Labour councillors deserve your vote on Thursday
The next round of local elections is scheduled for this Thursday. During times of volatile political divisions and trepidation from the Brexit process, the result is signalling a dismal night for our government. A recent political analysis has predicted that the Conservatives are expected to lose 800 seats of the 4,906 they are defending. The outlook is that Labour will gain 300 of defected Tory seats compared to 500 for the Liberal Democrats. There is heightened exasperation against the Tories, with Brexit being the elephant in the campaign field, alongside austerity that continues to hit local governments hard.
Many see Labour as ambiguous on the issue of Brexit and whether they would mobilise for a confirmatory referendum or a softer, cross-party withdrawal. Discussing Brexit on the campaign trail would be to their detriment, so instead they’ve amped up the rhetoric on failing local councils and the incessant defunding of their services. A similar strategy was used in the snap election two years which saw Labour rapidly increase their voter share. With local governments declaring bankruptcy due to the sheer slash in funds from Westminster, it is essential that Jeremy Corbyn and Labour activists pledge to reconcile the challenges councillors face. Corbyn has already unveiled to increase funding for local bus routes, as well as overturn the moribund social housing decline.
Labour has always cared profusely in the powers of local government. In my local council of Basildon in Essex, the minority Labour party have wholeheartedly pushed to end Tory dominance. Crime has been rife in Basildon for a while, but the cutbacks on police services on a national level have led to a crisis waiting to happen. Furthermore, Conservative councillors at the helm of Basildon Borough Council have given themselves as pay rise at their discretion as a ploy in eradicating the problems that the town face. Labour’s councillors in Basildon repudiate the new pay figure and vow to reduce it in an effort to put more money into an area suffering from fatigue. Not only that, the Basildon Labour Group have dedicated their free time canvassing and door-knocking to appease disenfranchised voters, the same cannot be said for their Conservative counterparts.
I would be deluded to believe Brexit wasn’t a primary issue that are motivating voters to the ballot. But with Theresa May’s coalition of incompetence at the forefront of negotiations, the stakes are high for a government set for a humiliating defeat. With the European elections coming up, Labour and Nigel Farage’s newly-formed Brexit party are in the lead in the polls with 28%. The Conservative party’s European manifesto are trailing behind with 14%, whilst the fresh-faced but politically unreliable Change UK party are at 7%. If Labour are so untrustworthy when it comes to Brexit, why are they positioned as the most popular for next months elections in the EU.
I fervently trust the Labour party when they say they will work tirelessly to help local governments succeed. The issue of austerity has perpetuated the political landscape and only a leftist party that are totally against it will alleviate the pressure. For all who are undecided on their decision on Thursday, believe in Labour. If you want a fairer society for all, there is only one option available.
