Councillor Kevin Bentley The Conservative Spring Conference in Harrogate was a highly successful and energising event, bringing together councillors, activists, parliamentarians, and campaigners from across the country, and helping to build momentum ahead of upcoming local elections.
The Government’s plans to plough ahead with its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will have dire consequences for councils.
I would like to wish everyone across the local government family a prosperous 2026 and congratulate all those in the sector who were recognised for their efforts in the New Year Honours List – in particular, the former Leader of Buckinghamshire Council Cllr Martin Tett, who has been made a CBE.
This could have been a consequential period for local government finance.
I am writing this after a busy, but very enjoyable, Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
September marks the start of the new political year, and I am delighted that, in its first week, we held the first ‘Blue Team’ meeting with our new Shadow Secretary of State, James Cleverly, and his shadow ministerial team.
National Highways maintains just 2 per cent of England’s roads, while our local authority highway departments maintain more than 90 per cent.
The local elections were a bruising and depressing night for the Conservative Group. One by one, we lost incredibly good, hard-working colleagues who lost through no fault of their own.
The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill will do little to get spades in the ground and increase England’s housing supply.
I have been a councillor since 2002 and this has been one of the most challenging budget processes I have been through. Why, one might ask?