Engaging with the local government family
Two years ago, I wrote a review of the Conservative Party’s last conference in Birmingham, and I am delighted to do so again this year.
At that time, the Conservative Party had just suffered the worst defeat in its long history. I had recently retained my seat in part thanks to the excellent services delivered by two local councils.
It was clear then that the Conservative path to power would run through these locally elected bodies that deliver the services the public interacts with daily.
With this in mind, the Conservative Party has been actively engaging with the local government family in a way that it hasn’t for many years.
Regular engagement with the LGA and the wider body of Conservative councillors has led to real, tangible victories in the last year, notably defeating the Government’s flawed local government reorganisation.
From the outset, the then Prime Minister’s plan was deeply controversial. We knew that the decision would be deeply unpopular with council leaders. The plans would have stripped back local democracy and led to a deterioration in service quality.
Now, the issue on most councillors’ minds is, without a doubt, government reforms to planning committees. The National Scheme of Delegation is deeply flawed and takes decision-making power away from councils.
“I am delighted that, two years on, we are doing the serious work to prepare for government”
I am glad the LGA has been forthright in its opposition, and the Shadow Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) team will continue to challenge this as we approach implementation.
The Shadow MHCLG team’s pressure would not have been possible without the LGA’s work.
After securing the reversal of local government reorganisation, and with this new threat to local power, it has become clear that the Conservative Party must go further by setting out our own vision for local government.
As I outlined over the summer, the critical question must be: what do we think local government is, and what is it for? Throughout the four days of conference, this theme was central to many of the panels that I sat on.
I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to councillors and leading thinkers on this very point. One highlight was the LGA Conservative Group’s panel with council leaders and the thoughtful Professor Colin Copus, all of whom are looking for answers to these fundamental questions.
My trip to Birmingham made it clear that there is real confidence in the party. After a string of excellent results across the country this year, the local government family is buoyed by the party’s direction and its policy offering.
In Birmingham, the party outlined a series of new local government announcements. This all stemmed from the publication of ‘The Right Way’ on the first day of conference. This major statement of our party’s principles outlined the Conservative principles we saw delivered on stage throughout the conference.
Two years ago, the Conservative Party faced a crossroads, but I am delighted that, two years on, we are doing the serious work to prepare for government and that the party is more united than it has been in many years.
- Find out more about the work of the LGA’s Conservative Group.