• Contribute to the party’s overhaul of its welfare policy


• Meet local members and share views on this pressing issue


• FREE for new members. Only £5 for others. Includes pizza, Italian buffet and welcome drink at this central Sevenoaks restaurant.

The Conservatives’ planned £12bn cuts to benefits and tax credits will hit the poorest households hardest, particularly working families and the young.  How will Sevenoaks families struggling on low incomes survive?  Our party constitution states that “Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society… in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty”.  So how do you think Lib Dems should respond? 

The debate will be kicked off by: 

• Iain Porter, Lib Dem HQ Policy Unit. Iain works on the party’s new Social Security Policy Working Group, chaired by former Minister Jenny Willott.


• Tony Clayton, former Government Chief Economist. Tony gives a senior civil servant’s inside view on policy reform in practice.


• They are joined from the welfare ‘front line’ by local Councillors and Citizens Advice.

Please RSVP to book your place. Numbers are limited so be quick to avoid disappointment. 

• What is the welfare system’s purpose and how do we define poverty?


• How do we help the most vulnerable and disabled fulfil their potential?


• What is the role of the system in supporting people into, and at work? 


• Is getting housing and childcare right actually the most fundamental concern?