An Invitation to Liberal Democrat Members in Dacorum or Three Rivers to Be an "Early Bird" Council Candidate!

This is a Chance to Apply for Training and Approval as a Candidate in Dacorum Borough or Three Rivers District Elections

This is an invitation to members to come forward with a view towards becoming local council candidates. Any paid-up member living anywhere in Dacorum can qualify to stand in that Borough, or living anywhere in Three Rivers can qualify to stand in that District. Obviously we can all benefit from training and this can be provided for potential candidates if they need and wish to take advantage of that.

Becoming a candidate is a two-step process. First and fundamentally you need to be approved by an Approvals Panel of usually 3 or 4 people, which will take the form of an interview. Secondly you also need to be selected as the Candidate if two or more Approved Persons apply to stand in a particular ward. The selection is decided by a vote among the members in the local area and the selected person is then appointed as the candidate.

It is greatly to everyone's advantage if we can build up a pool of Approved Persons as early as possible from amongst whom candidates can later be selected and appointed. This gives people the opportunity to build up expertise by doing casework for, and lobbying on behalf of, local people as well as learning about the way local government works.

This makes selection easier and enables us to field candidates who have built up a track record of community action and who can contribute effectively to the election campaign from the start.

Standing for a council seat gives people a chance to become part of the formal local decision-making and thus be more effective in representing Liberal Democrat values, building a foundation for subsequent parliamentary campaigns, representing the individuals in their ward and making an effective contribution to the life of the local community.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN STANDING IN DACORUM BOROUGH, please contact Cllr Ron Tindall, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Dacorum Borough Council who would be pleased to hear from you or answer any queries about how you could take part. He can be contacted on rongtindall@aol.com or 07818 580088.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN STANDING IN THREE RIVERS DISTRICT, please contact Cllr Sarah Nelmes, the Leader of the Three Rivers Council (yes, the Lib Dems run it!) who would be please to hear from you or answer any queries about how you could take part. She can be contacted on sarahnelmes@hotmail.com or 07714 060745.

Of course I know that many people do not feel drawn to being an elected representative, but I hope that some of you might nevertheless contact either Ron or Sarah to see if you could help with campaigning and supporting our councillors in practical ways where you live. There are always ways in which you help would be appreciated.

If you wish to contact us about about joining the party, membership status, e-mail preferences or other matters, you can contact us on nickholl1945@btinternet.com or 01442 866650. Dom Sokalski ( domsokalski@hotmail.co.uk ) our Membership Development Officer, should also be able to help or signpost you in the direction of the right campaign where your contribution will have the greatest effect.