Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Patterson has expressed backing for the Conservative council candidates in the local elections in Ulster following the demise of the pact with the Ulster Unionist Party. He says in an interview for the Belfast Telegraph: “Andrew Feldman, our party chairman, has made a clear commitment to bringing Northern Ireland into the mainstream […]
Lewes District Council has all the seats up for election on May 5. At present it is a Lib Dem council with 23 lib Dem councillors and 17 Conservatives. In the past the Lib Dems have been sustained by tactical voting from Labour (and some Green Party) supporters to defeat the Conservatives. But this year […]
Medway has a Conservative-run unitary authority with all the seats up for election. Deputy Council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett outlines some of the campaign themes Medway Conservatives have launched their pledges to local residents for the forthcoming local election on 5th May. We will campaign on our record of Low Council Tax, Better Services and […]
Sheffield City Council has a third of its seats up for election on May 5. The Lib Dems are currently in power but only by the most fragile margin. They have 41 councillors while Labour have 40. There are a couple of Greens. At the moment there are no Conservative councillors although we are fielding […]
The Conservative council leader, Cllr David Burbage reports All out local elections are on May 5 in Windsor and Maidenhead, and the record of the Conservative Council is under scrutiny from opposition and the press. We are a unitary council with 57 seats – currently 37 Conservative, 15 LibDem and 5 other independents. We are […]
One of the most interesting election contests on May 5 will be for control of Brighton & Hove City Council. It is a unitary authority, currently with a minority Conservative administration and all the seats are up for election. Unlike most parts of the country, it will be a close three-way run for control of […]
Traffford Conservatives have launched their election manifesto for the Council elections. Cutting costs while protecting services is naturally a prominent theme. Surplus office buildings are being sold. This is a modern council – very much at the cutting edge with transparency and making use of new technology on areas from customer service to road repairs […]
Conservative-run West Lancashire has a third of its seats up for election on May 5th. Among the local issues is how the Labour councillors are soft on crime. For instance at a Council meeting this week the following motion was proposed the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Cllr Paul Greenall: “This Council notes that under […]
Predictions for the local elections this year are starting to come in thick and fast. Political Betting suggest that the Lib Dem losses might be more modest than generally expected – noting that their showing at Council byelections puts them at 22% just 2% below the 24% vote share they achieved in the 2007 local […]
Luton is a Labour-controlled Council, which employs Parenting Co-ordinators. It has with all the seats up for election on May 5th. The Conservatives were boosted by a defection last year but are currently in thir place on the Council. Matthew Peck, Deputy Chairman Luton Conservatives, reports Four years ago a Labour administration won a surprise […]
Since last year Bradford has has a minority Labour administration. A third of the seats are up for election on May 5 (plus an extra one as a Lib Dem not due for reelection has resigned.) Typically as a Labour council they have responded to the need to save money by extensive library closures. They are […]
Since last year Wirral Borough Council has been run a Conservative/Lib Dem coalition under Conservative leadership. A third of the seats are up for election this year. The Council's new leadership have done a fantastic job in finding £60 million of savings without cutting frontline services. They have also declared war on red tape to help […]
By Jonathan Isaby I wrote in October 2009 about ructions within the Bedford Conservatives, when the group leader on the local council, Nicky Attenborough, was suspended from the party. And these divisions have now resurfaced very publicly in advance of the local elections in Bedford next month, as reported by Bedford Today. There are two […]
Cllr Andrew Cumpsty, the leader of Reading Borough Council, where a third of the seats are up for election on May 5 reports For decades, Reading was a Labour town, with two Labour MPs, dozens of Labour Councillors and was until recently the only Labour run Borough in the South East of England outside of […]
David Cameron's speech in Sale yesterday including the following passage about the Council elections: We promised to get rid of the red tape and political correctness that stops people getting on their lives…. Now I don't know about you but I think April 29th is going to be a special day, very special for two […]