Dudley Conservative Future

Archive for April, 2009

Chair and Vice-Chair of Dudley Conservative Future met with members of the Shadow Cabinet at the Conservative Spring Forum in Cheltenham in a bid to raise awareness of young people in Dudley and the work that Dudley CF does. Dan Horrocks and Joe Millward met with various members of the Shadow Cabinet to promote the newly founded CF Dudley.

Dan Horrocks, Alan Duncan MP and Joe Millward with Chris Kelly PPC for Dudley South

Dan Horrocks, Chris Kelly PPC, The Rt. Hon. William Hague MP and Joe Millward

Dan Horrocks, George Osborne MP, Chris Kelly PPC, Joe Millward

Joe Millward with Daniel Hannan MEP

Today saw the end of the Conservative Spring Forum in Cheltenham. In a speech to delegates the Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, outline that there needed to be a change in government;

“With imagination and determination, we can deliver more for less. For me, this is very personal. Fifteen years ago, I was in the Treasury as we had to deal with public finances that had got out of control; debt that had got too high.

We had to put up taxes, and I hated it.

But it was the right thing to do and that lesson has stayed with me. That’s why I’m a fiscal conservative. That’s why, when it came to that big decision to oppose the VAT cut and the so-called fiscal stimulus, I didn’t consult a focus group or an opinion poll I just knew it was the right thing to do.

And there’s something else.

I know that if we win the election, we’ll be judged a successful government if we deal with the debt crisis – and a failure if we don’t. Believe me, I get that. I think people know by now that I want us to stand up for the poorest in Britain and to show that fiscal responsibility can go hand in hand with a social conscience.

And they know I will stand up for the aspiring and the enterprising, kicked in the teeth by a Labour Party reverting to type. We will show that social responsibility can go hand in hand with personal ambition.But what people also need to know is that I will stand up for responsibility and thrift.

Those are values this country needs today.

Labour’s leaders say only they stand for fairness. Fairness? These Labour ministers, saddling future generations with debt? These Labour ministers, making our children pay the price of their incompetence?Their “fairness” is utterly phoney.

So let’s turn our anger into passion ad our passion into action to give Britain the leadership she needs. Yes if we win the election, we may not see the full fruits of our labours in the lifetime of our government. But if we stick together and tackle this crisis our children and grandchildren will thank us for what we did for them and for our country.”

The Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative Party

Dudley has been singled out for praise by the Government for the way local people are helping shape the community’s public services.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has urged other communities to follow Dudley’s lead and step up their own efforts to involve residents in deciding how and where money is spent locally.

And she warned all areas’ performances on community involvement will be judged and published, under new powers coming in next week. 

The tough move follows a national survey which revealed less than four out of ten people across the country feel they have influence over decisions in their local area.

Her praise follows the creation of a new partnership in Dudley – and 151 other areas – between the council, police, health and other agencies delivering public services locally.

Dudley has taken the lead in community engagement through its “in it together” initiative to tap into the experience and knowledge of local people.

There has also been a concerted effort – through Dudley’s Young Advisors – to involve young people in decision-making. 

“In these tough economic times, it is more important than ever to involve local people as much as possible in making decisions in their communities”, the Communities Secretary said.

“It makes sure every pound is spent more effectively and that effort and resources are focused on what matters most. While there are examples of good practice as we have seen in Dudley, progress across the country is patchy. To ensure public services keep improving and offering value for money, these innovations need to be built on and best practice spread across every community.”

The new partnerships – known as local area agreements – have brought councils and a whole range of local agencies together to increase co-ordination, cut duplication and improve services.

Chris Kelly, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, said: “I warmly congratulate my Council colleagues on their achievements which follow on from the awarding last year of a four star rating by the independent Audit Commission.”

Hi There,

There will be a meeting at 18.00 on Tuesday May 5th at Netherton Conservative Club, 1 Halton Street, Netherton, Dudley DY2 0PJ. This will be our first formal meeting of Dudley Conservative Future. Please feel free to come along and bring some friends, the more the merrier. We’re hoping to have some of our PPCs and Conservative councillors present, so it would be a worthwhile opportunity for you to come and meet them.

I hope to see you there.

Joe