I am writing this article as the leader of the opposition on Plymouth city council, having had the leadership of the council removed due to a coalition of Ukip and the Conservatives. When you lose the leadership of the council it is a bit like bereavement; you get the anger, and the sadness, but you also get time to reflect. Having reflected, I have come to the conclusion that we did a bloody great job!

On election night we did not lose the election. We won 11 of the 19 seats available and we had the most votes of any party across the city. I am betting that one of the reasons we did well against the Tory party – that was trying to make Trident the central issue in our dockyard city – was that our track record was remarkable. Over a thousand homes built every year, an investment pipeline of £400m, a city centre with a new cinema on its way and regeneration of many parts of our waterfront.

5,000 jobs were also delivered into the city, there was a record drop in youth unemployment, and so many apprenticeships were created that there are vacancies and a burgeoning creative and cultural sector encouraged by our protection of the arts budget at a time of austerity. I believe that history will be kind to this administration – it was genuinely transformational.

So what am I concerned about with this brave new mixture of Farageistas, Cameronites and the Borisistas? Their manifesto, comprised of 17 things for a two-year programme, lacks any ambition for the city; the document is all about keeping the fragile coalition together. For example, a central plank of the manifesto is scrapping the executive government of the city and reverting to a committee system. This would be a disaster for Plymouth which has seen its planning and economic development functions become the most fleet-of-foot and entrepreneurial of any city in the country. Developers are now used to, and enjoy, the speed of decision making, and certainty that they have been getting and that’s why our investment pipeline is so big.

Going back to a committee system, no matter how ‘modern’ would turn off the tap and reduce our investment flow to a trickle. My colleagues and I will be doing everything that we can to resist this backwards step. It is 16 years since we had a committee system of government in Plymouth; it is so last century.

Anybody remember mobile phones from 16 years ago? Anybody remember dialling up on a computer? One of my councillors was five years old when the committee system was abolished and who is the person that the Tories have put in charge of this project? The Leader of Ukip on the council who has only been a councillor for two years, and has never served under a committee system. In fact, most of Plymouth city councillors have never served under a committee system.

The other issue that I am concerned about is the intention of the Tories to shut off traffic lights in the city. The policy that would have been rejected in the production room of Top Gear but it has made it to the cabinet room of Plymouth city council. Plymouth has one of the best records of reducing people killed or seriously injured on our roads I dread to think what will happen if the Tories are allowed to get their way.

Labour in Plymouth is proud of our most recent work but is now focused on winning back control in 2018, when the three Ukip seats are up – all previously Labour held seats. If we win those, we will have an absolute majority!

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Tudor Evans is leader of the Labour group on Plymouth city council. He tweets @CouncillorTudor

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