Lib Dems confident of winning Shropshire Council elections
The Liberal Democrats are confident they will gain control of Shropshire Council at this Thursday’s local elections.
The adminstration has been run by the Conservatives ever since it became a unitary council in 2009. Currently, there are 37 Tory councillors, followed by Lib Dems (18), Labour (9), the Independents (5) and the Green Party (3).
However, this is set to be the closest-run election yet, with the Lib Dems confident they will become the majority party, while the Conservatives says “it’s difficult to predict the outcome.”
Both parties – as well as Labour and Reform UK – have a candidate standing in all 72 divisions, with 74 seats available, while the Greens have 57.
The Local Democray Reporting Service therefore asked the below questions to each of those parties.
The representatives are Ian Nellins (Conservatives and current deputy leader at Shropshire Council), Heather Kidd and Roger Evans (co-leaders of the Liberal Democrats), Rosemary Dartnall (Labour group leader), Duncan Kerr (Green Party leader), and Brian Evans and Dawn Husemann (chairs of the North Shropshire and South Shropshire branches of Reform UK).
How has the campaigning gone for your party and what has it done to ensure it gets the electorate’s vote on May 1?
IN: The Conservative campaign is going really well. We have been campaigning strongly in all divisions and are getting a lot of positive comments from residents. Our honest and realistic policies are being well received.
HK/RE: Reception on the doorstep is amazing, many residents are asking us for stake boards. The message received is that voters want change and that they recognise we are the best to do it. We have knocked on thousands of doors delivering leaflets, plus direct and digital mail.
RD: Hundreds of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Labour activists, working with our 74 candidates, have been out on the doors speaking to Salopians where they live. We have laid out a clear manifesto to all voters of the priorities a Labour-run Shropshire Council will champion if we are elected to do so on Thursday.
DK: The Green team has enjoyed discussing with residents on how we can build a better Shropshire for everyone. From these conversations, we have gained insights into the concerns of people across Shropshire. We are finishing the election as we started, making a positive and compelling case for change, which is attracting support.
BE/DH: With Reform UK consistently at the top of polling, responses across Shropshire have been very warm. Reform Shropshire has been campaigning tirelessly – meeting farmers, shop owners, taxpayers, pensioners, and parents concerned about the future of Shropshire. As the UK’s most popular party, with strong grassroots engagement, policies electors want and the only party offering change in Shropshire.
What do you think are the key areas that are on voters’ minds and how will your party solve them?
IN: Potholes are an issue throughout the country, but the Conservative administration has already invested around £60m into highways over the last four years, after pledging at the last election to invest £40m. Our waste contract works wel, – our aim will be to tackle fly tipping through enforcement. And council tax – through good financial investment, Shropshire Council has continually kept it rises below 5%.
HK/RE: Most doorsteps mention the money wasted by the Conservative controlled council. The state of our roads, potholes having to be repaired many times, buying the white elephant shopping centres and paying consultants. We will bring many services back in house, improve their delivery whilst saving money.
RD: There’s no doubt everyone is concerned about Shropshire Council’s financial crisis and what it means in their own area – we all see failure in council services. We recognise severe problems in the way Shropshire Conservatives have run the highways operation. There’s no doubt the poor state of our roads is damaging our economy.
DK: There is disillusionment about local and national politics. Residents tell us they want a reliable, responsive council that gets the basics right, from potholes to more complex issues such as SEND provision. The council’s failure to control house building means that communities are apprehensive about the future for their communities.
BE/DH: Roads, waste, health, education, social care, homelessness, businesses, and represenation. Reform will run a full audit of spend using untainted eyes. We’ve committed to move a minimum of 5% of spend to front line services, and publish a quarterly report to all taxpayers detailing what their tax is being spent on.
Are there are any key divisions that your party are targeting? If so, which ones and why have you targeted them?
IN: No. The Conservative party has candidates in all divisions and members are supporting candidates throughout the areas.
HK/RE: We are targeting all but a handful of divisions. We are targeting where General Election results were good for us. They have seen the excellent work Helen Morgan MP puts in and want to do the same as Shropshire councillors. Our aim is to win a majority.
RD: As you would expect, we have targeted the divisions where we currently have excellent, hard working Labour councillors: in Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth and Broseley. But our ambitions for strong Labour representation all over Shropshire mean we are keenly focussed on winning in many divisions including but not limited to Shifnal, Bridgnorth, St Martins, Severn Valley, Oswestry and Market Drayton.
DK: The Green Party are fielding a record number of candidates so many more residents can vote Green. We work all year round, not just at election time, and this helps target our resources into divisions where we have been most active. Be it organising petitions, doing casework or arranging litter picks.
BE/DH: Reform sees all 72 divisions across Shropshire just as important as each other and hence has stood 74 candidates covering every division. Through the help from farmers, shop owners, parents, pensioners and taxpayers, Reform has growing support from a wide range of concerned electors and taxpayers across Shropshire.
How confident are you that your party will be successful in this election?
IN: It is very difficult to predict the outcome of this election, but if residents look at the record of the Conservative administration, and on the policies for the future and compare that with the policies of the opposition, which will bankrupt the council, then I’m sure they will vote Conservative.
HK/RE: Residents want change. The indications are that we will be the largest party. Our hope is that we will have the majority and so can lead on that desperately needed change during the next four years.
RD: I’m confident that Shropshire will elect more Labour councillors than ever before. The council has been run by the Conservatives since it was first formed as a unitary council in 2009. The public see that the Tories have failed us in many areas and are ready to put their faith in Labour to re-focus the council on what matters: that’s putting first and foremost the services we all rely on.
DK: Feedback from residents gives us the confidence that the party will double its seats and become the third largest group on the council. Following the election of four Green MPs last year, the party is growing here and across the country. The future is Green.
BE/DH: Reform UK is confident of achieving its best-ever result on May 1, as voters across Shropshire rally for real change. This election marks the start of reforming Shropshire – putting taxpayers first, restoring pride in our communities, and reversing the years of managed decline that has held the county back.
If your party is in power in Shropshire on May 2, what will be the first thing you do?
IN: Conservatives understand the issues and pressures ahead. Our priority will always be to ensure our vulnerable residents are cared for. The conservative administration has shaped the environment for the future with major projects, but we want to invest more into our market towns and rural areas by improving public transport.
HK/RE: Urgently improve customer services. The council is using residents’ money to deliver residents services. When things go wrong, they deserve quick and efficient solutions. We will also want full disclosure of the council’s finances including details of the cuts that the Conservatives included in the budget.
RD: The very first thing a Labour-run Shropshire Council will do is investigate the Highways operation. The work here is failing, it needs urgent review and we need drastic improvement in short time. The Government wants to see improved results to keep this level of funding flowing. And so do we.
DK: Roll-out our detailed “Greenprint 29” vision for the future of Shropshire. This details a comprehensive range of actions from abolishing the Cabinet system that has failed so badly, to increasing capacity by a charter with parishes, building hundreds of new councils houses, investing in active travel and insulating thousands of homes.
BE/DH: Reform Shropshire will thank voters for their trust, meet with council workers to understand how to push spending to front line services and reverse Shropshire’s managed decline through a full independent audit. Making taxpayers’ money work harder so electors feel the positive impact will be backed by a Reform Shropshire quarterly report driving full transparency.
