Conference Cancellation Information

The sad news of the last few days has touched our nation deeply. And we now know that The Queen’s funeral will take place in the middle of the days planned for our Conference.

After very careful consideration - and taking soundings from as many people as we can - the Conference Committee and Federal Board have together regretfully decided to cancel our autumn conference and postpone the major debates until spring.

You can find out more on why we took this decision and the options that we considered here.

We have spoken with National Rail and 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. 

Customers who booked coach ticket with National Express who are no longer able to travel during the national mourning period can secure a free ticket amendment. 

If you could please complete the travel amendment request form on the website: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/contact/travel-amendment-request
 

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
• Hilton Brighton Metropole
• 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. 
 

In terms of registrations, we are of course happy to offer a full refund, or for you to donate your fee to the party to help us cover the costs of conference. 

Please let us know whether you wish to have a refund or donate your fee to the party by Monday 3 October 2022. Please email us at conferences@libdems.org.uk to let us know which option you would like to go for. If we do not hear by 3 October we will assume that you wish to donate your fee to the party.

We have a small access fund for conference delegates experiencing financial hardship. If you would like more detail on that, either to request funds or to donate, then you can do that here.

Conference is a major part of our budget and we stand to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds through this cancellation in lost income. (Event insurance policies do not cover the death of a Monarch.) 

At this point many of our supplier contracts are unavoidable.

This means that our party will take a substantial financial hit as a result of cancelling the conference. Our finances are already very stretched and so coping with this will not be easy. If you would like to help the party weather this financial hit, you can make a donation here.