At the event, Sir Jeremy Wright KC, MP for Kenilworth & Southam, reflected on the conflict in the Middle East and the impact it would have on local businesses.
He also reiterated his support for a council for the North and a council for the South of Warwickshire – rather than one unitary for the whole of the county – as part of the Local Government Reorganisation consultation process.
Sir Jeremy said: “We’re already seeing an impact at the petrol pumps and a little bit of a ‘wait and see’ policy from the Bank of England when it comes to reducing interest rates which were largely predicted to fall prior to the conflict.
“If it continues, we can expect the energy price cap to rise and I would anticipate the Government would choose not to go through with the fuel duty rise in September if it is still ongoing at that point, or has only just been resolved.
“Clearly, we all want to see a resolution as soon as possible to mitigate the impact on businesses and individuals.
“Closer to home and on the question of the make up of the councils in Warwickshire my preference is one North and one South Warwickshire unitary. The areas have different demographics and economic profiles, and it makes sense to separate them.
“However, government has previously insisted on certain minimum population sizes, which would have forced a single Warwickshire unitary. That position seems to have softened, meaning a North/South split is now more realistic.
“Personally, I’ve become a supporter of unitary authorities because the current system requires businesses and residents to navigate two layers of local government with overlapping responsibilities. A single point of contact would help enormously.”
Katherine Geddes, deputy town clerk of Royal Leamington Spa Town Council, revealed some of the early ideas behind Leamington’s bid to the first UK Town of Culture.
She said: “So far, more than 200 towns have applied. Leamington’s population places us in the ‘medium town’ category. Each category, of which there are three, will produce one winner, two of which will receive £250,000, and one overall winner will receive £3 million to deliver its cultural programme in 2028.
“Our expression of interest is nearly complete and will be submitted ahead of the March 31 deadline. We’ve been working with a scoping group of local partners, from arts organisations to historians, events specialists and community groups, and we’ve run public drop‑ins to gather stories and ideas.
“Our theme’s working title ‘Layers of Leamington: Royal Leamington Spa Revealed’, looks beyond the Regency architecture and independent shops to uncover the hidden stories that make the town what it is.
“If shortlisted, we’ll receive £60,000 to develop the full bid, including site visits from the judges.
“And we want to involve every part of the town, not just the centre, and use venues of every size, from pubs and green spaces to churches and community centres.
“It’s a really exciting moment for the town and we hope to bring more businesses and individuals on board as we move forward.”
Lee Corden, head of media and PR at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce – who chaired the event, said: “We’re always very grateful to Sir Jeremy Wright for meeting with our members and he gave us real insight and perspective on events at a global and local level.
“It was great to hear from Katherine and we wish Leamington and the other Warwickshire towns aiming to be UK Town of Culture 2028 all the very best with their bids.”
