Cllr Lewis Cocking is the Leader of Broxbourne Council.
These were probably the most difficult set of local elections in Broxbourne in nearly 30 years. We have once again bucked the national trend and have retained all the seats we were defending despite strong challenges from Labour and the Greens. We saw a swing to us in some of our seats and our held on to what is now our most vulnerable seat by 50 votes.
Unsurprisingly, we approached these elections with most of the work had already taken place or was well underway.
The Council has a reputation for offering value for money to its taxpayers. With a modest budget of £8 million and heralding the lowest unparished Council Tax in the land it provides a positive message. Being a pro-business Council and having a can-do attitude provides the Council with a big advantage during discussions with potential businesses looking to invest in the Borough. Businesses quickly realise they are dealing with a Council they can work with if everything fits. This positive stance has allowed us to attract billions of pounds of investment and will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs and provide an optimistic future for our 99,000 residents, underpinned by a robust local economy.
The electorate are not stupid. They get it. They can see the physical progress coming out of the ground on an impressive scale alongside the A10 linking North East London with Cambridge. Thousands of construction jobs have been and will be created. We need to rely on private sector to drive investment and mobilise the economy. This is where councils up and down the Country have an important role to play and where we have made a difference.
Google is currently constructing one of the largest data centres in the country. Next door Sunset Studios have acquired a 90-acre site to create film studios which will produce Hollywood blockbusters. Two miles north we have ambitious plans to build a new Town Centre with 300,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 139,930 sq. ft. of leisure space which will include a cinema.
It has also meant we have been able to negotiate generous Section 106 Agreements, which have provided the Council with tens of millions of pounds to invest locally. This has enabled us to fund numerous projects and schemes to further enhance our Towns and Districts. Last year we funded and opened a new business enterprise centre, providing small businesses and start-ups with office space to let. We are also funding a major improvement scheme in one of our parks, enhancing its attractiveness with a cherry tree walk and Edwardian Garden. In Hoddesdon Town Centre we are investing in a gateway project to further improve the Town which has performed well in recent years despite online competition. In nearby Waltham Cross we have received £14,000,000 from the Government’s Levelling up Fund which will include a contribution from the Council of £2,000,000 from 106 funding. I can honestly say we just never seem to stand still…
Approaching the local elections with this narrative gave us an advantage for what we knew was going to be a difficult set of elections. During the election we encountered difficult discussions on the doorsteps. Our messaging this year was, “Don’t risk the Council”. Most people said they were happy with the council.
The result showed they agreed with us and clearly rejected all the other parties in Broxbourne and wanted to remain under Conservative control.
The post Lewis Cocking: In Broxbourne, the voters could see that embracing free enterprise delivers prosperity appeared first on Conservative Home.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Lewis Cocking
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, http://www.conservativehome.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.