Weekly Ministerial Round-up

Before the new week began, the 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 was held in Leeds. It was great to meet with leaders in local government and address the conference about the Community Britain Campaign as a Minister for Local Government and Chair of the Party.

We’re building Community Britain, together. Community is a powerful tool for solving serious political, social and economic challenges. Co-operative local government representatives put this into place each and every day, up and down the country, by championing community power and delivering real change: that’s why we’re fighting to give them more power.

I began the week not in Westminster, but in the West Midlands. I had the opportunity to 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 to see first-hand how mayoral combined authorities are using devolved powers to unlock opportunity and widen access to skills and training. I visited both 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, where it’s clear that strategic collaboration between local government, education institutions and business is driving real change. I then had the privilege to attend the 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 and hear more about their dedication to transparency in public financial management.

On Tuesday, I travelled down to London and spoke in the Chamber during the 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞, representing my Department. For those unfamiliar, Estimates are Parliament’s opportunity to scrutinise and approve departmental spending plans. I was proud to reaffirm our commitment to investing in the things that matter most to local people – building more affordable and social homes, strengthening neighbourhood services, and improving building safety.

But I also acknowledged the significant pressures local councils are facing: rising demand for temporary accommodation, increasing costs in adult social care, and growing complexity in children’s services. These are real challenges, and we cannot ignore them. That’s why we’re focused on rebuilding the foundations of local government – so councils are not just surviving but equipped to meet demand and deliver better outcomes.

For the rest of the week, I have had regular catch-ups including one with 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐆𝐀, to discuss how we can work collaboratively to best support local government and achieve a strong and resilient sector. Aside from my regular ministerial meetings, I also had chance to 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 while he was in London presenting all the leading work Oldham are doing to tackle climate change.

After having a couple of weeks in a row of Parliament unusually sitting on Friday, it was great to be able to spend this Friday back in the constituency.