happen until May at the earliest. population grows given her approval will the speculative would not try to take from him: we Cllr Aidanbuilding Van de frenzy Weyer, stop, Lib and Dem this won’t Let’s fund spokespersonhappen for planninguntil May said: at the earliest. Let’s fund had enough other targets. ‘The ruling Conservatives in South Cambs Cllr Aidan Van de Weyer, Lib Dem Northstowe has a huge impact on Local residents going to work often LongstantonNorthstowe and has we a huge need impact to make on sure have failedspokesperson our villages byfor permitting planning said: this Localcan’t residents get on guided going tobuses work when often they’re theLongstanton impact is positive: and we good need schools, to make sure can’tfull. get We on need guided to get buses Stagecoach when they’re to do planning loophole to continue. Thousands our NHSgoodthe for impact the environment is positive: good as well schools, as We need a concrete plan for dental full.better. We need to get Stagecoach to do Despite the nervousness of some ‘The ruling Conservatives in SouthBuilding Cambs in the wrong place: Lib Dem Councillors Anna bettergood healthcare for the environment and transport. as well as our NHSand GP practices to serve the growing better healthcare and transport. better. of houses are being dumped in villages have failed our villages by permittingBradnam this and Ingrid Tregoing outside an inappropriate population. with no thought to their impact on local Building in the wrong place: Lib Dem Councillors Anna We need a concrete plan for dental planning loophole to continue. Thousandsdevelopment Bradnam off Bannold and Ingrid Road, Tregoing Waterbeach. outside an inappropriate and GP practices to serve the growingYou have 2 votes on Thursday longstanding councillors not used services like doctors and schools.’ population. You have 2 votes on Thursday of houses are being dumped in villages development off Bannold Road, Waterbeach. properly The Conservatives, with no thought to their impact on local to bar graphs and the like, we stuck properly The oneConservatives, of whom has services like doctors and schools.’ Our NHS is facing a new winter crisis one ofeven whom been has brought OR in from Bar Hill Children’s Centres can be Our NHS evenis facing before a new a flu winter outbreak crisis hits. OR even been brought to our squeeze line and pushed it at in from Bar Hill even before a flu outbreak hits. Longstanton residents The problem is caused by underfundingSarahLongstanton and Alex of bothresidents Children’s Centres can beThe problem theis causedhealth serviceby underfunding itself and the of socialbothSarah care and system. Alex ✘ every opportunity. And it was no great saved say Lib Dems the health service itself and the social careAll bars system.are Sarah Cheung Johnson ✘ 36 Lofthouse Way, Longstanton ThousandsLib Dems 39.9% of elderly people have been Sarahkept36 Lofthouse in Way,Cheung Longstanton Johnson “Keep our Children’s Centres open,” drawn Lab to scale All bars are ✘ surprise that it worked. If there is to “Keep our Children’s Centres open,” drawn

Thousands of aelderly hospital people bed over Conservatives 39.7% have13.2% Christmas been kept becauseto scalein there isn’t say the Liberal Democrats. 39.9% Dems Lib Lab say the Liberal Democrats. Grn Alex AlexMalyon65 Woodside, Malyon Longstanton ✘

a hospital bed over Christmas because there isn’t 65 Woodside, Longstanton saved say Lib Dems suitable care for them39.7% Conservatives out of hospital. As a result, 13.2% The County Council will be voting on its 5.6% Grn be a Corbynite revolution, only the true The County Council will be votingsuitable on its care forthousands them out of of operations hospital. Ashave a result,been5.6% cancelled due 2018/9 budget in February and the Lib 2018/9 budget in February and thethousands Lib of operationsto shortage have of beds. Standingbeen cancelled updue for Longstanton Dems will propose that the Conservative’s Dems will propose that the Conservative’sto shortage of beds. Standing up for Longstanton believers think South Cambridgeshire £900,000 cut to£900,000 Children’s cut Services to Children’s be Services be Vince Cable calls for reversed in the comingreversed year.in the coming year. Vince Cable calls for will be at its vanguard. Children’s CentresChildren’s are an importantCentres are and an important and better funded NHS valuable service valuablefor parents service of young for parents of young better Libfunded Dem Leader VinceNHS Cable has called on the children. children. Throughout the campaign, core team Lib Dem Leadergovernment Vince Cable to hasfund called the NHS on theproperly: The Lib Dems areThe looking Lib Dems for the are support looking for the support government to fund“We the would NHS invest properly: £6bn per year in our NHS & of Conservative andof Conservative Labour Councillors and Labour Councillors members had poured over canvassing Social Care system, paid for by a penny on income Liberal Democrat campaigners trying to stop the for the plans afterfor more the thanplans 3000 after more than 3000“We would invest £6bn per year in our NHS & tax.” Conservative-run County Council chopping £900,000 people signed the peoplepetition signed to save the the petition 19 to saveSocial the Care19 system, paid for by a penny on income figures trying to work out what was Children’s Centres from closure. tax.” a year from the LiberalChildren’s Democrat Services campaigners budget and closing trying to stop the Children’s Centres from closure. Children’s CentresConservative-run across Cambridgeshire. County Council chopping £900,000 going on. One big difference compared a year from the Children’s Services budget and closing Children’s Centres across Cambridgeshire. to 2017 was that we now had reliable …but there’s money for past canvass data with which to …but there’s money for compare the current figures. But unlike Conservatives’ own pockets rise30% for councillors, receive and instead gave themselves an While the Conservative County Councillors receive and instead gave themselves an incredible 30% rise. rise30% for councillors, most campaigns, all the figures said the vote through cutsConservatives’ to important public incredible own 30% rise. pockets forced through by services, they nonetheless find the money to The Lib Dems voted against the rise and While the Conservative County Councillors The Lib Dems voted against the rise and same thing: everything is going well – give themselves a huge pay rise. will again be proposing to scrap the rise at forced through by vote through cuts to important public will again be proposing to scrap the rise at the budget meeting in February. Watch this the Conservatives The Conservativesservices, voted down they annonetheless find the money to the budget meeting in February. Watch this space. the Conservatives everywhere. independent reportgive on themselves what they shoulda huge pay rise. space. The Conservatives voted down an independent report on what they should Published & promoted by Aidan Van de Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. Printed by Those core team members who went Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA Park Communications Ltd, Alpine Way, London E6 6LA Published & promoted by Aidan Van de Weyer for and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, all at 9 Orwell Terrace, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7SG. Printed by to the postal vote openings tried not to grin too much afterwards and somehow managed to keep up the pressure on

25 Going for gold

people to up their game for the final week. Activists responded and plenty What to of letters with hand-written envelopes made their way to people’s letterboxes. conclude For polling day, Mary divided the 32 Some experienced campaigners, between five active committee rooms, especially some from deeply political all geared up to use miniVan properly cities, will read this tale and think South (ie so committee rooms didn’t need a Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have printer) and with a separate operation had it easy. for entering telling numbers. Everything went smoothly once again and we There is certainly an element of truth knocked on as many doors (over a much in that but there are more interesting larger area) as the established machines points too. of Kingston and Richmond. There can be little doubt that the And so did the count. campaign concentrating on the two great failures of the local Tories, on The count proper would be on Friday, planning and transport, resonated with but at the Thursday night verification voters across all types of villages in the team poured over spreadsheets the district. It was not clear until March analysing the tallies and were confident that ‘They had two jobs and they failed’ by the end that we had an outright would so dominate our messaging. majority. For fear of hubris, statements Indeed, it would have been easy to run hadn’t been prepared but they did let an OK campaign based on elements Liberal Democrat HQ inform the press of these issues that would have that South Cambridgeshire would see a undoubtedly produced some gains but change of control. would not have resonated so strongly. We ended up winning 30 of the 32 Our messaging, for all the brutal targets. One councillor had failed to simplicity of some of it, tried not to win re-election by five votes after failing exaggerate. Scarred by the mistakes to accept most of the planned leaflet of ‘project fear’, once we had settled campaign and the only other defeat was on the essence of it, we knew that real the third seat in a ward where one key cases would exemplify the top issues activist had done his duty for the party sufficiently well for people to be able and stood at the last moment despite to feel, ‘Yes they’re right. Look at x…. not living in the ward but thereby Something much like that happened in ensuring the election of his two local this village too. The Tories have failed.’ running mates.

26 The other aspect of messaging We did not have a public manifesto as that confuses some people is that such, though Bridget had privately done messages are not slogans. ‘Yes we much work on priorities and themes can’, ‘Make America great again’ and if we won. The consequence was that ‘Britain’s not working’ were hugely the leaflet writers had to consciously successful slogans but they are constrain their freedom to make memorable in part because of their promises, explicit or implicit, given rarity. Our campaign had some natty that there was a prospect of us taking headlines: ‘They had two jobs’, ‘It’s like control. We did not want to win power the measles’ and ‘It’s not a transport at the price of our own version of tuition hub, it’s a car park’ but nothing that fees. But that did not stop us making could be called a campaign slogan. campaign promises that we would be It did not matter. A few Focuses can determined to stick to afterwards; we hardly begin to generate the sort of just made sure we knew what they recognition that slogans achieve in a were and that there weren’t too many British General Election or an American of them. Presidential campaign and we shouldn’t The work done to mobilise members worry about it. The purpose of a between 2015 and the election message is to give an impression to a campaign was considerable. E-mails voter for her to connect with and like. and letters are an important part She does not even need to verbalise of the campaign armoury but they the impression, but merely to nod only produce low response rates. If her head and feel warm (or angry) in someone has gone to the trouble of agreement. joining or signing an anti-Brexit petition, Controlling the messages, the central you need to speak to people individually production of Focus by Kevin and and have a proper conversation. If you Aidan ensured that one ward did not invest the time in mobilising them it will say something that contradicted what pay off handsomely. we said in another. When there was Don’t let the potential complexity of such a risk, they escalated the issue all-singing, all-dancing data-driven so that problems could be dealt with in campaigns stop you running a simple collaboration with Bridget. Nor did we data-driven campaign. By following only stray into NIMBYism when complaining the most basic rules you can improve about inappropriate developments in the effectiveness of the time you put the villages, though draft copy from into canvassing by at least 25 per cent. wards could occasionally have laid us That can’t be bad. open to that charge.

27 Going for gold

Collecting email addresses so that you can email hundreds of your likely/ Who can potential voters every month (and on eve of poll) works. Of course it does, learn from but it’s also far more effective than other social media in a relatively low this? turnout election. On targeting, it is difficult to learn Places that are used to robust political lessons when you didn’t obey your battles might have little to learn from normal rules but everything turned out South Cambridgeshire’s experience fine anyway. The lesson not to learn save the value of a smoothly-run is that the normal rules aren’t right. election campaign. Few areas too will What we can say though is that it was have a set of box counts showing how the hard evidence of the box counts important the placement of boundaries from the year before that gave us the can be. confidence to pursue such an ambitious But many areas of rural or suburban plan. Without that reliable evidence we England have failing Tory councils with probably would have licked our wounds the Liberal Democrats some distance after 2017 and not even contemplated a behind. The message here is not an campaign to win control in 2018. More absurd one: that power is within your subtly, it was the box count evidence grasp in a year’s time. that gave the core team and candidates the determination to keep going with the Rather, the first is that a team of people ambitious plan throughout the autumn, who get on well, have a clear plausible winter and spring because they, rightly, goal and work well together can achieve had no doubt that control was plausible. a lot. Second, that identifying a small number of key messages that resonate with people is crucial to significant success. And third, that lots of leaflets, emails and canvassing repeating those messages works if your messages are good ones.

28 Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mary Regnier-Wilson, Yan Malinowski, Nick Pentney, James Lillis and Dave Hodgson for all their help and continuing advice as we take the Liberal Democrat agenda locally forward. Our great group of councillors, under the leadership of Councillor Bridget Smith. To all the Liberal Democrat members from neighboring councils who helped canvass, deliver leaflets and write letters – without you we would not have won. All our unsuccessful candidates, we are sorry you didn’t win. All our activists and unsung heroes including our families and friends, thank you for your support. Everyone at Liberal Democrat HQ, the team in the Liberal Democrat Office at the Local Government Association, especially Terry Stacy who encouraged us to write this booklet. And lastly ALDC for their support and advice, and for their inspirational Kickstart weekends. If you haven’t been on one, book up now and GO! We couldn’t have done it without them.

29 Going for gold

30 31 Published by the Liberal Democrat Group at: Local Government Association 18 Smith Square London SW1P 3HZ www.local.gov.uk/lga-lib-dem-group

March 2019

REF 6.103