The day started with the issue of Fracking and the Conservative plans to bypass local democracy and steamroller through Fracking around the Country. Hopefully at our Easter Confrerence we will debate a policy to leave this gas in the ground but in the meantime the attitude of the Conservative government to local democracy is astounding. Planning applications of this type need proper and careful consideration and with the volume of interest from the public it is impossible for any Council to fully consider and respond to all the concerns raised in 13 weeks. The first few months of this government have seen many outrageous decsions but the threat to determin fracking applications in any planning authority that does not determine one within 13 weeks has to take the biscuit. This was the only debate at which I put a speakers card in but was not called. This year we have had so many first time speakers it has been really refreshing to hear so many new voices at Conference so I was not too upset.

The Youth Service debate was also good with an excellent speech from the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Wiltshire County – Jon Hubbard . In B&NES during the last 4 years in which I lead the Council we did not reduce funding to the Youth Services. The track record of Conservative administrations around us does not lead me to think the new Conservative administration at the Council will maintain this committment.

And to end the Conference the Leaders Speech – it was inspiring. Watch it all here on Liberal Democrat Voice.