Harlow councillors Linda Pailing and Lorna Spenceley, and local party chairman David Wright, joined hundreds of other party members for a day of debate and information-sharing at the Liberal Democrats' Local Government Conference in Birmingham.

Key speakers included shadow environment secretary Steve Webb MP, who briefed the conference about the climate change campaign and the hard work being done by Liberal Democrats in parliament to force Labour to strengthen the Climate Change Bill and raise the target for reducing CO2 emissions from 60% to 80%. And shadow home secretary Chris Huhne MP updated the conference on the recent '42 days' debate and the battle against Labour's proposals to extend the length of time people can be held without charge.