The Labour Party Conference has arrived in Brighton. It’s the largest political gathering in Europe. But at a time when trust in politicians is at an all-time low and voters are becoming increasingly disaffected, why does the Labour Party Conference matter?

Since his election as leader of the Labour Party in 2011, Ed Milband has quietly being going about trying to change the way Labour does politics. He recognises politics has to be more relevant to people and their lives. That politicians need to rebuild trust and most importantly listen to people and their concerns.

I was planning to meet Cllr Emma Daniel for a shopping trip yesterday morning. A crowd gathered as Ed Miliband took to the stage to do a Town Hall meeting. He spoke for about 10 minutes, getting a big cheer from the crowd when he reiterated Labour’s pledge to repeal the Bedroom Tax. Since its implementation in May, 39% of those affected in Brighton are already in arrears.

Ed then went on to take questions from the public. These questions were ones that our Labour activists across the city hear on the doorstep most frequently: on cost of living, increasingly unaffordable housing in the city and concerns about education. With levels of confidence, ease and wit rarely attributed to him, Ed set out his vision of strengthening the minimum wage, building more homes and to undo the damage Gove’s policies had done to our schools.

A homeless woman asked what Labour would do for her; Ed suggested if there was a Labour councillor in the crowd, she could speak to them. Emma stepped in and they had a long conversation. Emma later posted on her Facebook page that she would look into the possibility of setting up a surgery for the homeless.

When I checked my phone I had several text messages from friends saying they’d seen me on TV … and where did Ed get his jeans from?

Having given up on the shopping trip, I returned home to welcome my house guests for the week. With every spare inch of my flat taken up with duvets and suitcases, it certainly feels cosy. Over copious amounts of tea we discussed what we wanted to hear from Conference and how we felt recent policy announcements were a positive step.

In the evening I joined many Brighton and Hove members at the South East Delegate reception. With far less security then in previous years, the Conference zone had a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. MPs were dotted around with many delegates wanting to get a photo of Chuka Umunna.

It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends from around the region and have a gossip. Ed Miliband joked “the South East reception is always my favourite, just don’t tell the other receptions.” Former Preston Park councillor Kevin Allen received an award for 50 years of membership of the party from Ed who commented Kevin didn’t look old enough and must have been 5 when he joined.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion, Dr Purna Sen was also there with her two daughters. It really doesn’t seem like 12 months since at Conference in Manchester we met for noodles in Waggamama. We’d talked about the time she survived an attack by a tiger, meeting armed rebels in Africa … and the possibly of her standing in the city she calls home. This year, we all had badges with the slogan “Purna 4 Pavilion” and I was bursting with pride when she opened Conference today.

Over dinner later, we reflected that Conference was actually far more engaging and accessible than we imagined. But also how we are perhaps still rare and unusual breed, who love debate and discussing policy.

There are many fringe events this week, most of which are open to the public. They cover a huge range of topics from housing to small business, from local government to the Middle East. I hope this Conference will help take politics beyond the so-called Westminster Bubble and encourage the city’s residents to get involved. @BHLabour will be tweeting through out the Confernence and you can also follow it using the tag #Lab13.

As I waited for my taxi home, a woman saw my pass and asked if I was Caroline Lucas. I reflected that we still have a long way to go in getting people engaged in politics again, but at least we are listening and making a start.

Caroline Penn, from Hove @ThePennyDrops