Phil King: We have put our Conservative values into practice in Harborough

Cllr Phil King is the new Area Chairman for Leicester and Leicestershire Conservatives, a County Councillor for Leicestershire, and the former Leader of Harborough District Council. He also serves as Treasurer of the Conservative Councillors’ Association and Group Leader at East Midlands Councils.

Local government is where politics meets every day life. It is where bins are collected, homes are built, children are protected, and the vulnerable cared for. Yet those of us in councils across the country know how finely balanced this work has become.

Funding pressures remain acute. Councils are being asked to do more with less, with demand rising sharply in adult social care and children’s services. Every month we are seeing more older residents needing high-cost care packages, while pressures in children’s safeguarding rise relentlessly. These are life-changing services that we cannot simply cut or outsource. That means the margin for flexibility on other local services – from libraries to leisure centres – is being squeezed to the bone.

As Conservatives, our response cannot be to just manage decline or to simply plead for yet more money from the Treasury. We must show how reform, efficiency, and local leadership can deliver better outcomes for less. Where Conservative councils have led, innovation has flourished: shared services, new digital approaches, commercial thinking, and partnership working with the voluntary and private sectors. These reforms are not glamorous, but they matter, and they are the difference between keeping a service going or closing it altogether.

As Kemi Badenoch recently reminded us, “principles are the fundamentals that give us direction, unity and certainty.” That has always been my guiding approach. When we ran Harborough District Council, we froze the council’s share of tax so that by 2023/24, Band D households were still paying less than they had a decade before. That financial control did not stop us investing in community facilities, expanding CCTV to improve safety, prosecuting fly-tippers, and supporting local businesses. We delivered millions in Covid support to protect jobs while keeping a relentless focus on efficiency. It shows that Conservative principles – careful with money, ambitious for communities – do work in practice.

Housing is another area where we need to balance aspiration with fairness. We must enable more people to own their own home, especially young families and key workers, while ensuring that development comes with the right infrastructure. Communities lose faith if they see new estates without the promised schools, GPs, or transport links. That balance, between growth and fairness, is something I have worked hard to deliver over the years in Harborough and across Leicestershire. We supported neighbourhood planning, empowering residents to shape where growth goes and ensuring it respects the character of their villages and towns.

Environmental responsibility is no longer optional. Residents rightly expect councils to lead in sustainability, whether through investment in EV charging points, supporting community clean-up initiatives, or ensuring development is environmentally sensitive. Whatever one’s view of climate change, Conservatives have a duty to be good environmentalists. Looking after nature, protecting our countryside, and ensuring cleaner air and water are fundamental to leaving our area better for the next generation. As Kemi has argued, Conservatives must deliver green progress through practical, market-led solutions – not through top-down diktat – proving that economic growth and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.

Local government is also about accountability and fairness. When institutions fall short, residents expect us to speak up. Last year, I exposed the scandal at the Leicester Royal Infirmary where blue badge holders were wrongly charged for parking despite it legally being free since 2021. Hundreds of vulnerable people were paying in error, misled by incorrect signage and poor communication. I challenged the NHS Trust publicly, demanding refunds and transparency. That experience reminded me how important it is that councillors are visible, vocal champions for residents – willing to take on large organisations when they get things wrong.

Partnerships matter too. As Deputy Chair of the Market Harborough Partnership, working alongside Neil O’Brien MP, I helped bring together councils, charities, businesses, and community groups to “join up the dots” post-pandemic. That convening role – building alliances – is a core strength of local government.

Migration also shapes these challenges. Leicester and Leicestershire are proud of their diversity, with communities from many backgrounds making a rich contribution to our economy and culture. But unmanaged migration over the past 25 years has put real pressure on housing, schools, and public services. Councils have been left to pick up the pieces without adequate support or planning from central government. As Conservatives, we must be free to be honest about these pressures while also celebrating the value of integration and cohesion. Strong communities are built on fairness, shared responsibility, and respect for the UK law – principles that unite us regardless of background.

But these challenges and opportunities are not confined to individual councils. They cut across the whole of Leicester and Leicestershire. Housing, transport, skills, and infrastructure cannot be solved piecemeal. They demand strategic leadership that makes sure investment flows fairly and consistently across our city, towns, and villages. Without that coordination, we will continue to miss opportunities to secure funding, attract business, and plan properly for growth.

That is why the debate about devolution and mayoral leadership matters. A Conservative approach – rooted in accountability, prudence, and a clear long-term plan – can provide the focus and energy needed. Not an additional tier of bureaucracy, but a means to give our area the fair share of funding and influence it deserves. It can also provide a single, strong voice for the region – someone who can negotiate confidently with government, speak up for our priorities, and make sure we are not overlooked in favour of Manchester or Birmingham.

But let me be clear: this is not about expanding the City of Leicester’s boundaries or centralising power there. Our county’s towns and villages each have their own character and strengths, and any future mayoral arrangement must respect those identities while bringing them together under one strategic vision.

As Kemi Badenoch has said, “when you want to help people, you tell them the truth.” That is what leadership in local government – and in any future mayoralty – must be about. Not empty promises, but honest choices, grounded in principle, with delivery at their core.

I recognise that parties like Reform UK are attracting support from people who feel politics has not listened closely enough to their concerns. They are not just a protest movement — they give voice to frustrations many voters genuinely feel. But local and regional government is about delivery, not just rhetoric. It is about keeping taxes under control, making our streets safer, ensuring housing is matched by infrastructure, and standing up for residents when institutions let them down. On that test, Conservatives have a record of delivery. We can listen, change, and deliver — which is why our principles remain right for Leicester and Leicestershire.

The challenges are real. But so too is the Conservative opportunity. We can demonstrate that our principles work not just in theory, but in the daily realities of delivering services, building homes, protecting nature, managing migration fairly, and standing up for accountability. If we seize that chance, we will show residents why Conservative leadership in local government still matters – and why it must continue to do so in the years ahead.

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