Friday 5th April, 2024
And so the Runners and Riders list for the next set of Colchester City Council elections taking place on 2nd May has been published.
Our instant reaction?
Meh.
There’s not a lot to get excited about, tbh. We called the last set of elections twelve months ago The March of the Dull.
Not a lot has changed in the past twelve months.
As a reminder, the current Scores on the Doors at the Town Hall are:
Tories 19
LD 16
Lab 14
Green 2
Any objective observer would say yep, the Tories have the most seats, they should form an administration.
But that’s not how local politics works. It all about keeping the Tory Bogeyman out. Hence the LibDems and Labour lot banding together and getting all touchy feely.
But not THAT touchy feely.
The LibDems have formed a minority administration over the past twelve months. They got bored waiting around for Sir Keir to give his Comrades the go ahead.
He shit his pants over the word ‘coalition.’
COALITION. BOO.
This is a man who seriously thinks he has the balls to be the next PM.
But anyway. Back to Sunny Colch.
You can see where the main battle is next month. It’s all about who will hold enough seats to form either an overall majority (unlikely), or be the senior partner as part of the bed hopping.
The BONKERS election by third means that a change in any administration is unlikely. Looking down the list of candidates and the most recent results, we can’t see a great deal of change.
It is likely that a one seat gain may allow either the LibDems or Labour to call the shots as part of any coalition.
This is another key set of local elections for Labour in particular. The local party wants to gain momentum ahead of whenever the GE is called.
The exact same plan was in place last year. The Labour NEC pumped some serious cash into Sunny Colch, expecting to take control of the Council and be the party looking the most confident ahead of the GE.
How did that one work out, Comrades?
A disappointing by-election in Highwoods followed last September. The LibDems took the seat from Labour, albeit with a piss poor 19% turn out.
The main battleground in May will be around Castle ward. The Greens currently hold two seats. Labour picked up a seat here by default after the defection of Cllr Steph Nissen from the Greens to Labour.
Both parties have placed their door knockers in the ward in recent months. The delicious irony is that Cllr Nissen is up for election once again.
Personalities are key here. The defection was incredibly personal and bitter. Both sides have made little attempt to kiss and make up.
Ultimately it’s down to the voters to decide if they want a Councillor who has worked hard over the past four years, but did the dirty in making the switch to Labour.
Both Pam Cox (Labour) and Darius Laws (Tory) are both up for election. Having the PPC and the Deputy Leader of your local Group failing to get elected locally is not a good luck. Both scenarios seem highly unlikely.
Elsewhere and the Labour old timers Mike Lilley and Dave Harris are both standing. Both should win at a canter; both prove what hard work and serving your patch means to residents.
Cllr Lilley is the incoming Mayor, should he retain his Rowhedge seat. It is very, very rare for a Mayor in waiting to be booted out. GOOD EFFORT btw in asking LibDem Lyn Barton to be the Mayor’s Escort for the year ahead.
Greenstead is interesting. Last month and the electorate was expecting to vote for only one Councillor. The resignation of Labour Cllr Molly Bloomfield has led all parties scrambling around to find a second candidate.
The decision will be made a little easier with the LibDems only being able to field one candidate at Greenstead.
The electorate meanwhile has still yet to be told the official reason leading to the resignation…
Up at Highwoods and Simon Appleton finds himself fighting his second election in eight months. Ex-Tory Cllr Chris Hayter is also standing.
Tory Cllr Dennis Willets should ROMP home in Lexden and Braiswick. Likewise for Tory Cllr Kevin Bentley in Marks Tey and Layer. He’s a busy boy, also being the Leader of ECC…
Mersea and Pyfleet is a little bonkers. There’s a Reform candidate standing, along with Independent John Akker. It shouldn’t be enough of a distraction from stopping Tory Martin Parsons from winning.
Meanwhile, up in Mile End and we’re talking LibDem Martin Goss territory. Cllr Goss will have his magpie eyes on a bigger prize later in the year as the LibDem candidate for the Colchester constituency.
Tory Cllr Sue Lissimore won’t allow her Prettygate Crown to slip.
Shrub End could be interesting with LibDem Lyn Barton stepping down after many years of service. Mark Arnold will be hoping to step up and continue the work of his LibDem colleague.
It’s a similar situation in St Anne’s and St John’s. With LibDem Cllr Mike Hogg stepping aside, there’s not a lot to see beyond LibDem Catherine Spindler.
Tory Jeremy Hagon should be safe in Stanway. He’s worked his patch well in the past four years. Ditto for Tiptree with Tory Cllr Roger Mannion.
And then we come to Wivenhoe.
Oh.
Councillors across all three main political parties have represented the ward over the past fifteen years. It now seems to be firm LibDem territory.
Cabinet member Cllr Michelle Burrows isn’t standing for the LibDems. In her place is Sean Kelly. Labour have put up Phil Long.
Both parties have struggled to find candidates that aren’t tainted by the bloody Garden Village. The voters have very long memories.
Only a FOOL would predict the election results. We can only speculate that our headline on the morning of 3rd May will be something similar once again to March of the Dull.
But you never know. Stakes are high ahead of the General Election. Labour need a strong profile, the Tories need to somehow distance themselves from the national shit show.
The LibDems carry on doing what the LibDems always do – which in Sunny Colch is surprisingly being very popular with the voters and running a dull campaign and delivering a dull administration.
Colchester is a very conservative town / city.
Well done to all those standing, and the agents. Giving voters a choice across most wards is no mean feat.
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