In these extraordinary times, the opportunity to imagine other times and places, to daydream, or to simply enjoy the imaginary worlds of TV and radio, have been a solace to many as they manage their lives from home. For many, the most appreciated ‘place’ is their regular dose of soap – not the hand-washing sort,…
Built on discussions, members meetings and wider engagement with Labour members from across the country, as well as a number of round tables with Labour MPs we have sent the following submissions to this year's National Policy Forum consultation: Early Years, Education and Skills Economy, Business and Trade Environment, Energy and Culture Health and Social Care…
I have spent decades arguing the case for better investment by the government into our rural areas. Here are my thoughts on this subject in the current climate. I readily accept that there is significant inter-dependence between urban and rural areas and that the City of London, and Northern Powerhouse are obviously major contributors to…
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…
Britain’s towns had a higher profile at this year's Labour Party Conference than they have ever had. In addition to both Labour: COAST&COUNTRY (LCC) fringes, they were on the agenda of a Fabian fringe, a CPRE/Hastoe event, as well as other sessions where Lisa Nandy MP among others had an opportunity to speak up for…
LCC committee member James Bartholomeusz reflects on rural campaigning in the 2018 local elections. At least two things have happened to our public discourse since the EU referendum. On the one hand, the quality of democratic debate has degenerated into a shouting match between opposing sides, with neither even pausing to listen to what the…
While much of the Labour family is rightly occupied with their local election campaign for tomorrow, some of the early steps in preparing for ‘The English election’ of 2019 (elections in 192 District Councils, 47 Unitaries and 33 Mets on 2nd May '19), began last week. Labour:COAST&COUNTRY (LCC) brought together seven of our newer MPs…
When I challenged the Secretary of State to provide more resources for the Police in Suffolk in September, Sarah Newton, the junior minister, clearly mis-heard “Southwark” for “Suffolk” and replied that it was all the fault of Sadiq Khan. Leaving aside the blatant buck-passing that was going on, it is obvious that the Minister was…
There are few more quintessentially English postcard images than deckchairs lining a sandy beach with a pier in the background. I am lucky that in my constituency there are many fantastic coastal towns that attract thousands of visitors on holiday. But for years now they have been faced with a real and growing set of…
Having lived for much of my life in the Forest of Dean, a glorious forest and a group of small communities between the Severn and the Wye, I’m all too aware of the problems, and in some cases the opportunities, that present themselves on the issue of rural housing. As in most rural areas, we…
