• Councillors Livesey, Harrington and Slinger met Labour leader and two frontbenchers
• Councillors took part in training programme and action-focused sessions on their new role

Three newly-elected Labour Party Councillors on Rugby Borough Council met Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer at the annual Labour Local Government Conference held last weekend.

The conference, at Warwick University’s conference centre, brought together hundreds of Labour Councillors from all over the UK, to take part in training on the role of a councillor and campaigning, to hear from Labour councillors and council leaders, and to watch an address from the leader of the party.

Speaking at the conference, the new leader of the Labour Group at the Local Government Association and leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Cllr Shaun Davies, rallied the audience saying that Labour has “a determination to win and a willingness to listen…in every community, every town, and every city.”

He was followed by an address by Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer, who contrasted the Conservatives’ approach of “seeing problems and challenges as reasons to sow division”, with Labour’s approach of “seeing a problem and fixing it.” Starmer referred to “a real sense of energy” at the conference, and urged delegates to “keep that flame burning, look at what happened in Westminster, in Worthing – five years ago we had one councillor, now we run the council”. He noted that “for 20 years they said…if you don’t in Wandsworth, you won’t win a general election. Well, we just did it…we didn’t just dribble it over the line, we smashed it.” Referring to Labour winning control of Westminster City Council on 5th May he added: “A Prime Minister with a Labour council!”

The newly-elected Rugby Labour Party Councillors met Keir Starmer during a reception at the conference also attended by Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Raynor MP.

Cllr John Slinger, a New Bilton councillor said: “He was really up-beat and friendly. We told him about how we had won two seats off the Tories, which he was pleased to hear. I spoke to him about some people claiming that all parties are the same. He said we need to be proud of what we achieved in government, what we are achieving in local government and our plans to achieve more when we form the next government.”

Slinger added: “He has brought the party’s government leader into the Shadow Cabinet and said that the next Labour government will view councils as true partners in power. This is really encouraging for everyone who, like me, believes in less centralisation and stronger local government.”

Cllr Richard Harrington, of Benn Ward, added: “The LGA conference was an amazing weekend. It was full of people from different demographics, who want to make a difference. Keir, Lisa and Wes had a clear vision for the future of the country and as a party, we are ready to govern.”

Cllr Alison Livesey, of Coton and Boughton Ward said: “I was impressed by Keir Starmer – he was approachable yes, but what took me by surprise was his energy passion and commitment. He knows the problems people are facing in their everyday lives and is determined to harness the power and commitment of local councillors, to their communities as demonstrated during the pandemic, to ensure they not only survive the cost-of-living crisis but thrive.” 

The councillors also met Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Lisa Nandy MP, who gave a powerful speech in which she spoke against the Tory centralisation agenda, and noted that “we have a Tory government that has written off most of the country and left us in a state of managed decline.” During the conference, the councillors met Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP and several Labour leaders of councils and councillors from around the country.