Chairman's Annual Report, 2003-2004

This year has been a successful one on all fronts - in campaigning terms, in fundraising terms, and in organisational terms. I would like to thank the officers who have worked hard this year to improved Torch as an organisation. In particular I would like to thank Jonathan Fraser-Howells, without whose remarkable organisational and management skills, we would not be half the organisation that we are.

Specialist Group Status
This year we have successfully secured Specialist Group Status, placing us right at the heart of the Conservative Party with greater than ever influence. This has undoubtedly assisted us in providing advice to the Party, as well as securing recognition and legitimacy in the eyes of the gay community. We should not understate the significance of the Party's recognition of us as a positive contribution to the Conservative agenda: our application for Specialist Group Status was supported by Theresa May, then Party Chairman, and it was unanimously approved by the Board of the Conservative Party.

Events
Our events this year have been highly successful, and have centred around the Party conference fringe meeting and the annual gala dinner. Both these events secured good attendance and high-profile speakers. Theresa May was our guest of honour at the gala dinner, and we played host to Gillian Shepherd, Iain Dale - candidate in Norfolk North, Ben Summerskill of Stonewall, and Andrew Pierce of The Times.
These events have produced much positive coverage for Torch and the issues we have worked to highlight.

Campaigning
Specialist Group Status has allowed us to campaign with added authority. This year, our work has concentrated on supporting the Civil Partnerships Bill.
The Conservative Party, under Iain Duncan Smith's leadership, has said that it supports the Civil Partnerships Bill. This support has continued, and indeed strengthened, under the leadership of Michael Howard, who has given his strong personal support for Civil Partnerships. This will go a long way towards giving a lead to Conservative MPs in what will be a free vote. I am also confident that the case in favour of the Bill will be ably promoted by Alan Duncan, who will lead the debate for the Conservatives in the House of Commons. He is a skilled and respected Parliamentarian who can speak from personal experience as well as from a position of principle.
We have spoken up in support of people in the gay community living with HIV, who have been sorely let down by this Government. The rate of HIV continues to rise at an exponential rate, NHS clinics remain in a dire state, prevention and education services provided by the Government remain woefully inadequate, and Labour continue to try and shirk the blame for this terrible - and avoidable - situation.
We have continued to put pressure on Labour over this issue, as well as working to dispel the myth of Labour being the natural party for the gay community. We have concentrated on Labour's discrimination against gay couples through partnership ceremonies in Brighton, and on their use of the Housing Bill to play politics with gay rights.
In Kent, where the Conservative County Council introduced a policy echoing elements of Section 28, I have intervened to assist the Council leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart in producing a re-ordering of their position. This has defused an issue that was beginning to damage that Party's progressive image, and provided a better understanding of the work which Kent County Council actually does in support of gay people - from working to stop homophobic bullying in schools to its work in support of disadvantaged groups and minorities.
This coming Monday will see a summit for organisations working with young gay men and lesbians. This is being hosted by Shadow Minister for Young People Charles Hendry and will be attended by Shadow Health and Education Secretary Tim Yeo, and London Mayoral candidate Steve Norris. This is essentially a listening exercise, and shows to what extend attitudes and approaches in the Conservative Party have changed for the better. Torch's work has been instrumental in producing the environment where such a summit is possible. This is not an event that, frankly, the Labour or Liberal Democrat Parties would consider holding, and shows that the leadership is drawing on the widest possible range of experience and opinion in forming the right policies for the next Conservative Government.

Conclusions
The last year has been highly successful, in campaigning, events, fundraising and organisation. It is essential, however, in the next year that we focus on increasing membership participation levels, further increasing funds in preparation for the general election, and further strengthening our ability to determine the public policy and media agenda regarding the Conservative Party and the gay community.