Party President Tim Farron has taken to writing a monthly blog on the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners’ website. It’s for ALDC members only, but if you have even the slightest link to any election campaign this May, I’d strongly recommend that you join them. People who do what they say have more chance of winning. They have so many good campaigning resources that they really are invaluable.

Back to Tim’s blog. He talks about why councillors and community campaigners are so important:

You have the track record of action, the record of success and the community knowledge to get things done, which is why I want to make sure that the campaign gives the help, resources and support needed to deliver a campaign, throughout the UK that helps our party and delivers for our country

He goes on to talk about the urgent need to build more houses:

One thing I will be telling people when I knock on their doors is that we are the party that will fight to build truly affordable homes in our communities and we can prove it. Since 2010 we’ve presided over the first net increase in social rented housing for over thirty years. That is something to be proud of (whilst reminding Labour of their shameful record when they were in power

But he wants to see more:

It’s something, but it’s not ambitious enough in my view. We need government to do more and realise that local authorities need more levers to pull to kick start local growth. I and colleagues will keep fighting for true, sustainable localism and we need councils to champion the building of homes in communities.

If you’re an ALDC member, you can read the whole column here.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings