Labour tells County Durham voters it has ‘changed’ ahead of elections
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy visited the Beamish Football Centre in Stanley on Thursday to back the local Labour Party’s bid to regain control of Durham County Council.
At the last local election in 2021, the party lost overall control of the county council for the first time in 100 years. The current Joint Administration in charge of the authority is made up of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Independents.
In a message to voters who turned their back on the party in 2021, she vowed: “We have changed as a party.”
The local elections in May will be the first major ballot box test for the Labour Party and Prime Minister since entering office last July, and will give a sense of whether opinion poll momentum for other parties translates into real votes.
Ms Nandy echoed a pledge made by Sir Keir Starmer by saying Labour councils would partner with the government on its plan for change, and prioritise key policies such as community policing, supporting High Streets and fixing potholes.
She said: “You can see that in the way we are relentlessly focused on the country and the national interest, whether it’s investing in incredible facilities like this, devolving power out to every nation and region, building the homes people need, or rolling out free breakfast clubs throughout the country. We have wasted no time in supporting the country’s priorities to make people’s lives easier.”
Earlier on Thursday, the Prime Minister told voters that the upcoming polls are a chance to “vote for change in your community”.
Ms Nandy added: “We can do far more with a strong Labour team here on the ground in County Durham and partnering with us to make that happen.”
Recommended reading:
The Durham County Council and parish and town council elections will take place on May 1, and will decide the authority’s political future for the next four years.
Residents across the county will be voting to decide who will be elected as their County Councillors for the 51 electoral divisions within County Durham. Residents will also be voting to elect parish councillors in 197 Parish areas across County Durham, if all the seats are contested.
In March, a poll from Electoral Calculus for The Daily Telegraph projected that Reform UK would win outright control of, and hold a majority of seats on, the council following the election.