Everyone who has registered for Conference should have received an email from Nick Da Costa, Chair of the Federal Conference Committee.

Here is an updated version of his email:

Dear All,

Rail and Accommodation update

Those of you registered from Conference will shortly receive the below email following updates from National Rail and Visit Brighton. Visit Brighton have also reached out directly to people who have booked hotels.

The Conference Team will also be reaching out soon regarding registrations, but I wanted to give you an update on this items in the first instance. There will be more updates from the team when we can share them, but I wanted to let you know with regards to the below first.

National Rail

They have confirmed that you are eligible for a full refund on train tickets you may have purchased for travel to Autumn Conference.

Customers that purchased Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets can apply for a refund if tickets were bought before the death of Her Majesty the Queen was announced on 8 September. The administration fee, which can be up to £10, will be waived. More information can be found on the National Rail terms for the mourning period.

To see if you are eligible, please apply for a refund through the retailer you purchased from e.g. Southern, Trainline, National Rail or similar.

For those of you with advance tickets, there’s also a Covid book with confidence scheme in place to get a voucher for the value of the ticket – ie https://www.gwr.com/help-and-support/changing-your-ticket

Visit Brighton re: Hotels

Given the exceptional circumstances, we have found that many accommodation providers have been more willing to issue refunds.

Our accommodation partner, Visit Brighton, has reached out to providers offering accommodation via their site and I am pleased to say that the following have already confirmed that they will waive their cancellation policy and issue a refund to those who have paid:

• The Grand
• Amsterdam Hotel
• Blok 74
• Brighton Harbour Hotel
• Brighton Mercure
• Holiday Inn
• Hotel Pelirocco
• Hudsons
• Jurys Waterfront
• Kings Hotel
• One Broad Street
• Q Square Apartments
• Queens Hotel

They are waiting to hear back from other venues, but please contact your accommodation provider directly and request a refund in the first instance.

If you are still having difficulty getting your money back, please let us know here and we will do all we can to help.

Best wishes,

Cllr Nick da Costa