There was one principal council election held on the 16th April, which was held by Independents. There was one Town and Parish Council result reported to ALDC, a Lib Dem hold.

We have discussed on a number of occasions in this column the threat posed by the BNP. We now face the real threat of the BNP gaining Euro seats with all the financial and organisational potential that would follow. The BNP have raised the money for full colour Freepost in every region, which will undoubtedly attempt to make themselves look like “nice people”. We need to challenge this in our non Freepost literature between now and June 4th for the Euros and locals. To help you do this we’ve produced a pack of ready to use artwork that can be dropped into your leaflets. It’s available on our website at www.aldc.org. We also have available our “Tackling the BNP” publication which not only provides campaigning advice and ideas but also the history and background of the BNP - useful when challenging their smart suit façade.

What you can do:

a) Where the BNP are standing a candidate in the county or unitary elections do not ignore them - they will not go away. Make stopping the BNP one of your key campaign themes in all your literature. Use the threat as a means to increase turnout with targeted letters to supporters and key groups likely to oppose the BNP e.g. ethnic groups and Labour supporters (where they’re the third party).

b) Where there is no local election BNP candidate, just those on the regional Euro list it is still important to put the anti BNP message in all our non-freepost literature. You can still use the European BNP threat to encourage our supporters to vote. Why not use it in a mailing to encourage supporters to sign up for postal votes? It’s sometimes difficult to motivate our helpers and members to think that they can make a difference in the European elections. Use the real threat of the BNP in mailings and emails to our activists to encourage them to do more.

Please let us know if the BNP are standing a candidate in your County Division or Unitary ward so that we can help and advise. Please send or email us copies of any BNP literature so we can monitor their performance.

Huntingdonshire DC, Ramsey

Redcar and Cleveland BC, Dormanstown

Leeds City, Temple Newsam

Camden LBC, Belsize

Huntingdon TC, East

Bridport TC

Calderdale MBC, Skircoat

South Holland DC, Moulton, Weston and Cowbit

Arun DC, Felpham West

 

There were seven principal council elections held on the 26th March. The Tories held two seats and lost one to Labour. Labour held three seats and gained one seat from the Tories. The Lib Dems held one seat. There were two Town and Parish Council results reported to ALDC. One Lib Dem hold and one Tory gain from Labour.

In North East Lincolnshire we run the council with the Tories. This did not stop them fighting a very negative but unsuccessful campaign against our candidate, a local ex-headmaster, in the Yarborough ward by-election. We focussed on the basics with teams out every day canvassing, making sure our voters knew the new candidate and that we had sufficient voter ID for an effective polling day operation. The BNP got 17% on a poor two leaflet campaign.

Now the clocks have changed it's time to get on the doorstep. Whether you’re in a County or Unitary seat for June or it’s using the Euros to prepare for the General Election we need to gather Voter ID. The old rules about “declaring your candidature” starting your election expenses have changed. The regulated period for election expenses for the Euros has already begun and for the Local elections cannot start till 28th April. There is maximum of one week’s difference between the earliest and the latest date on which the regulated period for your local election can start. This is only likely to matter in the very highest spending campaigns. For most it will be more important to maximise their Voter ID by starting canvassing now.

If you’ve not done one recently an easy way to gather voter ID early in the campaign is to use Surveys, particularly for first timers - “knock and drop” style surveys are an easy start for those nervous about knocking on doors. There are a range of “off the shelf” surveys for you to adapt locally available on both ALDC members website at www.aldc.org or on the party’s Extranet site at www.libdems.org.uk . Remember to log your contacts on the million door challenge website. If it rains don’t call it off, get on the phones!

There were four principal council elections held on the 19th March. The Tories held three seats and Labour held one. There were three Town and Parish Council results reported to ALDC, all three Lib Dem holds.

The Leek East ward of Staffordshire Moorlands Council lies in the marginal Labour held parliamentary constituency of the same name that only has a majority of 2438. Yet the Labour party chose not to stand a candidate in this by-election. We had not stood ourselves in 2007 but the ward lies in a county division that we are fighting. We surveyed the ward prior to the elections and ran on the strong local issue of Tory proposals to introduce parking charges in the Town centre. Our petition gathered hundreds of signatures and worried the Tories into action. We were not helped by the fact that both the Green candidate and one of the Independents were ex-Lib Dems. Whilst we did not win we are now in second place in the run up to the county elections and the Tories back tracked on the parking charges – Focus Victory.

In recent local by-elections the BNP have begun to use full colour Riso leaflets. This is just another step up in their attempt to get representation in Brussels with the funding that comes with it. It is therefore even more essential that we maximise our vote in all the June elections to help keep them out. One straightforward way to do so is get our supporters on to postal votes. Ideally this should be a concerted postal voter recruitment campaign across your area and there are materials available on the ALDC website and the Party's Extranet to help you do it. However if you’ve got friends, members and relations you keep in touch with via the web why not encourage them to get Postal Votes using the national website www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Remember the clocks change on Sunday and the lighter evenings should enable us all to get onto the doorstep, surveying, recruiting or canvassing. It’s also time for another Royal Mail stamp price rise, with the cost of stamps rising on the 6th April up 3p for 1st and 2nd class. So it’s a worthwhile investment to buy your stamps now, for elections in the year ahead.

There were five principal council by-elections held on Thursday 19th February. The Liberal Democrats held three seats. Labour held one and lost one to the BNP. In the only parish and Town council election reported to ALDC the Lib Dems gained a seat from the Conservatives.

As you might expect from a by-election in the held Harrogate parliamentary seat we fought the Bilton Ward by-electon hard and well. We managed to build on good canvas returns to get an 89% contact rate. Many agents locally and nationally will be very jealous of that!!

   In holding the two seats in the Downham ward of the London Borough of Lewisham we had an excellent result with majorities in excess of 400. There had been a history of BNP activity in the ward, which has always been confronted by the Liberal Democrats. The BNP only achieved 10% in this election yet Labour’s only campaign pledge was to get the Union Jack flying over the Town Hall, which they could have done at any point in their last 37 years of control in Lewisham. This was seen by many as a policy pandering to a racist vote and smacked of Labour’s desperation.

In the Swanley St Marys ward of Sevenoaks Council in Kent the BNP took a seat off Labour. Our local party failed to stand a candidate, though one had been identified. ALDC has been told a complicated, sorry tale as to why this volunteer was not then nominated. What is clear is that it was a conscious decision. It was one ALDC utterly condemns.

Even if we can only run a paperless campaign it is imperative that we stand candidates in all by-elections. Not standing a Lib Dem candidate can directly benefit the BNP by as much 5%. Irrespective of whether the BNP has a “history” in your area they fought 30% of all by-elections in 2008 and are fighting 40% in 2009. In some areas that figure rises to 60%. The Swanley BNP candidate is the 5th to get over 26% this year in the ten seats they have fought.

Can we simply reiterate

1.  Always stand a candidate, even a paperless campaign will damage the BNP. 
2. In conjunction with Searchlight , ALDC has produced a publication “Tackling the BNP” which is there to help – it's available from our online shop.
3. If you are actively fighting a by-election where the BNP are standing contact ALDC for help, support and artwork.
4. Make sure your region and regional campaigns officer are aware that you are fighting the BNP. Some have dedicated campaign funds or will commit extra support.