More than 1 200 local government leaders, councillors and ministers attended this year's Local Government Association conference in the United Kingdom. Among them were ECR Group President Rob Jonkman and LGA Conservative Group Leader Cllr David Simmonds. Addressing the Conservative group meeting chaired by Cllr Simmonds, Mr Jonkman said we needed to ensure that we had platforms through which we could continue sharing best practices across local government in the UK and the rest of Europe. He also called for regional parliaments to be equipped with powers to stop harmful EU legislation.

The Local Government Association Annual Conference, which took place in Birmingham from 4 to 6 July, was the first major local government event to take place in the UK after the country's general and local elections. What is more, it marked one year since the United Kingdom's referendum on its membership of the European Union.

Speaking about Brexit, Mr Jonkman (Alderman in Opsterland, Netherlands) said that both the UK and the remaining 27 EU Member States had a great interest in achieving a better functioning EU based on the principle of subsidiarity: "We will have to wait and see what kind of relationship the UK will now have with the EU. It is clear though that, until the UK leaves, UK local government will continue to have an interest in how the EU budget is spent. Furthermore, after the UK does leave, those of us left in the EU will want to continue championing the cause of greater European localism."

The need to give greater voice to local and regional authorities in EU decision-making processes was also emphasised. "Currently", said Mr Jonkman, "local and regional governments can channel their subsidiarity concerns through the European Committee of the Regions, but it is my belief that they must also have powers to stop harmful legislation. A German regional parliament which has legislative powers in Germany must be able to stop harmful EU legislation in the same way that the national parliament can stop EU legislation that harms their powers."