I spent the Friday of election night nervously checking the election results as they came in. I was as worried as anyone that our party was going to take a massive step backwards from electability. We did not take the beating that some commentators predicated, but nor did we demonstrate that a victory in 2020 is anything other than a pipe dream right now. But if there is one positive thing we can we can take away from the results, it is that Labour councils are doing something right.
Under former leaders Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock, Labour councils were berated, demonised and firmly regarded by the public as a symptom of Labour’s problem. This time around Labour councils are bucking the trend. Our position in the national polls may have slipped but we were able to hold ground in the majority of Labour-held authorities.
This demonstrates the value of Labour in power. Over the last six years, Labour may not have held power nationally but, on a local level, we have minimised the impact of some of the worst Tory policies and shown the positive difference our party can make. Under Judith Blake, the first woman to lead Leeds city council, our motto has been ‘a strong economy and compassionate city’. At a time when Labour is struggling to gain voters’ trust on the economy and many see it as key reason for our 2015 defeat, Labour councils like Leeds are turning that narrative on its head. Labour-led Leeds are pushing to make Leeds a centre for manufacturing and putting job creation at the heart of our plan for the city. The national party could learn a lot from this proactive approach to helping build local economies and fostering positive relationships with the business community; not in spite of our Labour values but because of them.
The strength of our Labour councils shone through as the election results rolled in despite many of us experiencing a frosty reception on the doorstep. People were uninterested with the leadership and disillusioned with national politics in general but it did not prevent them from re-electing their Labour councillors. In the run-up to polling day, very few of us were optimistic. Not just because of what the media was saying about Labour but because of what voters were saying about us on the doorstep. But, regardless of all the bad press, when voters were confronted with their ballot paper they predominantly remained loyal to their Labour councillors.
The election results did not prove that Labour is on track for a 2020 victory. But using the results as a barometer for the general election is anything but a reliable indicator. Elections only took place in a fraction of the country and predominantly in metropolitan cities which have traditionally supported Labour. Using these results as a test for how the whole country is feeling would only serve to give us false hope. Local elections are often dismissed by political commentators as merely being an indicator about how the national party is doing. But it is important to remember that these elections affect people’s lives too. Re-electing strong Labour councils will have helped protect services for the most vulnerable and create opportunities for the disadvantaged. If our party leadership takes away one lesson from last week’s elections it should be that Labour in local government are getting something right.
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Alice Smart is a Labour councillor. She tweets @Alice_Smart
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