Last week Callum Delhoy, AdviceUK’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, and Willem van de Ven, AdviceUK’s Policy and Public Affairs Officer (both pictured left), attended the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
We split our time between the main venue, exhibition hall and the fringe events. That meant bouncing from morning briefings to lunchtime panels, catching speakers at the end of sessions, and turning quick coffees with sector partners into productive introductions. We prioritised meetings with party staff and parliamentary teams working across work & pensions, justice, health and local government, while also checking in with funders and partners supporting the wider sector.
When ministers, including Solicitor Ellie Reeves, Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock, Employment Minister Diana Johnson, and Education Minister Georgia Gould (pictured below with Callum Delhoy), were available; we focused our conversations on who our members are, the clients they serve, and where those members operate within ministers’ constituencies. We also stopped by exhibition stands of other advice sector and partner organisations to compare notes and share upcoming dates (including Advice Week 2025).
The conference floor and fringe programme underscored that many of the issues we work on are now central to national policy debate. Welfare reform, economic inactivity and ‘Get Britain Working’ featured prominently, with discussion on how to design support systems that tackle barriers to work rather than penalise claimants. Access to justice came up repeatedly, especially in relation to legal aid cuts, advice deserts, and the need for early intervention. The NHS 10 Year Plan and the proposed Neighbourhood Health Centres were a key point of discussion. Social prescribing was also gaining traction, with many arguing for more integrated service delivery that links health, social care, advice and local infrastructure.
Throughout the conference, we took every opportunity to press AdviceUK’s priorities. For example, we pushed MPs and ministers to support the #AdviceSaves 2025 campaign. We reminded them and their teams that by investing in advice, government can save significantly more money by reducing costly public sector interventions such as court costs, emergency housing services or benefit payments. We also shared constituency data with MPs to demonstrate the scale and impact of our members’ work. Several expressed their interest in visiting their local advice agencies attending our AdviceSaves Parliamentary Reception later this month.
Momentum is there, but we must advocate for change. The appetite for reform within government is real, but the advice sector must continue to make the case for change. It is critical that the advice sector remains visible and vocal. We also need to build bridges between sectors. Health, justice, welfare, communities and local government should all work in tandem to advocate for a more just and sustainable policy landscape. We will pursue the commitments we heard at conference through our ongoing lobbying work. We left Labour conference more optimistic than when we arrived — but also keenly aware of how much more work lies ahead if this vision is to become reality.
AdviceUK remains committed to holding decision makers to account, supporting the advice sector, and ensuring that the voices of people relying on support are never forgotten.
If you would like to host your local MP at your organisation, please contact willem.vandeven@adviceuk.org.uk.
