Since the new Labour Government was elected in July, no time has been wasted in taking decisive action to put local government on a stronger footing to support delivery of the Government’s missions.
We have seen the commitment to introducing multi-year funding settlements, enabling councils to plan for the future, and earlier this month, the Household Support Fund was extended, with a commitment to looking at a longer-term solution to support the most vulnerable.
As the autumn progresses, I am confident that we will see more such positive decisions.
“Conference is a unique opportunity to engage with each other and share ideas”
Parliament was briefly back from recess before the party conference season started.
Labour Party Conference is a real highlight of the year for me, providing a unique opportunity for so many broad organisations, groups, charities and political stakeholders to come together to engage with each other and share ideas.
Local government will have a strong presence at conference this year, including a packed programme of local government events organised by the Labour Party and the LGA, and a local government speech that I will deliver as Leader of the LGA’s Labour Group.
Above all, it will be a chance to celebrate the hard work of so many over the past few years. The effort required to move on from suffering one of our worst election results in 2019 to winning the country’s trust in 2024 should not be underestimated – we must now harness this trust to deliver real, tangible changes to communities across the country.
So, while we celebrate, the hard work has already begun.