Voice of the Opposition
Cllr George Perfect on the General Election outcome, the future of the Conservatives, and Chatham Docks
Editor’s note: Every quarter, we publish exclusive columns from Medway Council Leader Vince Maple and Conservative Leader of the Opposition George Perfect. Today, we welcome Cllr Perfect in his first edition as leader of the opposition on Medway Council. Tomorrow, we have Cllr Maple’s column.
We should also note that this column was written before yesterday’s incident in Brompton. Cllr Perfect has since commented on the matter on social media.
Voice of the Opposition
by Cllr George Perfect, Conservative Leader of the Opposition at Medway Council
I’m delighted to be writing my first Voice of the Opposition since being elected as the new Leader of Medway Conservatives. In starting, I want to thank my colleague, Cllr Adrian Gulvin, for his tremendous work leading our group in its first year of opposition. Adrian brought stability and unity to our group, and I want to thank him for his personal support in nominating me to the group for unanimous election as our Leader. My election starts a new chapter for our group as we fulfil our role as the opposition and focus our efforts on 2027. I’m determined to show the people of Medway over the forthcoming years why returning Conservative councillors and ultimately, a Conservative council is the right thing for the future of Medway.
In addressing the election on 4th July, I want to thank Rt Hon Kelly Tolhurst, Rehman Chishti and Dame Tracey Crouch for their service to Medway over recent years and to our country in government. All three have been steadfast supporters of our group and remain part of our Medway Conservative family – we will miss them. I want to take this opportunity to once again congratulate Cllr Lauren Edwards MP, Cllr Tris Osborne MP and Cllr Naushabah Khan MP on their respective elections as the three new Members of Parliament and wish them the best for the years ahead. As some may be aware, on election night, His Majesty The King signified His intention to confer a Peerage to Craig Mackinlay, a much-loved former member of our group. I congratulate him and his family on this honour, and I know he will champion Medway from the House of Lords.
There is no doubt that the election result was a difficult one for our party and, yes, humbling, as results like this always are and should be. I believe, however, that there is a brighter future ahead for the Conservative Party. A strong, moderate, and inclusive Conservative opposition in Medway and in Westminster is vitally important. We must win back the trust of the public, and crucially, focus on delivering for people and not on ourselves.
I have spent much time talking about the future of our party, particularly as it relates to local government, over the past few weeks and was pleased to meet with our new Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, last week. Local government faces huge challenges, which would have remained irrespective of the General Election outcome, including on finance, social care, devolution and housing, to name a few. It is important that the new government are held to account and challenged robustly on the delivery in these areas.
During the latest meeting of Medway Council, we saw the importance of effective opposition here in Medway too. The Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader, and even the Prime Minister, have spent years calling for the protection of Chatham Docks as industrial space, including through the previous Local Plan process, press releases, protests, and questions, but since May 2023, all have been silent on the issue. Labour councillors clearly struggle to articulate the reasons for the change of heart, and during the meeting refused to even acknowledge that they had campaigned on this issue in the past. There was no apology for the betrayal of workers that had been promised support, nor any acknowledgment of how let down many residents feel on this issue.
It is quite simple for me, if the Leader of the Council didn’t feel he could defend the Docks if he won an election, he shouldn’t have campaigned to save it in the first place. It shows a serious lack of respect of the electorate to campaign on an issue like this and then kid the public that you sit as a bystander once in control of the very process that will earmark it for development. Under my leadership, the Medway Conservatives will engage constructively on the Local Plan, and crucially, keep any promises made to the public.
In closing this Voice of the Opposition, I wish all readers an enjoyable summer. I look forward to continuing to meet many readers at events across Medway in the months ahead.
Cllr George Perfect is the Leader of the Opposition at Medway Council and Conservative councillor for Rainham North.