Ben Bradley is the MP for Mansfield and Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Recently the Westminster bubble and the media have, predictably, been obsessing over personalities and slanging matches in SW1. While it may make interesting reading for the political obsessives, the things that really impact my constituents’ lives rarely ever make the front pages. This week I’ve formally taken on the new role of leading Nottinghamshire County Council, where I’ve chosen to spend my time on those local issues rather than climbing the ministerial ladder. For some reason, can’t think why, the Whitehall melodrama just doesn’t appeal.
If you’ve ever worked in an MP’s office, or in politics generally, you know that most of what comes across an MP’s desk is the hyper-local. Potholes, crime, a neighbour’s unhelpful parking habits… These are the day to day things that most impact on many lives. Focusing on local challenges, from sorting out the roads to supporting new jobs or training, is the stuff that matters. You don’t make that difference while shouting at the Prime Minister about Palestine or obsessing over his, I’m sure thoroughly interesting, book on Shakespeare.
The key issues that were raised with us on doorsteps in the recent local elections weren’t about No 10’s wallpaper choices; they were about our highways, the town centre and green spaces. Residents wanted to talk about their street and job, not about politicians. In my first weeks in charge at NCC we’ve set about working on those priorities, not binge-watching the Westminster gossip.
I’ve been through hours of discussion and briefings in the last few weeks, along with my colleagues at County Hall, as we seek to decide and set out our plans. We want to be more innovative in how we deliver services. Too often help is distant from people who need it, and too often – all over the country – we only offer support when things have already gone wrong.
To make an impact in people’s lives (and in their wallets through council tax) we can focus on preventative services, which will improve outcomes and cut costs when fewer people need that acute care later one. It might be youth services, family hubs, addiction services, supported accommodation – none of it makes the 10 o’clock news, but it can have a huge impact. It’s what most of us get in to politics for.
The first full meeting of the new Conservative-led NCC took place on Thursday. I’m very grateful to colleagues for confirming my appointment as the leader and pleased to see the motions we put forward were approved unanimously. Day one, we’ve established a cross-party panel to review how we repair and maintain our roads in Nottinghamshire, with a view to doing things better. Anybody, of any party, who was out on the doorstep during the local elections can tell you just how many times potholes and the poor state of roads were mentioned and how important this issue is to people.
The big picture – the macro-economics and the flagship Westminster capital projects – do make a difference, don’t get me wrong. We need job creation, improvements in skills and training and better infrastructure. For residents it’s important because of the individual local impacts; their ability to find better work or to upskill, the better transport links, a town centre that is reviving itself.
I think very often in Westminster we talk on our grandiose national scale and don’t realise that things go right over many people’s heads. Really, part of our job should be to explain why things like our East Midlands Freeport, our Development Corporation, or HS2 are not just words, and not just some fancy national projects, but will directly impact the life chances of local people.
We have huge potential in the East Midlands to change the game for our local economy, through the projects I’ve mentioned and more. With huge growth around a Toton HS2 hub, tied in to our global trading links and business incentives at East Midlands Airport, and a new set of local planning powers at key sites for development, we can join together three cities to create a new economic epicentre with the clout to rival Birmingham in the West.
Sounds dreamy to Westminster geeks like me, probably meaningless to most people going about their day to day lives, until you explain that this means better roads, rail, more jobs (and better ones), housing and new investment for our communities.
It’s the local bit that matters. How does that impact my life? How will that help my friends and my family to do better? How will it make my street safer, or look nicer, or make my commute easier? As we all bang on about select committee inquiries, and whether the decor in Downing Street came from John Lewis, residents roll their eyes, turn off the TV or the radio, close their newspapers and instead focus on the things that matter.
We should do the same (journalists, take note!) and all be focused on delivering on the issues we’ve heard direct from our constituents in recent weeks. Potholes over posturing, service delivery over slanging matches.
Ben Bradley is the MP for Mansfield and Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Recently the Westminster bubble and the media have, predictably, been obsessing over personalities and slanging matches in SW1. While it may make interesting reading for the political obsessives, the things that really impact my constituents’ lives rarely ever make the front pages. This week I’ve formally taken on the new role of leading Nottinghamshire County Council, where I’ve chosen to spend my time on those local issues rather than climbing the ministerial ladder. For some reason, can’t think why, the Whitehall melodrama just doesn’t appeal.
If you’ve ever worked in an MP’s office, or in politics generally, you know that most of what comes across an MP’s desk is the hyper-local. Potholes, crime, a neighbour’s unhelpful parking habits… These are the day to day things that most impact on many lives. Focusing on local challenges, from sorting out the roads to supporting new jobs or training, is the stuff that matters. You don’t make that difference while shouting at the Prime Minister about Palestine or obsessing over his, I’m sure thoroughly interesting, book on Shakespeare.
The key issues that were raised with us on doorsteps in the recent local elections weren’t about No 10’s wallpaper choices; they were about our highways, the town centre and green spaces. Residents wanted to talk about their street and job, not about politicians. In my first weeks in charge at NCC we’ve set about working on those priorities, not binge-watching the Westminster gossip.
I’ve been through hours of discussion and briefings in the last few weeks, along with my colleagues at County Hall, as we seek to decide and set out our plans. We want to be more innovative in how we deliver services. Too often help is distant from people who need it, and too often – all over the country – we only offer support when things have already gone wrong.
To make an impact in people’s lives (and in their wallets through council tax) we can focus on preventative services, which will improve outcomes and cut costs when fewer people need that acute care later one. It might be youth services, family hubs, addiction services, supported accommodation – none of it makes the 10 o’clock news, but it can have a huge impact. It’s what most of us get in to politics for.
The first full meeting of the new Conservative-led NCC took place on Thursday. I’m very grateful to colleagues for confirming my appointment as the leader and pleased to see the motions we put forward were approved unanimously. Day one, we’ve established a cross-party panel to review how we repair and maintain our roads in Nottinghamshire, with a view to doing things better. Anybody, of any party, who was out on the doorstep during the local elections can tell you just how many times potholes and the poor state of roads were mentioned and how important this issue is to people.
The big picture – the macro-economics and the flagship Westminster capital projects – do make a difference, don’t get me wrong. We need job creation, improvements in skills and training and better infrastructure. For residents it’s important because of the individual local impacts; their ability to find better work or to upskill, the better transport links, a town centre that is reviving itself.
I think very often in Westminster we talk on our grandiose national scale and don’t realise that things go right over many people’s heads. Really, part of our job should be to explain why things like our East Midlands Freeport, our Development Corporation, or HS2 are not just words, and not just some fancy national projects, but will directly impact the life chances of local people.
We have huge potential in the East Midlands to change the game for our local economy, through the projects I’ve mentioned and more. With huge growth around a Toton HS2 hub, tied in to our global trading links and business incentives at East Midlands Airport, and a new set of local planning powers at key sites for development, we can join together three cities to create a new economic epicentre with the clout to rival Birmingham in the West.
Sounds dreamy to Westminster geeks like me, probably meaningless to most people going about their day to day lives, until you explain that this means better roads, rail, more jobs (and better ones), housing and new investment for our communities.
It’s the local bit that matters. How does that impact my life? How will that help my friends and my family to do better? How will it make my street safer, or look nicer, or make my commute easier? As we all bang on about select committee inquiries, and whether the decor in Downing Street came from John Lewis, residents roll their eyes, turn off the TV or the radio, close their newspapers and instead focus on the things that matter.
We should do the same (journalists, take note!) and all be focused on delivering on the issues we’ve heard direct from our constituents in recent weeks. Potholes over posturing, service delivery over slanging matches.