Torridge and West Devon Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrats won right across the country in May's local elections with successes from the Scottish Highlands to Somerset, from Kingston-Upon-Thames to Kingston-Upon-Hull, from Powys to St Albans.

Liberal Democrats elected 868 Councillors, a net gain of 224!

We are winning again because we are listening to people. Because we hear their concerns and their frustration. Because we are standing up for our values, standing up for our communities, and fighting for a fair deal.

We're winning

What an amazing outcome from this May's local elections:

• Three more Liberal Democrat majority councils, taking us back to where we were before going into Coalition in 2010;
• A net gain of 224 councillors, making this the fourth set of net gains in a row, something we've not achieved since the Iraq war;
• 19% vote share (the national equivalent vote share, i.e. what it would have been if there were elections everywhere); and
• The lovely bonus of seeing our sister party in Northern Ireland, Alliance, gaining seats and votes to move up to such an impressive third place.

The Federal Board will be holding another surgery, a chance to come along and ask us your questions, on Monday 16th of May. You can register to join us here!

Interested in our plans for Tiverton and Honiton? Want to know drove success in the Local Elections? Have an idea for how we can improve? This is an opportunity to talk to us.

These elections are your chance to vote for Liberal Democrat local champions who will listen to you and work hard for your community.

Here we answer some frequently asked questions about how to vote Liberal Democrat:

• Who can vote in these elections?
• Where do I go to cast my vote?
• When can I vote?
• What do I need to take with me to vote?
• How do I vote Liberal Democrat?
• I have a postal vote but haven't returned it, what do I do?
• Why are people asking for my number outside the polling station?
• Can I tell you when I've voted?
• Why should I vote Liberal Democrat?
• How can I help Liberal Democrats win?
• Is campaigning allowed on polling day?
• When will we know the results?

After the revelation that the Premier of the Virgin Islands has been arrested in the US for drug smuggling and money laundering, local Lib Dems have reiterated their call for Sir Geoffrey Cox to resign as MP. In November last year, when it was revealed that the Torridge and West Devon MP had taken on a £400,000 a year job to provide legal services to the Virgin Islands Government, Lib Dem Chair Stephen Middleton wrote an open letter to Sir Geoffrey calling on him to resign on the grounds that he was prioritising his own professional and financial interests over serving his constituents.

Thank you

With nominations now closed for the May elections, many thanks to everyone who has put in so much work to getting candidates approved, selected and safely nominated. From a first look at the numbers, we've seen a good increase in our candidate totals in Scotland and Wales, with the numbers broadly the same in England compared with last time.

We now have a criminal Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have both been fined for breaking Covid laws. Laws they wrote, and you followed.

While we made countless sacrifices to protect each other, they were partying in Downing Street. They think they're above the law.

Neither of them are fit to hold office. If Boris Johnson won't resign, Conservative MPs must sack the Prime Minister.

Life's been tough for lots of people over the past few years. And it's still tough. But with their trademark decency and strength, the British people are rising to the challenge. Raising families. Caring for others. And playing by the rules.

Now more than ever, it's time for a fair deal.

Yet with the rising cost of living, this Conservative Government is letting you down badly and taking you for granted.

Our focus this year has been squarely on understanding the party's overall political direction, our target voters, and the role our policies can play in helping us to persuade people and win votes. This was the main focus of our in-person awayday at LDHQ at the end of February, and has underlain all our other discussions, with the aim of informing both our current policy development work, and its direction for the future.

The Spring statement was a Sunak Swindle - hiking up people's taxes today while promising to cut them in future.

Rishi Sunak is following Boris Johnson's lead by not being up front and honest with the country.

Buried in the small print is a tax bombshell that will see the average family paying £1,600 more in taxes over the coming years.