Dear [name],

With news of the Liberal Democrat leadership election being bright forward, and lots of campaigns underway in Bristol, there is lots going on with the local Liberal Democrats.

Contents » COVID-19 Community Calling » Leadership Election » Our Campaigns » Local News » Social Media » Events » Organiser News

COVID-19 Community Calling

We need your help!

Across the city we have set up phone banks so that we can ring vulnerable citizens to check whether they are okay or need support during this COVID-19 isolation. We need members, like you, to help us make sure that the city stays safe and supported. There will be full training provided about the systems we use and what to say but it would be a real help if you would be willing to help us.

So far we have called thousands of people across the city and the feedback that's been received on the phone is amazing. Last week we were the 5th highest local party in the country in terms of number of calls made, and this week we want to be even higher! Click the link to volunteer!

Volunteer

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Leadership Election

Yesterday morning, HQ announced a new timetable for our leadership election. The election will kick off in late June, with a new leader elected in August. We will keep you up-to-date with the runners and riders, as well as the details of any (digital) hustings.

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Our Campaigns Although our campaigning has been affected by COVID, we are continuing to campaign on issues that are important to you, our members. Here are a couple of our most recent campaigns;

Bristol Energy Debacle

An extraordinary meeting of full council has been called jointly by ourselves and the Tories for this Tuesday afternoon, to investigate the debacle that has become Bristol Energy. Lib Dem Council Group Leader Gary Hopkins says

'There have been two secret reports over the last few months but we do not need to refer to either of them as they state only what was obvious to many of us years ago. There will be an attempt by the mayor and his trustees to confuse cllrs and the public with irrelevancies and misleading spin and of course some of this can’t only be fully exposed when an objective independent enquiry is concluded.'

Bristol Lib Dems are demanding an independent inquiry to fully examine the establishment and funding of Bristol Energy Limited, and the decisions that led to millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money being wasted, and that this should report to Full Council. Please take the time to sign the petition and share it via social media so we can get our positive message for the city out there!

Sign the Petition

Bristol City Council Chief Exec

The council has finally agreed to appoint a Chief eEecutive. The previous two incumbents left with sizeable pay offs and the second one saw BCC move into Private Eye’s Rotten Boroughs section. At todays meeting of Full Council an amendment by Gary Hopkins to set up an all party performance review panel was supported by the Tories and Greens but fell to the Labour majority.

Spaces for People – Pop-Up Cycle Lanes and Wider Pavements

To try and encourage the Mayor and Labour administration to investigate active travel opportunities through pop-up cycle lanes and wider pavements, we have created a petition and have been very successful so far. The Mayor has now changed his tune, and decided to try to catch up with other local authorities, but we must keep pushing. Please take the time to sign the petition and share it via social media so we can get our positive message for the city out there!

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Local News

COVID-19 has massively changed the way people are accessing news, with lots of people unable to access local news in their area. Due to the virus we have suspended the delivery of our local ‘Focus’ newsletters, and instead are sending out a digital ‘E-Focus’ via email. If you would like to sign up to your local newsletter, please click the link below. If you could also share it via social media or to friends and family, more people will have access to local news, and it allows us to spread our positive Liberal Democrat message to a wider audience.

E-Focus Sign Up

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Social Media

One of the easiest ways to stay connected at the local level and to push our Lib Dem message is through social media. We have the Bristol Liberal Democrat Member’s and Supporters Hub on Facebook, where you can keep up-to-date on events, policy and what we are doing in Bristol. Over 400 of our members are currently on the Hub, so if you aren’t click the link to join the Hub now!

Facebook Hub Sign Up

We would also ask you to help share our message via social media. Mary Page, our candidate for Mayor says “You can make a massive impact for all of our candidates, without even leaving your house, please think about being super fans for our team? On both Facebook and Twitter, just imagine 400 shares of one of our posts on any of the candidate pages… The Green Party and Labour people do it, so why not us? 樂”. We have created a full list of Facebook and Twitter pages that you can follow, like, share and comment on to help push our message out.

Social Media Links

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We have a series of (digital) events planned for our members as a way to mitigate the boredom of lockdown, here are the details;

• Tue 26th May 18:00pm - Civil Liberties & the Coronavirus with Christine Jardine MP - We are happy to announce an expert panel discussion on protecting and balancing civil liberties and privacy during the coronavirus period. Topics will include the NHS app, police trust and the potential consequences of COVID-19 on civil liberties. Q&A session will also be included. https://www.facebook.com/events/240421580533882/ • Thu 28th May 19:30pm – Virtual Pint & Politics with Ed Davey MP - Join us for a virtual edition of our monthly Lib Dem pint including a Q&A with acting leader and former cabinet minister Ed Davey MP. Grab a drink, some snacks and bring your questions for Ed. https://www.facebook.com/events/2529314087397443/ • Wed 3rd June 20:00pm - Bristol Liberal Democrat Fortnightly Virtual Pub Quiz - Now our fifth virtual quiz, we will be hosted by Lib Dem member from Southmead Erika Reeves. The quiz will commence at 8:00pm and is free to enter, and will be a friendly general knowledge based quiz. • Fri 5th June 18:45pm – Virtual Pint & Politics with Wera Hobhouse MP - Join us for a virtual edition of our monthly Lib Dem pint including a Q&A with Wera Hobhouse MP. Grab a drink, some snacks and bring your questions for Wera. https://www.facebook.com/events/259235201890421/ • Tue 9th June 18:00pm – Layla Listens - Join us for a Q&A with Layla Moran MP, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon. Grab a drink, some snacks and bring your questions for Layla. https://www.facebook.com/events/229223908372724/

There will be more (virtual) events to come, so keep your eyes peeled for more info!

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Organiser News

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Fergus Ustianowski for his excellent work as an organiser, as he finished working for the party last Friday. Susie Jackson, Chair said;

'It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Fergus. He has dealt with some really difficult situations with great maturity and composure.

His enthusiasm, work ethic and good humour will definitely help him go far in whatever he chooses to do.'

Personally, Fergus has been a great colleague, and although he will still be participating on a voluntary basis, he will be sorely missed by the organiser team.

Liberally Yours

Alex Hartley

Campaign Assistant

City of Bristol & Western Counties Liberal Democrats

Bristol Liberal Democrats http://www.bristollibdems.org/