As Labour once campaigned and governed because Every Child Matters, so now we must campaign to govern, because Every Job Matters. That means a focus on coast and country as much if not more than anywhere. Recent Labour research shows the one-size-fit-all approach to furlough is putting millions of jobs at risk – with rural and…
It was a privilege to join Labour Coast and Country recently to talk about how Labour can rebuild support in towns, rural areas, and coastal communities. Currently, the electoral map shows England as a sea of blue, with small clusters of red in and around our cities. Our road to power must encompass towns and…
We're delighted to announce that Rachel Reeves MP, who leads the Shadow Cabinet Office team, has agreed to join us for our next Zoom session on Tuesday 23rd June at 6pm.Rachel has a broad brief which spans devolution and the constitution, Brexit, and aspects of the Coronavirus response. She's interested in speaking with members about how these…
After almost a decade of Tory led governments vast swathes of countryside communities have been let down if not closed down. There are still too many not-spots for mobile reception, too many places without decent broadband, places where you can’t get to stay and live locally in a home to own or rent; while the…
‘Winning England’ drinks, in partnership the English Labour Network | Sunday 22 September, 12:00 - 12:30 Ahead of our annual gathering at 12:45, start conference in style by joining us for a drink at the seaside Tempest Inn to meet other like-minded Labour members who recognise that our party must win outside of the major cities to form…
The recent publication of the Lords Inquiry into the rural economy (explored here by Baroness Young) reinforces the need for a Rural Strategy as proposed by the Rural Services Network, its partner organisations and many others, including LCC. As we often find many MPs and political leaders are surprised to find that more people live in rural England than live in Greater London…
Local Government is at the heart of local communities. Councils look after the most vulnerable in society and make local spaces greener, cleaner and safer. Yet over the last nine years this disastrous Tory government has targeted its austerity agenda at the most deprived areas of the country including many costal and rural areas. This…
All too often when policy makers consider the countryside they think of chocolate box images of the rural idyll. These assumptions, however, mask a nuanced reality in which rural areas are much more vibrant and dynamic than many imagine but also suffer far greater deprivation and poverty too. No more is this the case than…
A contribution to the ‘Challenging Times’ edition of SERA’s New Ground – a non-urban perspective highlighting the challenges of how we do politics and are governed. Labour needs to think through – devolution and localism, particularly in England; Labour’s organisation & offer to non-urban Britain; and how to work with the green groups for the…
Today, the devolution debate continues, though often now in the guise of localism, and how labour will deliver that localism for the people of Britain. At the LGA fringe, Deborah Mattinson, founder of the polling organization Britainthinks, highlighted the need to think of people beyond any demographic category – their interests and needs are more…
