Hope: The best days for the Forest of Dean are still ahead

This week saw an unforgettable Labour Party Conference, wrapped in a real sense of optimism.

Not because the challenges facing our country have disappeared, or because the work ahead will be easy, but because there was a clear belief that things can be different.

One message was consistent: power must belong to the people and communities it affects.

That came through clearly in the Prime Minister’s speech, which set out some significant announcements for the years ahead:

• A National Care Service, providing free personal care at the point of use.

  
  

• Greater public control of water, with stronger accountability for water companies.

  
  

• Great British Grid, helping speed up energy connections, increase competition and bring down costs.

  
  

• More council homes, action against rogue landlords and further housing reforms.

  
  

• Electoral reform, giving people a greater say in our democracy, alongside exploring a stronger long-term relationship with Europe.

Rebuilding our foundations means creating opportunities in places like ours. Devolution means trusting local people to know what their communities need. And rebuilding public services means listening to the people who rely on them every day.

The conversations you are having around your dinner table, at work, in the pub, at the school gates—about your bills, your children's future, your community and your hopes—should be the same conversations happening in Westminster.

And that’s why I’m fighting for a new school building for Forest High and putting Project Elton at the heart of my work: to turn hope into real change and improvements for our communities.

Hope that we can grow again, build again, and make politics matter in people's lives.

And hope that the best days for the Forest of Dean are still ahead.