Strengthening East of England Region

In my role as a Member of the European Parliament, my prime responsibility would be to the electors of the East of England who gave me the mandate to serve them in that capacity. This makes it imperative for me to ensure that we have a strong support base in the region to increase the number of elected representative so that we can serve our communities well and expand our scope of influence across the region. My domestic commitments would be equally important to my work in the European Union. I would like to be a hands-on campaigner taking up issues on the ground and not being a remote Eurocrat.

There are compelling reasons to have another Liberal Democrat MEP in the East of England. This would enable us to establish a strong presence in the region providing additional support to the office already established in Cambridge. Being a strong campiagner I would also endeavour to be an excellent representative for the region.

My proposals for strengthening the East of England region are outlined in this ten point action plan.

Strategic

• Establishing a second European Constituency to provide additional support in region.

• Establishing a forum that will result in regular meetings of activists in the region. Accompanying elected members, PPC's and local candidates around their wards and constituencies and giving them additional support.

• Developing a strong activist base - identifying key skills and ensuring that they are widely deployed across the region. Regular training across the region to develop expertise in key areas of campaigning.

• Working with the regional party to formulate and agree electoral staregy and help strengthen all levels of the party- local, county and regional.

Operational

• Organising workshops across the region to explain the work of the EU with emphasis on how the Liberal Democrats are working to achieve the benefits for the region.

• Encouraging stronger local parties to work with weaker parties, sharing expertise and providing guidance and assistance in key areas such as campaigning, membership. This synergy would help them develop capacity in their areas.

• Working tirelessly to motivate activists and members.

• Availing myself to lend a helping hand whenever possible.

Tactical

• Raising the profile of the region with regular talks, visits and promoting local activities on the Regional Party's website, regular newsletters and taking every opportunity to use mass media to inform residents about my work in the EU with respect to the region.

• Beefing up the party's regional website with up-to-date and interactive applications, and encourage all local parties to develop web sites which will be listed on the party's regional and national portals to give us a greater and meaningful access to the electorate.

I believe that with the overwhelming support of the colleagues in the region, these proposals would enable us to achieve our stated objectives in the East of England and beyond.