12 Oct 2026
While ‘Hope again’ was the official badge of the Labour Party Conference, Devolution, felt like the unofficial theme as session after session explored the potential impact it could have on communities across the country.
I’ve been reflecting on a busy few days at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool where I attended sessions, fringe events and receptions, talking about rural communities and the impact that government policy has on rural populations.
It was great to catch up with colleagues working in the arena of rural policy, and to take a moment to celebrate the achievements and influence of the great Hywel Lloyd, of Labour Coast and Country who passed away recently and was a good friend to the Rural Services Network.
Throughout the conference several key themes emerged of importance for rural communities.
Housing – and the need to deliver on the commitment to building social housing
Growth – and the need to ensure growth across the country rather than just concentrated in key cities
Devolution – this seemed to underpin many sessions at the conference, and the importance of the movement of power away from Whitehall, closer to the people who know their areas best.
What will be interesting to see, is how these play out for rural communities.
It did feel as though while there were some rural receptions at the conference, these were driven by rural organisations, and it would have been good to see more discussion at fringe events generally from panels about the needs of rural communities, how these differ from more urban areas, and how devolution can meet those needs.
After all, policy decisions being taken at local level, should mean that we have better, more focused policy to meet the needs of local communities, including those in rural areas.
Whether rural will have a big enough voice at the local table will be the test of the next 18 months as devolution rolls out across the rest of England.
