What We Stand For
Our Conservative values guide how we work and how we serve local people across Bracknell, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Whitegrove. These principles are lasting and practical. They shape day‑to‑day decisions and the way we support our neighbourhoods — from town centres and business parks to village high streets and community halls.
Our core principles
Freedom
We believe in free speech, free markets and the right to live your life without unnecessary interference. In practice, that means listening carefully at council meetings and consultations, protecting community traditions, and making space for different views to be heard respectfully. Across Bracknell, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Whitegrove, we support residents’ right to organise petitions, fly lawful flags, and speak up about local issues without feeling brushed aside.
- Defending residents’ right to display national pride.
- Ensuring FOI information is open to all councillors.
- Keeping public consultations accessible and transparent.
Enterprise
Strong communities are built on opportunity. We back local shops, start‑ups and family firms — the lifeblood of Bracknell’s business parks, Crowthorne’s village centre, Sandhurst’s parades and Whitegrove’s local retailers. That means keeping rules simple and decisions quick, supporting skills and apprenticeships, promoting sensible parking and footfall policies, and championing procurement that gives small businesses a fair chance to win work.
- Backing family‑run businesses on our high streets.
- Encouraging apprenticeships and youth employment locally.
- Challenging red tape that harms small traders.
Personal responsibility
With opportunity comes responsibility. We believe in backing people to succeed — through pathways into work, training and re‑skilling, and practical support to help families thrive. We encourage volunteering, from youth clubs and sports to litter picks and local charities, because communities are strongest when neighbours look out for each other. We also support policies that help people move towards home ownership where possible.
- Promoting volunteering in schools, clubs and local charities.
- Supporting job training and re‑skilling opportunities.
- Helping residents onto the housing ladder.
Living within our means
Just like households, councils must balance their books. We favour careful, transparent budgeting that protects essential services such as children’s services, SEND support and road maintenance, while cutting waste and avoiding vanity projects. Residents deserve clear explanations of where money goes and what it delivers — and we will always push for value over headlines.
- Publishing clear, easy‑to‑read budget updates.
- Challenging wasteful spending by the council.
- Prioritising essential services first.
Local interest first
Our first duty is to the people we serve. That means public services, housing and local resources should focus on meeting the needs of residents, families and veterans here at home. We will assess centrally‑driven schemes carefully, support them where they are properly funded and workable, and speak up where they risk placing unfair pressure on local services.
- Ensuring housing lists prioritise local families and veterans.
- Scrutinising centrally imposed schemes for fairness.
- Championing Bracknell Forest’s right to manage its own priorities.
Lower taxes and a smaller state
People know best how to spend their own money. We work to keep council tax fair and stable by focusing the council on core responsibilities and cutting bureaucracy. Digitising services, simplifying processes and measuring outcomes — not activity — helps deliver more for residents without asking them to pay more.
- Keeping council tax affordable and predictable.
- Reducing unnecessary bureaucracy in council services.
- Using digital tools to deliver better value for residents.
Secure borders
A fair and controlled immigration system underpins public trust and security. We support safe and legal routes, including for those who have served alongside Britain, and oppose unlawful migration and the use of local hotels for that purpose. We will continue to work with national representatives and local partners to ensure policies are firm, fair and uphold community cohesion.
- Opposing the long‑term use of local hotels for unlawful migration.
- Backing safe and legal routes for those with genuine ties to the UK.
- Ensuring immigration policies protect community cohesion.
These values guide us as Conservatives. They are rooted in fairness, responsibility and opportunity. They remain at the heart of the way we serve Bracknell, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Whitegrove.
Conservative values, local priorities.