London Liberals
I've been told that the Liberal Party probably won't be contesting the elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It seems a pity, but apparently London has been a bit of a quiet area for the Liberal Party for the last twenty years. However, even though we aren't contesting the London elections this time, I'd be interested to hear from other Liberals in London, to find out the current situation and what the prospects are for building up to the point where we could run a convincing campaign next time the London elections are held in (presumably) 2012. I know that one or two London Liberals are members of this forum, but haven't heard anything from them yet. If you are there, do get in touch either on this thread or by PM if you prefer.

The requirements for candidates in the London elections are given here: http://www.londonelects.org.uk/info_for_candidates.aspx (It took me quite a while to find that page!) In brief, it isn't cheap or easy to stand. To stand as a candidate for Mayor of London requires a £10,000 deposit and you also need: 330 signatures from London electorate - 10 from each borough Which is an awful lot of signatures to gather! To stand as a London-wide candidate for the London Assembly requires a £5,000 deposit. I can't see any info about how many signatures are required for that. Does that mean none are needed? This seems unlikely. To stand as a constituency candidate for the London Assembly requires a £1,000 deposit. Again, I can't see any info about the number of signatures required. Presumably this is the lowest-visibility option, as the Liberal Party's name would only appear on the ballot paper in one constituency, rather than across London. Nominations open on 18th March and close on (I think) 28th March. It could be done, but it would take quite a while to raise the deposit and gather the necessary signatures, especially if we only have a smallish number of activists in the capital. Maybe it would make more sense to build up some areas of strength in individual London council wards, thus providing a basis for a stronger London Liberal organization, and then contest the elections in 2012 if things are going well by then?

Nominations have now closed for the elections for London Mayor and Assembly. The official list of candidates is now up. Here it is: http://www.londonelects.org.uk/candidates/the_candidates.aspx As already discussed, there aren't any Liberal candidates standing in London. This is a great pity, but let's: a) concentrate in the local elections in our strong areas on the same day and b) start to get the London Liberals ready for the next London elections in 2012!

It is sad that there is no Liberal presence in London, although as I understand it, there are Liberal Party supporters in the capital. But with it costing so much to stand, then I can understand why only the bigger parties, or those with lots of local support would put up candidates. However, as Tom says, lets hope that in the areas where we are strong, we return the same if not more, Liberal Councillors on May 1st! :D