Three months ago, the Party suffered a catastrophic defeat in the General Election and that cannot be ignored. But having recently returned from Birmingham, I am delighted to report that while reflective, I found conference uplifting and optimistic.
Perhaps the optimism in Birmingham came from the missteps of the new Labour Government, or the buzz of a leadership election, but more than likely it came from the bedrock of support we find in local government.
It was great to find many of our excellent local councillors had travelled to Birmingham this year. It is always good to see a strong contingent from Hillingdon and Harrow and it is always a pleasure to see them engage with counterparts from local government across the country.
Both Hillingdon and Harrow are known for the delivery of excellent local services and their councillors are always in high demand to share best practise. As colleagues look towards the next set of council elections, I look forward to seeing more Conservative councillors serve their local communities.
Away from the local government, members who attended the conference will know that this year had a focus on housing. With the leadership candidates making their pitches on the big stage, I spent much of conference meeting different stakeholders and sitting on panels relating to housing and planning.
With the new Government announcing the review of the National Planning Policy Framework, local councils and housebuilders have many concerns. Hearing directly from councillors, council leaders and developers was incredibly useful as we return to Westminster and expect the Government’s response in the coming weeks.
This is only one area of concern that I am keen to raise on my return to Westminster this month. With further debate on the future of the Winter Fuel Payments and the imposition of VAT on education for the first time there is a lot of work to be done scrutinising this Government.
We will also see the next stages of the Conservative Party leadership in the coming weeks and before I next write my column we would have seen the first budget of this administration; both are events that will be pivotal in setting the tone for this parliament.
First published: My Local News, October 2024
