Kevin Hollinrake is Chairman of the Conservative Party.
It is easy to look at the local elections in May and focus only on the challenge ahead.
That challenge is real, and no one is pretending otherwise. But that is not the whole picture. There is also a genuine opportunity here, if we are prepared to take it.
At its core, politics is still about trust.
After fourteen years in government, we lost that trust. There is no point avoiding that. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose, and without it, nothing else really works.
Rebuilding it takes time. It is not about one speech or one moment. It comes from showing up, listening properly and proving that we understand what matters to people again.
That work is already underway. Across the country, Conservative teams are back out knocking on doors, talking to voters and making our case. Nothing complicated, just doing the basics properly. When we do that, people do respond. Not all at once, but gradually. That is how trust comes back.
But this election is not just about us. We are competing for support in a very crowded field, and we cannot ignore that one of our main competitors is Reform UK.
At the last local elections, Reform made a clear and simple promise to voters that they would cut taxes. It is easy to see why that message cut through. But it has not matched what has happened since.
In every council they now run, council tax has gone up. In some cases, it has gone up significantly. In Worcestershire, increases are well above the national average, at around 9 per cent, and nearly three times higher than the average Band D increase in Conservative-run councils.
And in other places, the reality is more complicated than the headline figures suggest.
In Durham, Reform point to a council tax rise of 1.99 per cent. But alongside that come higher bus fares, increased charges for garden waste and allotments, rising parking fees and new costs for services that people rely on. At the same time, support for those on lower incomes is being reduced.
For residents, the end result is simple. They are paying more.
At the same time, they are seeing less. Cuts to local services mean fewer buses, less street cleaning, reduced neighbourhood support and a visible decline in the basics that matter day to day.
Running councils is tough. There are no easy answers. And it brings us back to trust.
Because this is what happens when easy promises meet the reality of governing. People want politicians who are straight with them, not ones who say one thing before an election and do another afterwards.
That is why what we are doing as a party matters so much.
There are really two parts to any campaign. What happens in the air – our national campaign – and what happens on the ground.
Our Air Campaign, under Kemi, is making real progress. She is cutting through in a way that is direct and authentic. People know where she stands. They may not agree with everything, but they recognise that she says what she believes.
That is why we are seeing her emerge as the most popular political leader and why she is increasingly trusted on the economy and respected by business. It is also reflected in the scale of engagement we are seeing, with a huge growth in her social media following over a relatively short period.
That is the start of rebuilding trust. But it cannot stop there.
We have to match that progress in the air with the same effort on the ground. Because ultimately, trust is not rebuilt online or in studios. It is rebuilt on doorsteps, in conversations, and in the day to day work of showing up in our communities.
As Kemi has said, this is a party that knows who it stands for.
For the small business owner trying to keep things going.
For families who want to get on, buy a home, and build something better.
For people who work hard, play by the rules, and expect a fair deal.
Those are the people who feel it most when costs go up and services fall short. They are also the people who expect honesty and seriousness from those in office.
That is why Conservative councils focus on keeping council tax as low as possible while still protecting the services communities rely on. It is not always easy, but it is responsible. It reflects an understanding that every increase has a real impact on household budgets.
And it is why, nationally, we are focused on practical measures that make a difference. Supporting high streets, tackling energy costs, helping families onto the housing ladder and restoring a sense of order in our communities.
Quietly, Conservatives are doing the work needed to rebuild credibility and rebuild trust. But none of that counts unless we turn it into action.
Elections are won on the ground. They are won by volunteers knocking on doors, by candidates listening to their communities and by teams that are organised and persistent. That is how we rebuild trust in practice.
So we now have a simple task.
Be honest about where we are. Be clear about what we stand for. And get out there and make the case for a Conservative Party focused on delivering a stronger economy and a stronger country.
It will take time. But step by step, conversation by conversation, that trust can be rebuilt.
