That means getting litter bins emptied, streets swept, and the grass cut. We also pledged to scrap evening car-park charges.
Whether you are taking part in frequent litter picks or organising community events for pensioners, being a visible member of the community is crucial, if you are to buck the national swing.
The guiding principle for our literature was to keep it local and keep it positive. This was in marked contrast to much of the Liberal Democrat material.
You need to face your most ardent critics and explain your reasons. Ignoring them, only makes things worse and raises tempers.
We promised prudent financial management practices, focusing on reducing the debt the Council has amassed on wasteful vanity projects. We would keep Council Tax rises to the absolute minimum and invite private investment into our six towns.
We selected candidates early to give them time to prove themselves as community leaders. Our two constituency associations worked well together. But it was the Lib Dems failure to deliver that gave us the opportunity to win.
When key performance data finally landed, the results were clear: relative to before the pandemic, most metrics got worse. Spending on agency staff, a key justification for the trial, went up, not down as was intended.
We lost over a thousand seats and there are probably a thousand reasons why we lost them. Our opponents in South Holland are the “independents.”
We ran a data-driven campaign to identify our targets and ensure we could win. Our local team knows we would have made further gains if many Conservatives hadn’t decided to stay at home.
There is an unwritten rule that divided parties do not win elections. Over the last 18 months or so, there has been open rebellion within the Conservative Group.
Turnout is key. It is not necessary to convert Conservative abstainers to Conservatism. The challenge is to convert the Government to Conservatism. But the Prime Minister can not be blamed for trees being chopped down in Plymouth.
Sunak deserves more time to deliver on his pledges. In any case, the decision today is about choosing councillors with a practical, value for money, approach.
We should be winning back seats lost in 2019. But I have found big dissatisfaction with the national direction of Government on the doorstep.
At times it does get a bit nasty. But the truth is if you’re not prepared for this, then being a councillor is really not the role for you.
To that end, it is imperative that the campaign is well backed. We must have a core set of messages on issues that apply across the whole of London.