Wednesday 20th March, 2024
The local Labour Party is first out of the blocks ahead of the next set of Colchester City Council elections taking place on 2nd May.
The Comrades of Colchester Labour have published their Colchester Labour Manifesto 2024. Which can only mean one thing: a heavy Easter weekend of #labourdoorstep.
Best to close the curtains.
Truth be told and there’s not a lot in there to disagree with. There’s also not a great amount of detail and explanation, either.
Coming up with broad sweeping policy ideas, yet not setting out how you will achieve these, is an easy task.
Under the heading of We will work to create more affordable, warm and sustainable homes, Labour pledge to:
“Support the Tendring & Colchester Garden Community.”
Good luck with that one on the Wivenhoe doorsteps.
The heading: We will work to create more thriving and healthy communities adds:
“Improve our bus services, bus station and active travel routes.”
This reminds us of once being stopped by a local Labour type outside a shop and being asked:
“Do you want to save the NHS?”
NO. I bloody don’t want to save the NHS, fella.
Ask a silly question.
There is no further explanation of how Colchester Labour will improve the bus station (that isn’t a bus station.)
Start from nothing, what have you lost? NOTHING!
We were also interested to read how Colchester Labour will:
“Protect Middlewick entirely from housing by making it a designated ‘local green space’ or nature reserve.”
We suspect Westminster will have more of a say when it comes to deciding the outcome of Middlewick Ranges.
This is a key set of local elections coming up for Colchester Labour. They are the third party in the Town Hall Chamber, yet have ambitions of electing a Labour MP for Colchester.
Two resignations have taken place in recent years under the Group Leadership of Cllr Julie Young.
Labour Cllr Catherine Bickerstaff resigned her Highwoods seat last year after only eight months in the role. The LibDems cleaned up in the by-election that followed.
This week Labour Cllr Molly Bloomfield also resigned in Greenstead. She had two years left to run on her term.
Labour is confident in making up ground on the LibDems and taking control of Cabinet. This looks a tough ask.
The LibDems currently have 16 Councillors, with Labour having 15 – one of which was a defection from the Greens.
Colchester Tories meanwhile are left with the largest number of Councillors, but with no control of the Town Hall.
Colchester politics is very odd.
Labour need momentum this May if they are to head into a General Election campaign with any confidence. A reduction in seats will be a severe blow whenever the GE is called.
The local Labour manifesto adds:
“We have the support of a dedicated Labour Party.”
BETCHA.
The Labour NEC pumped in some serious funds locally for the 2023 campaign. The plan was for Labour to control Cabinet, and look like they were the serious local political players ahead of the General Election.
‘cos that went well.
It will be interesting to see how much money the NEC stumps up this time.
If a political stalemate is once again the outcome, it will also be interesting to see if the NEC allows Colchester Labour to enter into coalition with the LibDems.
Keir Starmer was so shit scared of the word ‘coalition’ twelve months ago that he put a stop to this. The LibDems got bored sitting around on their arses and formed a minority anyway.
Pity the poor Colchester Tories.
We think.
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