English Liberal Democrats

The English Council is the sovereign body of the English party.

It consists of the chairs of regional parties, representatives elected by regional party members, and representatives of the organisation representing youth and student members within the English party.

The Council meets three times a year and elects the English Council Executive.{{cite web|url=http://libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Federal%20Constitution%20Feb%202010.pdf |title=The Constitutions of the Liberal Democrats |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306075203/http://libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Federal%20Constitution%20Feb%202010.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-06 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web| url= http://www.libdemvoice.org/the-english-party-welcomes-careful-and-discreet-participants-19885.html| title= The English Party welcomes careful, and discreet, participants…| publisher= Libdemvoice.org| date= 8 June 2010| access-date= 24 June 2011}}{{cite web| url= http://www.libdemvoice.org/english-council-20166.html| title= If English Council meets and nobody knows, did it really meet?| publisher= Libdemvoice.org| date= 5 July 2010| access-date= 24 June 2011}}

The English Council Executive manages the running of the English party between English Council Meetings. The English Council Executive consists of the Chairs of the 11 English regional parties, 12 members directly elected from the English Council, the English Young Liberals Chair. The English Representatives to federal bodies also attend. The English Council Executive meets 6 times a year.

The English Council Executive has four sub-committees; A Finance and Administration Sub-Committee which is chaired by a Treasurer manages the finances of the English party, the Regional Parties Committee, the Joint Policy Group of the Regions and the English Candidates Committee.

The English Council Executive is elected annually in November, and takes office on 1 January of each year:

The English Liberal Democrats is a federation of the eleven regional parties which follow the boundaries of the English Regions, with the exception of South East England and South West England which are each divided into two regional parties.http://member.libdems.org.uk/~members/liberaldemocrats/node/25?tid=19{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Each regional party is governed by a conference and AGM held in the autumn of every year. The conference elects a Regional Executive, led by a Regional Chair. The regional executive includes all Liberal Democrat members of parliament representing constituencies within the region, all members of the House of Lords who are members of the regional party, ordinary party members elected from within the region, and additional members co-opted by the executive.{{cite web|url=http://www.cix.co.uk/~libdemnorwest/REGIONALCONSTITUTION1_4.RTF |title=North West Liberal Democrats " Lib Dems in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside |publisher=Cix.co.uk |access-date=24 June 2011 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The regional parties within the English party are:

• Devon and Cornwall (South West England)
• East of England
• East Midlands
• London Liberal Democrats
• North East England
• North West England
• South Central (South East England)
• South East (South East England)
• Western Counties (South West England)
• West Midlands
• Yorkshire and the Humber

The English Young Liberals operates as a federation of regional parties, with each having a level of independence, though working within the overall English wing. Regional branches, led by their Chair, are responsible for organising and supporting local branches and societies and co-ordinating activities to recruit and expand membership in their region.{{Cite web |title=English Young Liberals - Young Liberals |url=https://www.youngliberals.uk/england |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=www.youngliberals.uk}}

The English party has responsibilities for the organisation of local parties, co-ordination of the activities of regional parties, resolution of disputes between regional parties, selection of English representatives to federal bodies and establishing the rules for selection of party candidates.{{cite web|last=Valladares |first=Mark |url=http://liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2009/10/game-on-for-leadership-of-english.html |title=The view from Creeting St Peter: Game on for leadership of the English Liberal Democrats |publisher=Liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com |date=18 October 2009 |access-date=24 June 2011}}

The English Party constitution states that the Liberal Democrats in England "shall determine the policy of the Party on matters affecting England which fall outside the remit of the Federal Party" This can be achieved by structures established by the English Council.{{Cite web |url=http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Constitution.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128075200/http://libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Constitution.pdf |archive-date=2010-11-28 |url-status=dead }}

As no policy making structures are currently in place, policy making has been passed up to federal level and English policies discussed at federal party conferences.{{cite web|url=http://www.libdems.org.uk/how_we_make_policy.aspx |title=The Liberal Democrats, How We Make Policy |publisher=Libdems.org.uk |access-date=24 June 2011}}

{{Main|List of United Kingdom Liberal Democrat MPs (2024–present)}}

• Hina Bokhari
• Gareth Roberts

• Peter Taylor – Mayor of Watford

File:Official portrait of Baroness Pidgeon crop 2.jpg has been chair of the English Liberal Democrats since January 2025.]]

Chairs are elected in November and take office on 1 January the following year for a two-year term. They are eligible to stand for re-election, but must not serve as Chair for more than four years in a six-year period.

{{Expand section|date=March 2012}}

• Paul Farthing ({{circa}} 1994–1999)
• Dawn Davidson ({{circa}} 2000–2003)
• Stan Collins (2004–2006){{cite web|url=http://www.cix.co.uk/~rosenstiel/ldelections/|title=CIX site migration|access-date=8 May 2015}}
• Brian Orrell (2007–2009)
• Jonathan Davies (2010–2011)
• Peter Ellis (2012–2014)
• Steve Jarvis (2015–2016)
• Liz Leffman (2017–2018)
• Tahir Maher (2019)
• Gerald Vernon-Jackson (2020)
• Alison Rouse (December 2020 – July 2024)
• Lucas North (July 2024 - December 2024)
• Caroline Pidgeon (January 2025 - present)

• Liberal Democrats
• London Liberal Democrats
• Scottish Liberal Democrats
• Welsh Liberal Democrats
• Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website}}

;Regional parties within England

• [http://www.devon-cornwall-libdems.org.uk/ Devon and Cornwall regional party]
• [http://eastlibdems.org.uk/ East of England regional party]
• [http://www.eastmidslibdems.org.uk/ East Midlands regional party]
• [http://www.londonlibdems.org.uk/ Greater London regional party]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150726185208/http://northeastlibdems.org.uk/en/ North East regional party]
• [http://www.northwestlibdems.org.uk/ North West regional party]
• [http://southeastlibdems.org.uk/ South East regional party]
• [http://southcentrallibdems.org.uk/ South Central regional party]
• [http://www.wmlibdems.org/ West Midlands regional party]
• [http://www.westernlibdems.com/ Western Counties regional party]
• [http://yorkshirehumberlibdems.org.uk/ Yorkshire and the Humber regional party]

{{UK Liberal Democrats}}

{{British political parties}}

Category:Organisation of the Liberal Democrats (UK)

Category:Liberal parties in the United Kingdom

Category:Political parties established in 1988

Category:Political parties in England

Category:1988 establishments in England

Category:Politics of England

Category:Devolution in the United Kingdom