Even when officers do say yes, that’s only half the battle: proposals have a habit of being agreed in principle and then quietly stalling.
It is a housing project masquerading as transport policy. Let there be no doubt: this is not the railway that London needs most right now.
The Conservatives gained two seats from Reform UK in Essex. But Reform UK gained two seats from the Conservatives in Conwy.
These weren’t lucky results. They weren’t a fluke. They certainly weren’t achieved by sitting at home waiting for the election campaign to start.
Where we work harder than they do, knock on more doors than they do, and cover more ground than they do, we can win.
The only prospect of a Reform win in the Mayoral race was to edge the Conservatives out of second place in the first round, then take Conservative second preference votes to overtake Labour. That is a mountain they are not going to be able to climb based on the numbers from last month.
Without doubt these new proposed amalgamations will lead to a loss of local knowledge.
The Conservatives held a seat in Cheshire West & Chester. But the Conservatives lost a seat to the Green Party in Slough.
Wanting parks that families can enjoy without the smell of drugs is not puritanical. Expecting the law to be upheld is not authoritarian. And believing that visible disorder matters is not old-fashioned.
My focus now is simple: keep Croydon moving forward, keep delivering visible change, and keep restoring pride in the borough we all call home.
Our Mayoral candidate must be box office. To cut through in the media from day one.
Too many campaigns begin six months before polling day. Winning campaigns begin the morning after the count.
There was only one contest this week. Reform UK gained a seat from the Conservatives in Westmorland and Furness.
If this first year has shown anything, it is that there is no magical “Reform way” of governing. There is only the reality of local government, where budgets must balance, services must function, roads must be repaired, and leaders must be accountable for the promises they make.
Overnight visitor levies may seem like an easy way to generate more cash from people who can’t vote you out, but they could be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses reliant on tourism to stay afloat.