ALDC will be running the Election Law Helpline service for the Party throughout the 2010 General and local election period. It is vital that everyone in the party stays on the right side of the law throughout the campaign, and we'll be here to help you do this. The Agents and Organisers Assocation has kindly supplied information to help us with this role, (you can also buy a copy of their Agents Manual through our shop), and their helpline is being diverted through to ALDC during the campaign period. 

What sort of advice and information will be available?

1. Practical issues around election law - nominations, DNOs, imprints, expenses, freeposts etc. 

2. Detailed queries about election law issues. 

3. Guidance on issues such as libel and deformation.

4. Advice if you are threatened with legal action. 

There are three ways you can access advice:

1 - Online

ALDC members can browse our up-to-date advice resources in our members' website. Most of the relevant information is contained in the "Advice" section of our website. Articles can easily be found through the "topic" flags on the right side of the site or use the search at the top of the site. 

Below we've listed links to the most frequently asked pieces of information. If you're not a member of ALDC, why not join us - by monthly Direct Debit it's only £1.50 a week. 

2 - By email 

Email us your queries and we'll make sure that the most appropriate person deals with your query as quickly as possible. Contact us via this form to make sure your request gets to us as soon as possible. (Emailing an individual staff member is not recommended, as you might catch us on a day when they're not in and your response will be delayed).

3 - By Phone

Phone us on 01422 843 785 between 9.30am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday to be put through to the next available advisor. Outside these hours an answerphone message will take any queries. If you get the answerphone during the working day it may mean that there are more phones ringing than there are staff in the office, so please be patient!

How will we deal with your request

We will try to deal with all requests as soon as possible. Our normal standard is that advice received before 2.00pm on a working day is dealt with that day, or for requests received after 2.00pm on the following morning. However please be patient with us during busy periods. 

We are not lawyers and will will not be able to give formal legal opinion, but we can help talk you through the issues and what needs to be considered.

There are systems in place for more complex and urgent cases to be referred to specialist advisers elsewhere. We will advise you if this is what we intend to do with your query. 

Frequently Asked For advice: 

Imprints for election leaflets in 2010
Election expense limits - long campaign, short campaign and council elections
Eligibility to be a council candidate
Approving council candidates
Appointing your General Election agent (this is a zip file to download)
Local election nomination forms

You can also find links to some of the campaign essentials here from our website.

Cllr Richard Kemp, Liberal Democrat leader in Local Government, has congratulated Liberal Democrat led Northumberland Council on picking up four key awards last night.

The awards ceremony, jointly designed by the LGA and held at 11 Downing Street, recognised the country’s most innovative councils who work with other parts of the public sector. Each winner will share in a £3 million pot to spread their pioneering ideas and best practice around the country.

Northumberland won in the following categories:

Keeping children and young people safe in the community - for engaging with children and young people, understanding the risks they face and working with them to protect the most vulnerable. Northumberland gets £560,000 to spread ideas and good practice.

Achieving more through partnerships – working with the Fire Service and Sure Start to set up a Community Fire Station and Children’s Centre – delivering real community benefits at a reduced cost. Again, Northumberland will get £560,000 to spread good practice.

Northumberland Council also won two awards for bright ideas:

Strengthening Families – a community family skills programme for mothers, fathers, carers and young people. It was piloted in a local prison, bringing families together before the prisoner’s release. It strengthens the family unit and reduces the risk of re-offending.

Taking control of care – empowering adults to control their own care – for establishing a virtual carer’s centre in a rural and sparsely populated area; and to bring local projects together.

Cllr Kemp said: “Northumberland has shown that Lib Dems, where they are in power, deliver innovation while improving services and reducing costs.”

• Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour
• Helping children and young people
• Supporting culture, leisure and regeneration
• Improving local housing
• Improving Transport
• Improving social care services
• Council Group of the Year Award

This year's Liberal Democrat Spring Conference is in the City of Birmingham, 12-14 March 2010. The event is open to all Liberal Democrats. Day delegate rates are available if you are within a day's travel distance of Birmingham.

ALDC has a busy programme at the Conference, largely focussed on the important general and local elections that we face in a couple of months.

"Campaign Essentials" Training - focussed on winning in 2010
Winning in the Last Week (9.15am)
Maximising the Postal Vote (11.00am)
Running an Effective Polling Day (14.30pm)
8 Weeks to Go (16.00pm) (briefing from Andrew Stunell and Hilary Stephenson)

Councillor Training - helping develop our Councillors 
Finding and Recruiting Good Councillors (9.15am)
Inducting and Mentoring new Councillors (11.00am)
Council Budgets in the New Era (ALDC and IDeA) (14.30pm)
Managing a Coalition (ALDC and IDeA) (16.00pm)

All training is free to attend and open to any member of the Liberal Democrats registered for Conference

ALDC Fringe Programme

Friday 12 March 2010 
20.00-21.15 ICC Hall 6, Climate Change: Keeping up the Pressure
ALDC and LIberal Youth discuss how campaigners can keep up the pressure for real progress at Copenhagen II. Speakers include: Simon Hughes MP and Kirsty Schneeberger (UK Youth Climate Change Coalition).
Don't miss the Local Government Reception at 22.00 including the Council Group of the Year awards 2010.

Saturday 13 March 2010
13.00-14.00 ICC Hall 8A, Meet the Next Generation Councillors
Old meets new! We are bringing together established council leaders and the cohorts from the young and newly elected 'new generation' of Lib Dems in local government for a series of round table lunch discussions -  join us! Lunch included.   

18.15-19.30 ICC 7A, Winning in the Wards 
876 Lib Dem Councillors face re-election in important local elections on 6 May 2010. Local Elections Chair, and General Election Campaign Vice-Chair Andrew Stunell MP, and Director of Campaigns Hilary Stephenson outline how Lib Dems are campaigning for success this May. 

Come and meet us at the ALDC stand in the main exhibition hall, we're right next to the coffee and catering area at Stand numbers A16 and A19. Once again we're joined by our friends at the IDeA. ALDC and IDeA staff and mentors will be on hand to provide advice, information and practical help on the ALDC website and myCouncillor system. 

Liberal Democrats won three of the nine awards in the LGIU’s first Councillor of the Year Awards.

Alexis Rowell, from Camden, won the Sustainability Councillor of the Year award. He was described by judges as, “a “real terrier”; and noted that he is “someone who won’t let you forget about the climate change agenda. He is a very visible champion of these issues and his local persistence has made him well known in Camden and beyond.”

Alex Folkes from Cornwall, has won the New Councillor of the Year Award with judges saying, “that he was an impressive candidate and had made a clear difference to the council and political group. Alex has been active on scrutiny committees, an assiduous case worker and in such a short time, an effective local campaigner.”

Carla Butler from Lewes, has won the young councillor of the year award with judges saying, describing her as “someone special”, and they were impressed that, “she had achieved so much in the few years that she has been on the council, which includes serving as the youngest elected mayor of Newhaven and Chair of the Council”.

Cllr Richard Kemp, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Local Government has welcomed the news:

“All three of these councillors are young, energetic and thoroughly liberal. I know that other Lib Dems also came close in other categories which were judged by an all Party group of councillors and other local government experts. Our strength in this award ceremony bodes well for the future of both local government and liberal democracy. I hope Lib Dem groups and councils will consider joining LGIU not only because it clearly recognises Lib Dems but because it provides a first call service to councillors”.