Conservative Policy Forum ( CPF ) meets on the first Wednesday of each month and offers members the opportunity to discuss areas of local and national policy. The thoughts of RECA members are sent back to CCHQ and the feedback of members from all round the country is collated and presented to Ministers. From full information about CPF see http://www.conservativepolicyforum.com/

Reading East CPF is chaired by Roger Bale. We invite members of Reading West and other associations to join us.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 7th March to discuss our February discussion brief: ‘Increasing Productivity and Supporting Growth' 

 If you are interested in taking part  please contact the office - office@readingeastconservatives.com

The full briefing document is attached - please click on link at foot of the page.

Summary of Discussion Brief - Increasing productivity and supporting growth

What is growth?

GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports. We use change in GDP to assess the health of the economy: if the GDP measure is up on the previous three months, the economy is growing. If it is negative it is contracting. And two consecutive three-month periods of contraction mean an economy is in recession. Drivers of growth. Growth is affected by a range of factors including: productivity; direct inputs; specialisation and innovation; and the business environment

Where did UK growth come from?

The UK achieved average annual GDP growth of 2.3 per cent between 1990 and 2008 and UK GDP per capita rose by 43 per cent (faster than any other G7 economy). Our top trading partners for decades have been the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, France and the Republic of Ireland. The European Union as a whole is the UK’s most important export destination for goods, with 56 per cent of all UK goods being exported to other 27 European Member States in 2008. London and its surrounding regions have grown, on average, over half a percentage point quicker than the rest of England since 1989 - a continuation of a forty year trend. There has been a shift away from manufacturing to services: the share in GDP of Business, Financial and Professional Services rose from 15 per cent in 1992 to 22 per cent in 2008, while the share of manufacturing fell from 21 per cent to 12 per cent (manufacturing output actually rose but its share of the economy fell). What happened to it? Over the past few years, growth has been adversely affected by: global recession; debt levels; lower levels of investment; inflation; and the Eurozone crisis.

Questions for discussion - what comes after 2015?

1. What should be the role of the Government in encouraging growth?

2. Where in the World will growth come from? Who will we be exporting to and importing from?

3. How can we encourage more people back into the workplace? What can the government do to incentivise flexible or part-time working?

4. In your area, what is the most important industry or market? If government could do one thing to help increase growth or improve productivity in that market, what would it be?

5. Are there skills or resources in your area which could benefit from special support? What are they, and what support would help?

6. What would economic success look like in your area? Is GDP a relevant measure?

The topic for Wednesday April 4th is "Housing older people"; there will be no meeting in May due to the local elections; on June 6th we will discuss "Aid and Trade."

The previous meeting was on Wednesday 1st February and was discussing Local Transport.

Cllr Richard Willis is the Shadow Cabinet member for Transport and he was keen to hear the views of members.

 In November, we made a start on the first of Oliver Letwin’s ‘Ideas Challenge’ topics – posed at Party Conference. January's subject for discussion forms part of the other two streams: Productivity and the Cities, Towns, and Villages of the Future.

Politicians spend a lot of time talking about flagship national transport policies such as airports and long distance rail but for many of us the problems are closer to home: the commute to work or school, visiting family during weekend engineering works, or just doing the shopping. Some of these services are privately run, some looked after by central government and others – such as the local road network – the responsibility of local government. Whoever is in charge, we hope that you will tell us what helps and what hinders. How does your local transport affect the productivity of your region? How does it change the structure of your community and its institutions?

Questions for discussion:

1.   Many of the benefits of local transport are gained by the individual – for example, leisure, employment, more family time. Is it right for the Government to subsidise these things?

2.   Is/was flexibility possible in your workplace? If you could change your hours to avoid commuting at rush hour, would you?

3.   Should we prioritise reductions in journey times for those already on the network or connecting people who cannot currently access public transport?

4.   Is it more important to make ticket prices simple (for example, one flat price for a particular journey) or to use flexible ticket prices to encourage users to take transport outside of peak hours?

5.   What could or should government be doing to encourage more people to buy or use a) electric cars and b) bicycles?

6.   What local transport problems are detrimental to your local economy?