Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of the Labour group on Brighton & Hove City Council has announced that the Labour group on the Council aim to gain fifteen more seats at the local election in May 2015 on top of those won in 2011.
NO PARTY of any political colour has had a majority of councillors on the authority since 2003 when the current ward structure was originally established. On his blog Cllr Morgan answers some pressing questions and explains why it is important to have a clear majority after the next elections.
Is doubling the number of Labour councillors a realistic target? “Yes. In several recent local elections, Labour have increased their number of seats by similar amounts: in Hammersmith and Fulham in 2015 Labour gained 11 seats. In Lancashire in 2013 Labour gained 23, Staffordshire 21. In Cardiff in 2012 Labour gained 33.”
Surely Labour is third on the council? “Yes, in terms of the number of current councillors, but in 2011 we finished second in almost all of the 21 wards, sometimes by very narrow margins. Overall we won 32% of the vote citywide, more than the Tories and just 1% less than the Greens, so we are well placed to make significant gains from both. Our organisation and campaigning is vastly improved on 2011.”
Which wards are you targeting? “The local elections are on the same day as the General Election where we are also aiming to win all three Parliamentary seats, so we are campaigning for every Labour vote in every ward across the city. Historically Labour supporters vote in greater numbers on General Election day than they do in local elections. So we may win seats in wards where we might not normally be in contention. Clearly those with smaller Green or Conservative majorities are more likely to be Labour gains.”
So are you targeting Green or Conservative-held wards? “Both. We expect to gain between five and ten seats from both parties. The Green vote is collapsing due to their running of the council and they are struggling to find candidates, and the Conservatives have dwindling numbers of activists to support their campaigns, only money. They are losing significant support to UKIP. The Greens are effectively abandoning anything outside of Caroline Lucas’s Pavilion constituency.”
Why 15 in 15? “We need a majority. The city council faces incredibly difficult decisions as its finances are cut and social care and infrastructure challenges grow, but we have exciting major projects in the pipeline, key pledges to deliver and ambitions for the city. Under a committee system-council, the Tory opposition and a rump of Green councillors could and would frustrate and block everything Labour seeks to achieve.”
What are your policies and goals? We’ve set out our Contract With Brighton and Hove,and have a strong team of candidates in place. I’ve written about my goals and ambitions for the city here.
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