Spring is upon us, and with the new government now in office for nearly nine months, we at Key Cities are delighted that significant progress has been made on the key priorities set out in our #Manifesto.
With the support of our member cities, which represent more than 12% of the UK’s population outside of London, #KeyCities had put forward a series of recommendations before last July’s general election: recommendations we hoped the incoming administration would act upon to drive positive change in crucial areas of policy.
Our members wanted to see a fair funding review and council tax reform. Properly funded social care. Addressing urgent housing needs and homelessness. A devolution of powers in priority sectors, including net zero.
We are pleased to share that since last July, more than 70% of our manifesto priorities have either been delivered, or are currently in train.
These include the reinstatement of national housebuilding targets, a commitment to implementing a fair funding allocation for local government, along with the introduction of a new Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant, reforms to the Right to Buy scheme, and more.
This is an encouraging start to the new government’s ambitions to improve our communities. However, there is still work to be done, and Key Cities will be continuing our work with the Government to implement further measures that will drive economic growth and prosperity that our local communities urgently need.
To continue the discussion around the key topics outlined in our Manifesto, Key Cities is launching our inaugural Cities Forum on Tuesday, 29th April, in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent. The event will feature a series of panels debating key topics across housing, culture and investment, net zero goals and skills, with a range of speakers joining the conversations to present solutions, case studies and best practices.
To register your interest in attending our Cities Forum, click the Eventbrite link here.
