From Reform’s case for housebuilding to the launch of the £10bn East Birmingham MDC, here are the headlines important for those in the North and Midlands from the Leeds property and investment expo.

More than 16,000 property professionals descended on the West Yorkshire city en masse for the property expo and its vibrant fringe. Here are the big talking points from this year’s convention for those in the North and Midlands.

Reform’s Jake Berry says the party is not wedded to ideology as it draws up its policy platform, adding that deregulation, devolution and delivery could form the basis of the party’s general election manifesto in three years.

Town and city centres will become “deserts” if the government does not cut taxes for bars and restaurants, according to the industry body’s chief executive Allen Simpson.

The last 10 years have brought us wars, political uncertainty at home and abroad, Brexit, and a pandemic. Panellists at Place North’s Wednesday breakfast conference discussed how the sector has delivered amid the chaos and how it will continue to do so in the future.