Craig Smith - NWL

08/09/2026

Well, this aged well...

Back in July, our Labour MP couldn't have been more enthusiastic about Labour's Local Government Reorganisation.

She told us it would deliver “better outcomes, better value for taxpayers” and described the Government's decision as an “important step” for North West Leicestershire.

Fast forward just a few weeks and her own Labour Government has slammed the brakes on the whole thing following legal advice.

This is despite around 9 out of 10 respondents in Leicestershire opposing the reorganisation in the Government's own consultation.

Meanwhile councils have spent months of officer time and millions in taxpayers' money preparing for changes that Labour forced upon us and assured us were going ahead.

So I think residents deserve two answers:

1️⃣ How much has this fiasco cost taxpayers?

2️⃣ And does our MP still believe this represents “better value for taxpayers”?

Conservatives warned about this from the start. Labour should have listened to Leicestershire instead of telling Leicestershire what was good for it.
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Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote Times
Leicestershire Live

07/09/2026

🚨 STANDARD HILL
THIS ISN’T ACCEPTABLE

I’ve been contacted tonight by frustrated residents about the overnight resurfacing works on Standard Hill, which are due to continue for the next five nights.

This is a residential area. People have work, children have school and residents deserve some consideration, not five nights of noise and disruption.

I’ll be onto Leicestershire County Council Network Control first thing tomorrow morning demanding answers and asking what can be done to minimise the disruption.

I’m on the case and I’ll keep residents updated.

07/09/2026

More confused than ever 🤷🏻‍♂️
Is this a pause or a cancellation❓

In the Government’s own consultation, 9 out of 10 people in Leicestershire said NO to Local Government Reorganisation 💪

Labour ignored them and ploughed on anyway😢

Now, after receiving legal advice, the Government has been forced into yet another embarrassing U-turn, putting the whole process on pause while they review whether it is even legally robust😔🙈

What a monumental waste of taxpayers’ money💷

Councils across Leicestershire have spent months and countless officer hours drawing up proposals, holding meetings, consulting residents and preparing for a massive reorganisation that people simply didn't ask for.

And only a few weeks ago our Labour MP was positively cooing about the Government's decision to press ahead with LGR, despite the overwhelming opposition from the very people she represents🙉

Today those plans are on pause and NWLDC elections will go ahead in May 2027 on the existing council boundaries.

I welcome that, but residents deserve to know how much money and time has been wasted on this whole exercise. 🔎

Labour should have listened to Leicestershire in the first place. 🫵

Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote Times
Leicestershire Live

07/09/2026

I’ve been thinking of something to write about this shambolic Labour government’s latest (albeit welcome) U-Turn

But Kit Malthouse MP sums it up perfectly

06/09/2026

😂 They say you need to be flexible in politics… apparently they meant literally!

We’re taking this election incredibly seriously and working our socks off to win on 1st October, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun along the way.

Politics doesn’t always have to be miserable. If we can raise a few smiles while working hard for our villages, even better! 💪😂

06/09/2026

🚧 MONTH IN, MONTH OUT… GETTING STUFF DONE 🚧

Another busy month dealing with highways issues right across my division and beyond.

Potholes, blocked gullies, damaged footways, road markings, flooding, speeding, roadworks and overgrown vegetation. Some are relatively small issues, others take months or even years of persistence to get anywhere.

But this month there are two big wins I’m particularly pleased about.

🚸 Avenue Road Pedestrian Crossing

After continuing to push for a safer crossing on Avenue Road, Coalville, we now have confirmation that a solution is being progressed. This is something residents have raised with me repeatedly and something I’ve kept pushing Highways on.

🚛 Stephenson Industrial Estate – Left Turn Only

This one has been over 15 years in the making for me personally. Long before I became a councillor I was arguing that HGVs leaving the Stephenson Industrial Estate shouldn’t be turning right and heading through residential Coalville.

After years of lobbying, meetings, emails and refusing to let the issue disappear, the left turn only proposal is finally moving forward to public consultation.

Neither happened overnight. Sometimes getting things done in local government means being a pain in the backside and simply refusing to give up.

Alongside those bigger campaigns, I’ve continued reporting and chasing everyday highways problems across , , , , , , and .

If there’s a highways problem where you live, send it directly to me. I can’t promise Highways will always give us the answer we want, but I can promise I’ll report it, chase it and keep pushing where something needs doing.

Month in, month out… GETTING STUFF DONE.

06/09/2026

Another one reported! 🕳️

Thanks to Kurt from Outpoint Motors Ltd on James Street, Coalville, who spotted this rather impressive pothole and brought it to my attention.

I’ve now reported it directly to Highways and asked them to get it sorted.

I’m out and about across Coalville all the time, but I can’t spot everything. So if you see a pothole, damaged pavement, broken sign or another highways issue, please send it directly to me with a photo and location.

I’ll happily report it and chase it up. 👍

See it. Report it. Let’s get it sorted.

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05/09/2026

8 years ago, I wasn’t political.

I was just angry. Angry about things happening in my community and country and frustrated that nobody seemed willing to do anything about them.

I wanted better for the place I call home, so instead of just moaning about it, I decided to get involved.

It’s been one hell of a ride since.

I’ve stood for election at every level, parish, district, county and even Parliament. I’ve won some and I’ve lost some, but through all of it I’ve had the support of my Conservatives family.

The camaraderie reminds me a lot of my time in the military. We look out for one another, we support one another and, above all, we share a genuine desire to make our villages, towns, cities and our country the best places they can possibly be to live, work and raise a family.

Under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, the Conservative Party is changing. We need good people with real world experience who are prepared to step forward, work hard and fight for their communities.

You don’t need to have spent your life in politics. I certainly hadn’t.

If you believe, like me, in the Conservative values of hard work, aspiration, personal responsibility and duty, then maybe it’s your turn to step forward.

Join us. Get involved. And perhaps even consider becoming a candidate.

You never know where that first step might take you.

I certainly didn’t.

Find out how to renew Britain by standing as a candidate here.

05/09/2026

Faith… Hope… Charity… Desperation…
If you know you know

04/09/2026

🚧 COALVILLE ROADWORKS – WE NEED TO GET A GRIP ON THIS

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time over the last few days speaking with Network Control at Leicestershire County Council and chasing utility companies about the lack of progress on works around Coalville.

I even raised the issue at this week’s Highways scrutiny meeting at County Hall.

Yet again, Coalville seems to be getting hammered by roadworks all at once. I completely accept that planned maintenance and emergency utility works have to happen. What I don’t accept is works dragging on unnecessarily while residents sit in huge queues.

Ashby Road outside the recycling centre is a perfect example. Temporary traffic lights were there for over a week causing massive tailbacks, yet for the vast majority of that time the site appeared completely unattended.

And here’s part of the problem.

County Council papers show that when companies run days beyond their permits, the fines can amount to just a few hundred pounds. For some of these huge utility companies, that’s a drop in the ocean. Where is the incentive to finish quickly if the punishment for overrunning is so small?

I’ve spoken with the Lead Member for Highways and offered my support in looking at how we tackle this.

This shouldn’t be about party politics. We need a system that gets essential work completed properly and as quickly as possible, with meaningful consequences when companies unnecessarily leave our roads tied up for days.

Coalville residents deserve better, and I’ll keep pushing this until we see some improvement. 🚗🚧
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