Local Lib Dems at successful Regional Conference

9.17.09pm GMT Wed 2nd Nov 2005

Liberal Democrats from around the Saffron Walden Constituency attended the party's East of England regional conference on Saturday. The conference was held at the Hinchingbrooke Performing Arts Centre, Huntingdon.

The Conference was opened with a speech from party president Simon Hughes, and featured debates on the need for affordable housing, a regional transport policy and the reorganisation of the National Health Service.

Speaking in the debate on affordable housing Uttlesford Lib Dem Council Leader Mark Gayler called for a fresh approach to the provision of affordable housing.

"We should not just rely on getting affordable housing on the back of large scale market housing development," said Cllr Gayler. "We need to look at how we can enable the provision of affordable and rented accommodation in other ways. We must also ensure that we provide a good standard of housing. Just because we need more housing that is affordable and available for rent does not mean that that housing should be grotty and of poor design."

The Liberal Democrats were in an upbeat mood after increasing their number of MPs in the region at the General Election. The conference was closed by a rousing speech by David Howarth, the new Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, who urged the party to remain true to its Liberal principles, and have the ambition to strive to move into Government.