The final day of the Conservative Party conference also marked the close of the Horticultural Trades Association’s active participation in this year’s political party conference season. 

The HTA met with key decision-makers at the Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Conservative Party conferences to ensure that the interests of the horticulture industry were fully represented. They raised crucial topics for our members, such as trade, skills, planning, and the value of green spaces in urban and rural communities, speaking publicly at both the Labour and Conservative events. 

From the excitement in Brighton, where the Liberal Democrats celebrated a strong electoral showing, to the dynamic conversations in Liverpool as Labour celebrated a new government and the opportunity to reset conversations with the Conservatives at the ICC in Birmingham, the home of our very own conference! The HTA’s Policy Team made the case for horticulture's role in supporting economic growth, sustainability, and community wellbeing. 

The team recorded a video summary over the last couple of weeks to capture the key moments and discussions from each conference and highlight the HTA’s participation in fringe events, panel discussions, and one-on-one meetings with parliamentarians. 

Key highlights:

Liberal Democrat Conference (Brighton): Discussions focused on strengthening ties with Europe, trade policies, skills, planning and the need for increased engagement with businesses to meet housing and sustainability goals​, as well as the wider value of horticulture and green spaces. The HTA met with several new MPs and is now organising for them to visit HTA members in their constituencies. 

Labour Party Conference (Liverpool): The HTA spoke at a Labour Movement for Europe event on resetting the UK-EU relationship and attended fringe events on topics including biodiversity and planning while also discussing critical topics such as the autumn budget. It was a chance for the HTA to meet with new ministers and MPs as Labour marked their return to power after 15 years and focus on what’s to come. 

Conservative Party Conference (Birmingham): The team discussed the importance of preserving green spaces, including an event with Shadow Defra Secretary of State Stephen Barclay, which provided the opportunity to highlight what our members do to produce the essential flora in urban areas and planning and in gardens around housing developments, and why key stakeholders and decision-makers must ensure that garden sizes are not reduced with all the scheduled planning and developments around the country.  They also engaged with new and returning MPs, including those representing constituencies with a strong HTA membership. 

The HTA's presence at these conferences helps to ensure members' voices are not just heard but actively considered at the highest levels of government.  

You can watch the video summary here: https://youtu.be/R0R53o54VqE