It was a real pleasure to be up in Manchester this week to take part in the Conservative Party Conference. It was a great opportunity to speak with colleagues, industry stakeholders , and activists alike and there was a really positive outlook for the year ahead.
I took part in lots of really constructive fringe events covering everything from the important reforms to the housing system, to how we can ensure no child is left behind through a proper support system for our young people.
Many of you will have seen first hand how important a role local government has played over the past few years, often being on the front line in delivering some of the most crucial services and support. Councils have stepped up to this challenge and it is vital that central Government recognise this and trust councils to deliver for their communities going forward. I joined the LGA on a panel which covered just this theme and how, if given this trust, LAs can be key in helping to deliver the Levelling-up agenda on the ground where communities can feel it most.
On a very similar theme I joined Localis for the launch of their new report Building Communities, where I spoke of the need for a strong local voice in the housing and planning system. In particular I have called for the end of the Planning Inspectorate and Secretary of State power to 'call in'. All too often this ends up in too much corporate lobbying and communities being left with developments which they are opposed to. Local leaders who can agree a workable local plan with their communities will mean that these areas know which developments are in the pipeline and where this will deliver benefits to them, as well as ensuring large developers know who they are dealing with from the start, rather than the dual lobbying we are seeing at present. The other measure which I want to see is a more joined up approach to the granting of building regulations and planning consent. When they are administered separately as they are done at the moment, it makes it very easy for individuals to dodge the planning system. I have called for a system where Building Regulations cannot be certified unless the building is in line with planning consent. This will prevent people getting consent for one thing and then building another, and getting away with it.
In terms of what is going on in Westminster, I am very pleased by what I am hearing from the new Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. The previous planning reforms have been paused and I think this is the right step, having a national approach to planning with targets which are simply unachievable in certain parts of the country will be just as unpopular to residents of Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner as they would be to residents of Cornwall, Manchester and the Tees Valley.
One of the main breakaway spaces within the main exhibition hall was the 'Youth Zone' and I was fortunate to take part in a couple of their fringe events as well. The conversations I took part in largely centred on how we can level up for the youngest members of our society and ensure that everyone can receive the same opportunities and start in life. I was pleased to advocate the work that has been done by the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF). The HAF not only ensured that children from the poorest households get at least one freshly cooked meal a day, but also provided social contact, exercise and enrichment activities. The scheme was much more bespoke that FSMs and has been able to reach so many more children. This feeds nicely in to the work I have been doing with the DfE to reform the extra curricular offering we provide to young people. I am pleased that we are now working on new guidance and running some trials to ensure that more young people leave school having been able to achieve more opportunities like cultural and outdoor education visits and work experience. These are things which for many are perfectly normal experiences but the evidence is very strong that those, for example, who receive work experience when they are younger are much more likely to secure a job when they are older.
During the run up to conference I received many emails from constituents who asked me to meet with various charities and other organisations which are close to their hearts. I tried my upmost to meet with all of these organisations and had the pleasure of meeting with Greenpeace, Communities that Work, the National Deaf Children's Society, Salvation Army, the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, the British Red Cross, Conservative Friends of India, the Government of the Falkland Islands, the Alzheimer's Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, ACS, Sue Ryder, Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie, the British Heart Foundation and the National Farmers Union. I have not got enough space here to go through all the conversations that we had but if one of these groups is important, please do get in touch and I will be happy to go in to more detail about our discussions.
As I said at the start of this piece, the atmosphere at conference was very positive and their is an optimism for what we can put our attention towards that we have put the worst of the pandemic behind us.
