Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has closed the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Brighton by calling on members to spread the message of the Party's commitment in Government to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society.

In his keynote Leader's speech, Nick paid tribute to the work of the Party in winning the Eastleigh by-election, beating the Conservatives into third place and squeezing Labour while campaigning on the Lib Dem record of delivering in Government.

2012 was a bruising year for the Liberal Democrats. Our opinion poll ratings and local election results have cemented the media view that we are set for total destruction in the General Election and everything is Nick Clegg's fault.

Older members of our party wryly smile knowing that our party's collective history has seen much worse, but to the everyday voter these poll ratings must seem that our party is at the point of collapse. But whilst I spent a good proportion of 2012 worrying about the direction our party was taking and the seemingly inept way we have been putting over our message the Party Conference marked a change which I am convinced will see the party emerge from one of our darker periods.

The last twelve months have been lit up by moments that will stay with us forever. When Mo Farah approached the final stretch of the 10,000m final, who wasn't up on their feet, screaming at the TV?

When Nicola Adams beamed at the crowd after winning the first ever women's Olympic boxing, who didn't smile back? I was lucky enough to be there, and that's one I'll never forget.

Whatever George Osborne says in his Autumn Budget Statement I do know it will be another tough day on the economy. We have been told that "it's no secret that when it comes to balancing the books, the Liberal Democrats have different instincts to most Conservatives" and that "some difficult decisions will need to be made".

Phil Hutty reflects on the Leveson Enquiry.

Well the big day arrived at last - you could make a themed advent-styled calendar with top sayings from the inquiry. My personal favourite was the one that under the flap simply said "LOL" ... oh how we laughed! Or perhaps you held a party as you waited for 1.30pm, counting down the time until it's release or even downloaded the full version of the report (the 45 page executive summary is just for "lightweights" ) and are now arguing over schedule 2b in the appendix 4..... No? OK it's just me then.

Newton St Cyres played host to Central Devon Liberal Democrats AGM this year with guest speaker Torbay MP Adrian Sanders.

In a thought-provoking speech the Torbay MP listed the achievements of Liberal Democrats in Government while being open about the challenges that lay ahead.

"We have helped to raise the income tax threshold that has brought 2 million of the lowest earners out of income tax altogether and given 21 million people a tax cut of over £500.

"Next time we will do it differently" was the definitive message from Nick Harvey MP, addressing guests in Crediton recently.

The North Devon MP who was recently honoured with a knighthood was addressing guests at the Central Devon constituency, Liberal Democrat dinner in Crediton.

The central plank of his speech was the coalition and how the coalescence of the parties was seen by both the press and wider public. Mr Harvey admitted that the Lib Dems had missed a trick in their post-election preparations and that we should learn from our experiences this time around .

When I arrived at the Conference, there was a storm brewing, both on the sea front and, I thought, on the Conference floor.

Last year I heard occasional mutterings about Nick Clegg's leadership. This year I thought that poor performances in local elections plus low opinion poll ratings and our seemingly inability to show what we are actually achieving in Government would have been the ingredients for a Perfect Storm that would pushed Nick aside and usher in Vince Cable to steady the ship. I also had a funny tune in my head which came from a spoof of Nick Clegg's apology speech.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has used his keynote speech to the Lib Dem Party conference in Brighton to announce extra money for 110,000 children struggling with maths and English.

The Deputy Prime Minister said secondary schools in England will receive an extra £55 million to help pupils arriving in year seven who have slipped behind in English and maths at primary school. The money will come in from next January, with schools deciding how to spend it to help pupils with weaker results in maths and English.

Speaking at the Lib Dems Brighton Conference, Phil Hutty parliamentary spokesman for Central Devon spoke passionately about the need to stop the introduction of regional pay for public sector workers.

" Let's not kid anyone - regional pay would mean pay cuts for the West Country public sector workers. Regional pay would save money but at what cost? Devon may be a beautiful place to live but good views and nice neighbours won't pay the bills. Why, if you are a professional social worker, nurse, teacher or policeman would you go for a job which would be pay less than in other parts of the country".