A HEREFORDSHIRE venue has been confirmed as host for the annual conference of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

Spokesman Robin Oakey said the free-to-attend September 25-27 event at The Barn in Ledbury would be used to shape the party’s manifesto, and has already attracted national media interest.

But unlike the season’s more conventional political party conferences, this will feature a range of live music, morris dancing, burlesque and a pub walkabout tour.

Mr Oakey said he hoped veteran singer PJ Proby would also be on the bill.

The Texan, who had four UK top-ten hits in the mid-1960s, and whose age Wikipedia gives as 86, “is getting on and not very well, but it would be brilliant to have him”, he said.

Coinciding with the conference, Mr Oakey plans a “barter market” on St Katherine’s Square in front of the Barn, where people can exchange produce or other items without cash.

Mr Oakey has previously been a fierce critic of the town council, which owns the square, saying it has failed to use it to hold regular markets, while spending thousands on consultants to advise it on setting up events and other ways to draw in tourists.

He added that, in comparison to France where he recently spent some time: “It’s sad to see Ledbury doesn’t have much going on”, and feared that the newly approved Lidl supermarket on the edge of the town “will draw people away”.

Established in 1982 by musician Screaming Lord Sutch, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party is known for satirising the political world via bizarre policies and novelty candidates.

Some of its off-beat policies have included introducing a 99p coin, mandating outdoor air conditioning units to combat climate change and building a high-speed railway line to the Falkland Islands.

However, some ideas have actually made it into law, including passports for pets, all-day pub opening and votes for 16-year-olds in some areas.