Isabel Goodwin is Head of Outreach for the Conservative Environment Network
We are now only weeks away from a new Prime Minister. We don’t know much about what a Burnham premiership will look like as he scurries away from the media, but one thing is clear: localism will be at its heart.
How to revive local communities has long been a conundrum for politicians of all political stripes. The British people are desperate to feel pride and a sense of belonging in their communities once again, and this is clearly something Burnham wants to take advantage of.
Reform has also cottoned onto the electoral rewards that await the party with a compelling answer to strengthening communities. They have announced they would introduce an annual national action day to “rekindle civic pride”. But neither Labour nor Reform seems to have hit upon a convincing solution.
Not only do they lack credible policies, but they lack the authentic conservative values needed to champion pride in our communities and our nation.
And as Burnham and Reform attempt to lay claim to localism, Kemi should take the fight to them on a policy area that conservatives are best placed to deliver on.
Any compelling plan to restore civic pride must place environmental action at its heart. People want to live in places free from overflowing bins and litter. They want to have access to green spaces and be able to see nature and wildlife from their windows. And they want to move around safely, quickly, and affordably, without the roar of vehicles and the scent of exhaust fumes.
The Conservative Party has a strong heritage of environmental action, from the pioneering Clean Air Act of 1956 in response to the Great Smog, to Margaret Thatcher being the first Western leader to talk about the need to tackle climate change. More recently, the party has grasped the benefits of Brexit to promote sustainable agriculture and protect our waterways and wildlife.
But we now need to build on that record with radical, bold ideas to make sure the Conservative Party has a compelling offer to the British people which will make communities more prosperous, healthier, and more beautiful.
The Conservative Environment Network’s new essay collection, A shining city upon a hill: restoring pride and tackling pollution in our towns and cities, seeks to develop a blueprint to restore pride of place, with contributions from MPs, councillors, and conservative thought-leaders.
Our esteemed contributors set out a number of pragmatic policy ideas that would empower communities, businesses, and local government, without requiring substantial handouts and regulation from central government.
This essay collection attempts to bring Ronald Reagan’s “shining city upon a hill” to life. The phrase originates from a 17th-century sermon but Reagan imbued it with new meaning and relevance. The recurring motif became a call for Americans: to have pride and optimism in themselves and their nation; to boost and celebrate prosperity and the free market; and to champion individual freedom.
The collection opens with an inspiring foreword from the Shadow Environment Secretary, the Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP. She highlights the determination of the Conservative party leadership to protect the environment and grow the economy to deliver real results for people now and in the generations to follow.
The collection also includes a chapter from the Shadow Transport Secretary, the Rt Hon Richard Holden MP. He calls out the rise in anti-social behaviour on our buses and sets out how we can crack down on this to ensure people feel safe using our bus network, helping to increase ridership, ease congestion, and tackle pollution.
Sir Andy Street highlights how British infrastructure is being held back by cumbersome planning regulations and high infrastructure costs, using tram projects as an example of where Britain is falling behind our European counterparts. He champions local leadership, British innovation, and the removal of unnecessary red tape as the solution to unblock these projects and kickstart economic growth across the regions.
In the collection Rebecca Smith MP emphasises how our regional rail networks have become fragmented and unreliable, denting passenger confidence and limiting people’s transport choice. She proposes policies to leverage private investment and empower local government, leading to improved regional connectivity and reduced congestion and pollution.
Aphra Brandreth MP spotlights how counterproductive bureaucracy and complicated regulation is disempowering local people from making their communities greener, safer, and more beautiful. She calls on the government to issue clear, sensible guidance to ensure people can plant trees and shrubs outside their homes and businesses.
These contributions could not be more timely. The country is on the verge of Andy Burnham’s prime ministerial coronation and it is clear boosting regional growth and devolving decision-making will be at the top of his agenda.
The Conservatives must have a clear, alternative vision and plan for delivery in response. One that is based on the core conservative principles of streamlining red tape, unlocking private investment, and trusting that local people know their communities best. We must place tackling pollution and cleaning and greening our communities at the heart of this agenda. Stewardship of our local environment is the key to restoring civic pride, expanding economic opportunity, and boosting productivity in our towns and cities across the UK.
