With the general election now well under way, I am sure many of you will have already hit the doorsteps to support Conservative candidates standing in this election, including a number of brilliant Conservative councillors who are candidates.
Strong Conservative local government experience in the new Parliament will be so important, joining recent additions in the House of Lords.
Alongside this, the LGA Conservative Group has been busy lobbying hard to ensure the priorities of the Conservative local government family are reflected in the Conservative Party manifesto, when it is launched.
In particular, we have been pushing hard on the pressures around housing, adult social care and children’s services.
We’re continually raising the need for the party to commit to multi-year financial settlements in these areas, alongside highways and regeneration.
One partial success already is the announcement by the Prime Minister that courts will be able to impose additional points on the licences of those drivers who are caught fly-tipping, removing central control over penalties.
But there is more to do to reassert the role of local government.
Along with other LGA Conservative colleagues, I’ll be out in various places campaigning, as well as here in Stoke-on-Trent, sharing the great work Conservatives in local government deliver.
I want to thank all of you for your campaign efforts on the ground over recent months and for putting forward the positive Conservative messages to our communities.