Lib Dems set sights on county council elections

Liberal Democrat members have been arriving at the Brighton conference feeling hopeful for the future

At the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, BBC political reporter Michael Keohan has spoken to the party's representatives in Kent about their ambitions for the county.

It might seem a touch premature for the Liberal Democrats to be popping champagne corks at their autumn conference in Brighton having secured just one of 18 Kent MPs in July’s general election.

However at conference, there is a real sense they are back, and on the up.

The newly-elected Tunbridge Wells MP, Mike Martin, told me: “We’re not just a party of the protest vote, we’re a party of making a difference to the communities we serve.”

Meanwhile, Kent county councillor Richard Streatfeild said: “There is real hope that at next May’s county council elections we could become one of, if not the largest, party.

"We got a bronze medal in the general elections, but come next May, we’re looking for gold."

Kent County Councillor Richard Streatfeild said he hoped the party could become the largest on the council after next May's elections

But where has this hope come from?

The change in demographics around some of Kent’s costal towns post Covid, and the prominence of water quality have played well for the Lib Dems, not to mention securing the Tunbridge Wells seat at the last election, the first time in the constituency's history it has been anything other than Conservative.

'I lost my deposit'

However, it is not all positive stories.

Graham Colley has stood twice for the Lib Dems at elections this year.

Firstly, as their Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) candidate in May and most recently as their Rochester and Strood candidate at the general election.

He told me: “We still have work to do," adding, "in July, I lost my deposit," having failed to secure enough of the vote in Medway.

Graham Colley has stood twice in 2024 for the Liberal Democrats

At the conference, the message has largely focussed on health and social care, with a side order of water quality, a greatest hits list from the election for the Lib Dems.

The gimmicks have also kept coming, with the leader of the party, Sir Ed Davey, arriving in Brighton on jet ski.

One thing that has struck me from the fringe events is the belief many of the members and activists who knock on our doors, or canvas our support, now have that change is possible, and that they are now the party of holding Westminster to a centre ground.

Looking ahead to where the party could follow Mike Martin’s success in Tunbridge Wells, the newly-elected MP told me “Sevenoaks and Margate” could be target areas.