Basildon the bellwether: How the Tories are ruining working-class areas
Basildon has always captivated the political sphere. It is a new town built by a socialist government to cater to the overcrowding and deprived districts of east London. Being a predominantly working-class town, hordes of commuters travel daily to London for work opportunities. With the blue-collar industry a dominant workforce locally, Basildon still has a reputation with Margaret Thatcher’s “Essex Man” and new money image.
The constituency of Basildon has continuously been a political barometer that eagle-eyed analysts watch closely. Since its inception into the Commons in 1974, Basildon has been a bellwether seat that has mostly reflected the nationwide result of a general election. Therefore, since 2010, the Conservatives have clung to power in both the Commons and Basildon Borough Council. They increased their majority in this year’s local council elections with 23 councillors compared to 13 Labour, 5 UKIP and 2 Independent.
Conservatism has usurped Basildon politics. This is paradoxical to the social and economic climate of the town. The issue of austerity has perpetuated through Basildon’s public services, with two of its wards known for their high poverty rates in national statistics. Around a quarter of Basildon’s children live in poverty according to new figures released this February. Furthermore, soaring crime rates in the area are linked with the existential threat to the towns emergency services. The Tories aim to cut police numbers by 20,000 nationally, a number that Basildon will find insufferable. Basildon continues to vote Tory. They also voted overwhelmingly for Brexit in 2016, cementing their position as a bellwether. Why is it that constituents deeply affected by austerity continue to see the Conservative party as their best bet?
The answer is clear. Basildon voters seemingly hold on to Thatcher and Blair’s epitome of a working-class individual’s fiscal independence. The constituency Labour party (CLP) are struggling to be heard when the social and economic injustice in the town’s seeping under class is not heard. It’s like Basildon has devised two distinct working-classes. The upper working class are promised pristine housing developments and a gentrified town to coincide with their upcoming wealth. The lower working-class, the towns predominant demographic, are left behind by fiscally conservative local legislation. Cuts to housing, youth services and schools have let some Basildon voters crippled.
In 2015, the Tory-held council cut their social housing waiting lists from over 7,000 to just 1,825. The council was one of the first boroughs in the country to take a housing tenant to court over the “bedroom tax” under the 2013 Welfare Reform Act.
The CLP, a small group in a widely Tory area, is attempting to tackle the ignorance. A new controversial pay rise for councillors has been uncovered by the local press. Basildon Borough Council has opened six new committees which would result in an extra £100,00 funding by the local taxpayer, which will be pocketed by the councillors. The CLP have taken this issue and ran with it, hoping to cap the councillor pay. They also pledge to build 600 new council homes in 25 years. Just last week, the CLP hosted a meeting to reveal how stretched the Essex Fire Service is due to budget cuts. With emergency services critical for crime-ridden areas, Basildon rely on them more than ever.
The town of Basildon is a clear example as to why a Conservative government is failing ordinary voters. Under a Labour leadership, Basildon would witness growth to overcome its widening poverty issue. The town was created under a socialist government. Basildon’s residents must not forget this, or the increase in austerity measures, when they take to the polls in the future. Furthermore, the CLP must step up their grassroots campaigning to shift the paradigm and uncover the ugly truth of conservatism.
