Parties such as Reform, Restore and the Conservatives bombard people with negative images of our towns and local communities.
Their rhetoric is not just one of division – but also one of gloom. Every time they talk down our local areas, they also talk down all the people who live in them. People who work hard to make our communities what they are – volunteers, charities, teachers, council staff, youth groups and faith groups to name just a few.
As local Lib Dem campaigners, we can be the antidote to Reform’s negativity. Where they criticise our towns and communities, we can celebrate them. Where they paint a picture of a broken society, we can draw attention to all the local community champions who bring people together.
This campaign pack contains resources and articles to help you celebrate your area’s heritage, culture and community champions. The polar opposite of what Reform UK do.
Pride in Place Campaign Resources
We have drafted a template council motion that can be adapted to your council. It is just a suggested motion, and you can edit it as appropriate. Your council may already do some of the calls to action. The purpose of the motion is to commit the council to celebrate local heritage, culture and pride by establishing a year round calendar of celebration that includes a dedicated civic pride week and an annual celebration of local volunteers and community champions.
The remaining campaign resources promote these actions. Therefore it’s important to table the motion as the first step in this campaign.
- Council Motion
- Press Release
- Social Media Graphics – Portrait – Landscape
- Social Media Post Suggestions
- Focus Drop In Articles – Affinity – PDF
These resources pre-suppose that the motion will pass. If Reform UK are in administration in your council they may amend them before passing them. If the motion is voted down, you should follow this up with press releases and Focus articles exposing them for failing to celebrate local history and community champions.
Community Campaigning
The other part of this campaign pack focuses on the work we can do in our wards to increase local pride and community participation.
A key principle to achieve this is Community Campaigning. This is a core philosophy of the Liberal Democrats. We don’t just solve problems for people in our community, we empower them to solve these problems themselves.
Involving the community at the start of a campaign, letting them shape it and lead it, lets them show pride in their local area. It brings people together. It is part of the antidote to Reform’s negativity.
Here are some articles with ideas for community campaigns you can do in your area:
- Community Litter Picking – ALDC Campaign Pack
- Setting up a Community Garden or Allotment – RHS – NALC
- Setting up a ‘Friends Of’ group – Groundworks – Wild Ideas
- Community Asset Transfers – LGA campaign pack