Labour Party Annual Conference: our key takeaways
Last week, we attended the Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool and engaged with MPs on key issues impacting the countryside and rural communities, advocating for positive solutions to help our countryside thrive. We participated in roundtables, fringe events, and held discussions with numerous MPs.
A voice for the countryside
Attending party conferences is an important part of our work, and means we can put the issues that affect our countryside and rural communities directly in front of the new government, the opposition, and MPs. With our response to the National Planning Policy Framework now published, we’ll continue to both work with and challenge the government – from advocating for more genuinely affordable housing to protecting our Green Belt.
Our key takeaways from the conference:
- Housing remains a top priority, with Labour committed to delivering 1.5 million homes, requiring strong cross-department collaboration to succeed. But the housing crisis is an affordability crisis, so we’re strongly calling for more genuinely affordable housing in this mix.
- Our policy paper, developed with the Federation of Master Builders, demonstrated how diversifying the housing market can promote more environmentally sustainable housebuilding. Labour should start with the 1.2 million new homes that could be built on shovel-ready brownfield sites in England, and focus on accessible affordable homes.
- Rooftop solar is a focal point for Labour, with its significant potential for clean energy delivery and community benefits. We’ve long touted the benefits of rooftop solar, with our 2023 report highlighting that over half the solar panels needed to hit national net zero targets could be fitted on rooftops and in car parks.
- During our time at the conference, we met with many Labour MPs, including Ben Goldsborough, Andy Macnae, Jess Lowestoft, and David Baines. We stressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration, highlighting how working together can effectively address countryside challenges. We’re looking forward to holding an ‘Ask the Experts’ rural drop-in event next week at Portcullis House. We’ll be sharing our expertise and knowledge alongside our partners at English Rural, The Rural Coalition, Rural Services Network, and ACRE. The event will provide MPs the chance to speak directly with leading experts on key issues and provide insights to help guide policy decisions, support casework or address constituency concerns.
- A roundtable on co-operatives in the rural economy presented opportunities for us to highlight the benefits of enhancing rural areas and driving growth.
