Harry Fone: Social distancing rules have pushed up the cost of council meetings

Plus: Sheffield Council is wasting high street improvements funding on PR. A glimmer of hope in Croydon.

Peter Golds: Democracy in Tower Hamlets remains tarnished

Tougher laws against fraud are welcome. But the police are failing to enforce election law as it stands.

Robert Halfon: Beware the bear traps. The Conservatives’ biggest threat is complacency.

I really worry when so many in our party and in the media think that is all over for the centre-left.

Sam Hall: Conservative lessons from Houchen and Street about how to respond to the Greens

By uniting behind Johnson’s plan, and replicating the approach of these two mayors, the the environment can become a winning issue for the party.

Jonathan Werran: More rail investment won’t lead to recovery without more local governance

The final piece in a ConservativeHome mini-series this week on the railways after Covid.

The key contests that will show if the Red Wall has been truly demolished

The fourth in a series of pieces on ConHome this week, looking forward to the elections this spring.

Andy Street: The BBC’s Birmingham plans represent a cultural levelling up that this country needs

There are very, very few shows where you can see life here on your screens, or hear our accents.

Algorithm or no algorithm, the UK needs houses. Fast.

Clearly the Government’s model is flawed. But there is no perfect formula for solving this crisis.

Neil O’Brien: The next algorithm disaster – coming to a Conservative constituency near you. This time, it’s housing growth.

Most Tory MPs will be seeing large increases in the housing targets for their seats, while many Labour MPs see their local targets reduced.

Garvan Walshe: Italian governments have failed to revive Naples for centuries. What are the lessons for its British equivalents?

The lively and chaotic city presents a warning to the Government as to how its regeneration plans could go wrong.

Andy Street: One, two, three – it’s a hat-trick of coming Conservative Party conferences for Birmingham

This decision reiterates the political importance of the UK’s cities to our party – and we must aim for a blue-led council in 2022.

Neil O’Brien: No, more economic prosperity doesn’t depend on more social liberalism

I hesitate to disagree with Daniel Finkelstein, but city growth has been powered more by smalltown commuters than flat-cap wearing uber-boheminans.

David Chinchen: We need to develop effective operational links between neighbourhood policing teams and our schools

The police have also neglected retailers and small businesses for many years. They need more protection from criminals.

Interview with Chris Patten: We must stand up to the Communists in Beijing who hate freedom in Hong Kong

“I’m very, very positive about China, but I’m very, very negative about the Chinese Communist Party.”

Neil O’Brien: R & D. We invest disproportionately in the first at the expense of the second. Here’s how to improve.

This imbalance is driven by the core science budget: the Research Councils (which fund projects) and Quality Related “QR” funding, which universities allocate.