Most of us will have watched the floods in Germany and Belgium with considerable shock and great sympathy for the poor inhabitants. Our hearts go out to them all. Earlier in the week and still ongoing are the massive forest fires raging in the western United States. Again, this is another great natural disaster but fortunately with fewer casualties so far.

We all remember seeing the horrific scenes of the burning tower at Grenfell on the news over four years ago.

The tragic loss of 72 lives was a dark moment for our country and the cladding scandal that emerged emboldened me to stand up for the rights of all those living in unsafe buildings.

That event also was a lightning rod for the wider public and put a sharp focus on the quality of housing that many people live in - particularly in more densely populated urban areas.

Being involved in politics should be fun and rewarding. But it can be stressful and at times any of us may need to turn to others for help or support.

Often that support can best come from colleagues in your local party or a party body you are active in. But sometimes help is needed elsewhere, and this piece sets out the main places to turn.

Another Lib Dem Council in Hampshire introduce food waste recycling

Portsmouth City Council, run by Lib Dems, has recently introduced food waste recyling. Currently, 40% of the city is now eligible to collect and recycle its food waste rather than sending it to land fill.

The only other Hampshire authority that recycles food is Eastleigh Borough Council, strangely enough also run by Lib Dems. Is there a pattern here?

Federal Conference Committee met via Zoom call on Saturday, 10 July for the agenda selection for our Autumn Conference 2021. The meeting was a lengthy one, which was in part due to the large selection of motions received.

A few announcements before the report; as you may be aware Geoff Payne, departed the FCC in early May, and I am delighted to have been elected the new Chair of FCC. All of us wish Geoff the very best for the future. A recount was held for the vacant place on the Committee, and I am delighted that Keith Melton has joined as our new member of the Federal Conference Committee. Chris Adams has also been elected in the vacant Vice-Chair position and will take responsibility for the General Purposes Sub Committee.

With the easing of restrictions and the fine weather, we have all been emerging from our own little bubbles. One of the hard facts that stares us in the face when out and about is the general disrepair of the roads. Vegetation appears to have run out of control, and the roads have a pandemic all of their own. This pothole plague is a blight on our roads damaging vehicles, creating a fatal hazard for cyclists, and hospitalising pedestrians. This problem can be squarely laid at the feet of Conservative councils and Conservative government.

Our political opportunity

Sarah Green's brilliant victory in Chesham and Amersham shows the huge political opportunity for us - as long as we can continue to apply the lessons from our 2019 election post-mortem.

As part of this, a trio of motions have been submitted for our autumn federal conference. One is from the Federal Board (FB) on the party's strategy. The other two are from the Federal Policy Committee (FPC), on the party's values and our policy platform. Hopefully all three can be debated in sequence, so we agree values, strategy and platform in a joined-up way.

For too long our nation's unpaid carers have been forgotten by those in power, we should all be fighting to change that. The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to give carers a break by providing immediate emergency funding to local authorities so they can offer every unpaid carer the support services they need to take a weekly break. During the Covid pandemic, millions of people stepped up and are stepping up heroically to look after elderly, disabled and vulnerable people. They are doing a remarkable and important job in very difficult circumstances. They need more support.