The diversity fund: Steve Hitchins responds

5.54.46pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 25th Jan 2007

In response to recent questions raised about the party's diversity fund, Steve Hitchins has provided Liberal Democrat Voice with a piece that will soon be run in the party's official newspaper, Liberal Democrat News.

Last summer, Ming Campbell announced the launch of his diversity fund "to assist women, disabled, black and ethnic minority candidates to contest winnable seats for the party". This fulfilled a pledge made in his leadership campaign and he asked Steve Hitchins to work with him on these issues. Steve has an excellent track record in promoting women and ethnic minority candidates based on the time that he was the Lib Dem Leader of Islington Council.

In September Ming was able to announce that £200,000 had been pledged from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to help improve the diversity of the parliamentary party at Westminster. The party is gearing up for a General Election at any time from when there is a new Prime-Minister. So selections are speeding up, quite a few of the most winnable seat selections have already taken place and over £50,000 has already been allocated to help make the difference in a number of the key seats where the result could be crucial to improving the diversity of our MPs.

No money is offered prior to a selection, but objective assessments of targeting policy are being made, support allocated professionally by the party's Campaigns Department and additional support provided from the Diversity Fund in some cases where winning would improve the diversity of the parliamentary party.

Steve Hitchins told Liberal Democrat News: "It is one of the harsh realities of political life that money helps you fight winning campaigns. We pride ourselves that in the Liberal Democrats because of our tireless volunteers our money goes a great deal farther than it does in either of the other parties. But there is no doubt that those extra £ notes make a difference. So I'm delighted that this completely new and additional amount of money is being spent to secure even more Liberal Democrat seats at the next General Election and this will directly increase the diversity of our Parliamentary Party.

"The purpose of the fund is to deliver a more diverse parliamentary party after the next General Election. The fund is about winning more seats. So seats, which are good prospects and then select female and/or ethnic minority candidates are automatically considered for additional funding. In due course these seats may get promotion to target seat status. This, as ever, depends on local activity as much as on central support. This is not about switching existing funds or depriving anyone of the chance to do well. Nor is it about undermining local selection, introducing positive discrimination or lowering the quality of all our candidates. The fund will increase the overall number of target seats and successes with new money to deliver a more diverse Lib Dem team in the House of Commons.

"We have a modest amount of money but quite a few talented women and ethnic minority candidates in constituencies that are good prospects will benefit in terms of support for their campaigns. This will make a difference to the long term reputation of the party and Ming's ambition to help our MPs become more representative of the country that we seek to represent."