Sandwell Liberal Democrat members are invited to join us at our August get-together.

By joining our enthusiastic and active group at our next meeting, you can have a real input in helping us engage with the various communities across Sandwell.  Our next meeting is on Monday 20 August 2018, please put this date in your diary and let us know that you can attend.  Further details about the meeting will be sent soon, in the meantime, if you have anything you'd like us to discuss - whether you can attend or not - please let me know!

In the meantime, if you'd like to keep up with what's happening in the area, we've now set up a WhatsApp group and a Virtual HQ closed Facebook page.  Please email me for further details as both of these are only open to current members. I can also send you a copy of the minutes of our last meeting to ensure you're fully updated.

Meetings are a great opportunity for us all to get to know each other and see how we can spread the Lib Dem message in Sandwell.

Hello everyone,

I'm Bryan Manley-Green, chair of Sandwell Liberal Democrats, and I'm delighted to invite you to our next Sandwell LibDem meeting.  

As you may have noticed, we've made the meeting slightly later and hope this will be more convenient.    

Our meeting on 16 July will include a brief report from our last meeting - here are some of the topics we'll be covering - please let me know if there's anything else you wish to discuss.

- Report on the "People's Vote March"
- Using "Brexit Mood Boards" to engage with local people about current issues
- Encouraging new members to join the party
- Black Country Lib Dem co-operation 
- update on Lion Farm Playing Fields
- discussion on local issues such as education/housing
- Summer social

Dear Friends

I'm delighted that we've been able to organise another meeting for 18 June - thanks to Nigel Fearn for finding a new venue for us to test out. Hopefully you've been following our website and social media feeds, so you may be aware quite a bit has been happening here in Sandwell. 

Since our last local event, a few of us attended the Southport Spring Conference and more recently, Kevin (your treasurer) and I attended the Green Lib Dem 30th Anniversary Conference in Nottingham.  I've also been out and about banging the drum for the LibDems in all manner of places during the local elections!

As for the local elections earlier this month, we only fielded two candidates, I stood in Old Warley, and Rob Johns stood in Cradley and Old Hill.  It would be great to have more candidates to stand next year, so please let us know if you're interested.

Bryan Manley-Green will be contesting the ward of Old Warley in the upcoming Sandwell Council elections on May 3rd.  Here, Bryan sets out some of the key issues on which he will be standing.

Responding to the news that “blue British” passports will be made in France, Bryan Manley-Green, Lib Dem PPC for Warley said:

“Of course it’s sad that jobs may be lost due to this decision, but they’re not the first and certainly won’t be the last to go due to the referendum result.  Looking inwardly can have major implications for our exporters and create many invisible barriers to trade.

“We shouldn’t forget that we expect other countries to buy our goods and services and it has to be a two way street, even for passports, especially if we want a good trade deal.  De La Rue make passports for around 40 countries, so losing those contracts would jeopardise far more jobs than those already on the line.  Of course, we could impose a tariff if we leave the EU, this would simply mean us all paying more for a passport – and many other things – especially if a trade war breaks out post-Brexit.  

Sandwell Lib Dems will be holding a 'Lib Dem Pint' and meet-up on Monday 5th March at Tividale Football Club . 

The officers and new committee will be there to answer any questions about the local party for new and existing members, along with general party-related discussion, and anything else that may crop up.

Sandwell Liberal Democrats will be holding a members' meeting, including AGM, on 19th February 2018.  The meeting will be held at Tividale Football Club, and will start at 7.30pm.

The proposed agenda is as follows:

Responding to news that the Scottish government is to ban electric shock collars used in the training of dogs, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron said:

Sir Vince Cable headlines the Lib Dem West Midlands Autumn Regional Conference

by Bryan Manley-Green

Well over 200 people attended a well-organised day of Lib Dem politics at Birmingham University on Saturday 18 November.  Delegates came from all over the region, and it was especially nice to see a few members from Sandwell in attendance.  

The morning included a very interesting talk, concluding with a question and answer session with Sir Graham Watson, a former Lib Dem MEP, who now sits on the European Economic and Social Committee.  He described the committee as “sort of like a House of Lords for the EU”.  His inside knowledge on what was actually going on was exceptionally interesting.  

Along with a policy motion on constitutional reform and training sessions on a variety of subjects, delegates enjoyed two other panel discussions. These focussed on keeping female talent and combatting terrorism.

Lib Dem candidate for Warley, Bryan Manley-Green (pictured below), today expressed his delight at Michael Gove's decision to bring in to law the Lib Dem position on the most serious animal cruelty offences.

Bryan commented "Our party manifesto contained a policy of raising the maximum penalty for animal cruelty from six months imprisonment to five years. We tabled questions in parliament as long ago as January, and now, finally, the government has changed its tone and implemented our demands"