LCM Liberal Democrats Diversity Statement
Equality Equity Diversity and Inclusion
Our beliefs are founded on the idea of helping people to live their lives in the way they want, and giving them the opportunities and safety they need to flourish. The two strands of our identity - local community politics and a deep commitment to help - mean that representing and listening to everyone, from every social identity group is vital for us. These are more than just words; they are part of our values & these principles are deeply rooted in our constitution. We have achieved great success politically standing up for what’s right but we recognise there is more to do to ensure the party is working responsibly and fairly for its members and employees.
- Everyone must be treated fairly with dignity and respect
- Officers, committee members and candidates should be selected without bias and any form of discrimination
- Candidate selection and re-selection procedures must be transparent so as to ensure a wide range of competent applicants
- Members, supporters and potential members should have no fear of discrimination or intimidation and they should feel comfortable enough to express their opinions
- Everyone should be able to operate within an atmosphere of genuine fairness and justice
- Appropriate training should be available when required
- Relevant information and advice should be sent to members, potential members and supporters regularly & should include details of planned events
- Everyone must be welcomed and valued despite their diverse backgrounds, ethnicity, age, disability, health, gender, skills, thinking, religion, experience & other aspects of their identity.
- According to the Lighthouse statistics, our local party does not have a reasonably representative membership from young people, women, people with disabilities, and religious believers other than Christians
- By being representative of their constituents, candidates will be more likely to understand their needs and to attract more votes and members
- Everyone must have equal access to opportunities and resources
- Everyone should be able to contribute and have a voice
- All members and supporters should be able to participate in our activities after consideration of problems with transport, disabilities, access, hours of availability, and family & caring responsibilities
- We should try to develop links with local communities (eg Polish, Sikh, EU, etc. groups)
- Our literature, social-media and website should publicise the concerns and aspirations of the above groups
- We will make reasonable endeavours to ensure that information to members and the public is accessible