Published 4 November 2024 [ConHome

Wilfred Aspinall is a member of Hitchin Conservative Association and convenor of the HCA Policy Forum. He previously served as Chairman of the Forum in the European Parliament for Construction and Energy Users.

We lost the election on a massive scale, but it shouldn’t stop us from coming forward with ideas that demonstrate to all ages that the Conservative Party is alive and still has the wish to contribute to the prosperity of Britain.

In May this year, I wrote about the creation of Investment Zones as a means to promote growth, trying to encourage the Conservative government to get their act together by introducing fiscal and other incentives to promote inward investment throughout the country as part of the levelling-up process. That approach is dead under the Labour regime, but we see a hint of more devolution alongside big state interventions that will further bring about central Westminster control

We have Conservatives have to move forward to spearhead inward investment if Labour are not willing to. Growth is not created by Westminster speeches. It is created locally by initiatives brought about by investment funds (whether public or private) obtained with a view to a capital gain. Nobody owes anybody anything for free. We must promote capital investment, not indluge in Labour’s pursuit of the redistribution of wealth

Labour increased taxes in the Budget: a massive discouragement towards inward investment. We must be prepared to oppose such tax increases.

I have been shouting for years that building houses of all types is a growth process. Stability to borrow funds for the builder (large contractors, since small local builders are often squeezed out by the large contractors, alongside the self and custom builders). Employment is created for those building. These employees pay their taxes and spend in the retail markets. Money spins around from one source to another.

One learned lesson is that nationally controlled public investment developments appear to be a case for chaos with out-of-control spending. Whatever the project it cannot be managed from a desk in Whitehall.

Our objective in promoting public and private investment should be to bring forward policies that deliver at the best price and that means giving more powers to the devolved regions, the metropolitan and combined Councils, but also to county and unitary councils. I personally want to examine the election of more Mayors as that will allow ideas to be shared across regions but with one local named person accountable to the electorate.

Their localised expertise is essential to bringing local communities along to support these initiatives. This will require more skilled local authority Officers to deal with this input of funds and enable them to deliver projects. It will require Councillors to spend more of their time fully understanding the new planning regime, contractural control of the projects and a lot of training to fulfil their devolved tasks

In May 2025 County Council elections will be held and if we don’t show we have ideas and initiatives we will lose control of those councils where we are currently in control or have a controlling interest.

We cannot be complacent. It is but six months away. Labour is on an electoral roll, but hopefully, by May, voters will be fed up with them.

We know that the last Conservative government didn’t get its act together to promote localised funding therefore we have to adopt a learning role to listen to our members as a sounding board but also involve the electorate. I think they want to be involved

We should promote devolved powers. It would take time but with patient determination, we could find we maintain a counterbalance to national powers which are currently concentrated in Westminster.

Under that approach, it will be essential that Conservatives control county councils. We must retain that position and by May 2025 when many voters will be realising what Labour policies are really about we will have a great opportunity to take control of additional county councils.

We could take on board the creation of elected mayors and work to promote these authorities to bring investment to the area. The initiative would capture the imagination of a lot of people – young and old need encouragement to vote Conservative.

We will need Conservative candidates who have expertise in business occupations to have oversight and initiate managerial and political ability to understand the functions of investment and construction best practice. They will be elected for the remainder of the Labour government tenure. Their role will be 24/7 involvement especially where we do not have a local MP: a true springboard for the election in 2029.

This concept may be ambitious but who better to bring about better value for money, establish what local communities need, and get the infrastructure built quickly than Conservatives elected locally?

Conservative Associations need to work now to set out their tent, call for enthusiastic candidates to commit to a 24/7 tenure as a councillor, and then again in 2026 for the Unitary Council elections.

The idea of elected Mayors with the same powers as the Metropolitan Mayoral teams using their influence is worth considering. Councillors are not paid a salary but they do get an allowance that together with expenses brings them well above  £13-14k per year. We need to have a maximum presence on “the street” not doubling up. No twin hatters as they will be too busy just doing one job very well.

Finally, we must set in place a scheme where Conservatives can promote infrastructure and building infrastructure under local initiatives.