Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition, joined Milton Keynes Conservatives this evening (31st March) to officially launch the party’s local manifesto ahead of the May 2026 council elections — the first time in over a decade that all 60 seats on Milton Keynes City Council are contested.
Held in Central Milton Keynes, the event marked the launch of the Milton Keynes Conservative manifesto, which is built around the tagline “Fix the Basics. Plan the Future”, with a firm focus on public services, infrastructure, and increased support for local businesses.
The plan has been designed and developed through thousands of conversations gauging the opinions of local residents and businesses right across the city, that sets out a direct challenge to twelve years of Labour controlled council administration which has been backed by the Liberal Democrats.
Milton Keynes Conservative group leader Cllr Shazna Muzammil said that the plan had been shaped by feedback from residents and businesses across the city. She criticised the Labour administration, which has led the council for the past 12 years with support from the Liberal Democrats, citing what she described as “over £50 million of taxpayer money wasted” on a number of poorly planned and implemented projects. These include the Agora regeneration scheme in Wolverton, the Linford Wood respite care centre, and the former Milton Keynes Council offices Saxon Court costly office to residential conversion that failed to materialise.
The manifesto includes a number of pledges, including increased funding for pothole repairs, investment in street lighting, new clean-up teams to tackle graffiti and fly-tipping, and measures aimed at supporting local businesses.
It also includes proposals to invest in knife crime prevention and to ensure that proper infrastructure is in place before new housing developments are approved.
Cllr Shazna Muzammil said, “Over £50 million of taxpayers' money has been wasted with little to show for it. Every day, Milton Keynes residents and their children are coming into our council offices for help, and are having to sit on the floor inside the entrance of the council for hours before someone comes to help them. Our city is shabby-looking and graffiti-tagged, and our roads are plagued by potholes that keep coming back, time after time. A city stalled, a town neglected, businesses stuck, unable to grow, this is Labour’s record.
“We have an ambitious plan to fix the basics and build a future that works for every resident in Milton Keynes. On 7 May, residents have a real choice. ”
The launch comes as Milton Keynes faces a critical choice on 7th May, with Labour’s administration under renewed scrutiny over wasted public money, the condition of the city’s streets, and its treatment of vulnerable residents.
