It was great to be part of the inaugural District Councils' Network (DCN) conference in Kenilworth. The two day event was attended by close to 200 district council and wider local government representatives. We were lucky enough to secure two cabinet secretaries, Sajid Javid and Greg Clark, and a government minister, Gavin Barwell, who gave a first-hand insight into the latest thinking and policy from central government.

With Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby and Bulkington, and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for district councils, I presented a conference session on collaboration, devolution and the future of local government in localities.