The national news currently is full of stories coming out of the annual conferences being hosted by the main political parties.
Last week I attended the Labour Party conference in Liverpool and it was the most positive and exhilarating conference I have attended.
The speech from our Prime Minister was one of the most emotional and heartfelt speeches I have heard from a PM in decades and included plans and policies that will make a positive difference to the lives of so many of our residents.
One of the things he said which really struck a chord with me was this: "We can’t carry on as we are. Politics-as-usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn’t good enough and isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”
It was so refreshing to hear this, and I could not agree with him more when I reflect on politics locally. Politics should be about what is best for the people, particularly those who really need our help and support – the most vulnerable – but at times politicians get caught up in the political fighting and point scoring.
He spoke about Building Britain with Hope – that's the kind of politics I want my administration to foster and represent. Opposition members may throw stones and criticise what we do, but I want to introduce a new era of inclusive politics, which sees those from all political groups working together, with kindness and positivity, for the good of the city and our residents.
One of the major announcements from the Prime Minister was new settlement for older people which includes a state pension that rises every year, no personal care charges and a high-quality National Care Service to give peace of mind in later life.
The vision set out demonstrates a clear plan to fix the system so that people can receive the dignity and security they need in later life.
This will be funded by adjusting the Triple Lock, which I know has attracted criticism, but it is not acceptable that people are having to sell their homes, their belongings to pay for the care that they need.
If we don’t fix our broken social care system, it will eventually break the NHS too. There are huge costs to the NHS both through pressures on A&Es and an inability to discharge patients home because of a lack of adequate social care.
The PM has also spoke about the major shake-up to the education system announced last month, designed to rebalance its focus away from university and towards technical qualifications.
Locally there are more than 15,000 young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who are not in employment, education or training and around 1,025 young people aged 18 to 24 in Peterborough claiming unemployment-related benefits.
We cannot allow this to continue and the PM's commitment to strengthening vocational and technical education recognises that success comes in many forms and that practical, career-focused qualifications should be valued alongside traditional academic routes.
There is lots of good work happening locally in this area and as a council we are playing our part, offering work experience, internship programmes and graduate schemes to give young people a foot in the door.
There is also the fantastic Youth Hub at the Peterborough United ground, which offers a dedicated space for young people aged 16–24 to access the support they need to move into education, training, or employment. The hub brings services together in one place, from careers advice and skills training to mental health support.
If you don't know who to turn to for support, please speak to someone at the hub. You can make an appointment by emailing youthhub@theposh.com or just drop in