MEMBERS of the Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour parties have joined forces in a new initiative to combat the Conservative stronghold in the West.

A group of 32 members from the three political parties gathered at the Liberal Club in Colerne earlier this month to discuss 'what they could agree on'.

The Liberal Democrats lost Chippenham and Bath in May’s general election and are heavily outnumbered at Wiltshire Council.

Unsuccessful Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Dr Brian Mathew, who was joined at the meeting by former Green candidates Phil Chamberlain and Tina Johnson, hopes the agreements will lead to joint cross party action being taken against the Tories at a local and national level.

He said: “It came about because at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Bournemouth last year, Caroline Lucas came to address the green Lib Dems, which I am a member of, and she spoke about what we can campaign on together.

“From that meeting I thought we could try and get together. As Benjamin Franklin once said, divided we fall united we stand, and it was in that spirit we met.

“If we can act together then we will be stronger than if we act separately.”

Politicians at the meeting discussed and voted on a range of policy issues including support for renewable energy and against fracking.

Support for wind, solar and tidal energy, and the Paris Climate change targets, could see the group try to fight the government’s pre-Christmas cut to solar subsidies.

Dr Mathew also reported strong support from participants on staying within the EU and that a ‘Brexit’ could see Scotland attempt to leave the UK.

“It was really interesting, we had pretty much total agreement over Europe,” he added.

“It’s interested that now with things going the way they are, there’s a real danger we will leave Europe. It’s the alternative parties that are really saying, if that was to happen it would, firstly, be a disaster for our economy.

“Honda and Airbus, they would in all likelihood leave if that was to happen, that would bring huge problems locally and nationally.”