10 July 2024

East of England’s first Green MP makes first speech in parliament

The East of England’s first Green MP has made his first speech in Parliament. New and incumbent MPs gathered in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon for the first time since last week’s General Election. The meeting saw several formalities being dealt with, including the swearing-in part of the 650 total members and the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons — once again a role entrusted to Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Also included were party leaders’ first speeches since the new Labour Government was formed, including Adrian Ramsay, the Green Party’s co-leader and, as of last Thursday, the representative for the new Waveney Valley constituency.

In his brief speech, Mr Ramsay began by congratulating Sir Lindsay Hoyle on his re-election before promising to represent his residents. “[Green and new MPs] we are very conscious that we are here first and foremost to be constituency MPs, to represent our residents, and we appreciate [Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s] support in enabling us to do that. I very much hope in this new Parliament we can all move to a less tribal form of politics, where we work together, where we can agree and move things forward in the national interest.”

Another session will take place later today to swear in Mr Ramsay and other MPs who did not get the chance to do so yesterday.

Watch the video, above.

9 July 2024

Who are the Reformers?

In election coverage, before and after polling day, the media gave a lot of attention to Reform UK, often presenting the picture as a rise of the extreme right, as we see in many European countries. But does support for Reform mean that the far right is on the rise in the UK?

First, this was not a major ‘rise’. The total number of votes cast for Reform was only slightly larger than its predecessor, UKIP, gained in 2015. They got 5 MPs not because there were more voters, but because their vote was more efficiently distributed this time.

It is also important to distinguish support for Reform from support for the hard right. Certainly, some of their candidates espouse some strongly right wing views, and the leadership is not averse to some calculated right wing dog whistles. But much of their campaign focused on mainstream issues – making work pay, reducing NHS waiting lists, stopping ‘non-essential’ immigration and illegal working.

A major poll by Focaldata tells us a bit about who these voters were. Reform’s vote share was highest among Leave voters (27%), and above 16% among people in the North and Midlands (including the East of England). They were most likely to be white, over 55, male non graduates in manual working class jobs. They were more likely to own their own homes outright or be in social renting. And they had previously voted Brexit, Conservative or for minority parties.

Faced with a Conservative government which failed on its 2019 promises, Reform offered these social conservatives, once again, what they voted for in 2019. Their views had not changed, but their confidence in the ability of their natural party to devliver it had evaporated.

Of course, there are extremists among them. But there are in all parties. It is far from clear that this is the beginning of a major revolution.

7 July

Safe seats have vanished

The most striking results of the election in the East of England are the disappearance of safe seats, and a far more complex map, as smaller parties make progress.

In 2019 the Conservatives held 52 of the 59 seats. Now they hold only 23, to Labour’s 27, and 11 are held by smaller parties.

in 2019, the average majority was 17,455, and half the seats (all Conservatives) had majorities over 19,000. Now, the average majority is 4,778.

The largest majority now is 19,834, held by Daisy Cooper for the Liberal Democrats in St Albans. There are now only five more seats with majorities over 10,000: Cambridge and the two Norwich seats for Labour, and Harpenden and South Cambridgeshire for the Liberal Democrats.

Meanwhile, half the seats in the region have majorities of less than 4,500. Eight are below 1,000, including three below 100: North West Cambridgeshire and the two Basildons.

Read more.

6 July 2024

A View from Great Yarmouth

“The natives of Yarmouth are still suffering from being dumped on years ago with badly managed immigration and drug dealing in the town. …

Unlike most places the deprivation is very evident because it is in the centre of the town whereas most places the deprivation is more on the outskirts.

In the centre there is resentment from people who have lived there for generations as they saw fishing and oil money disappear to the surrounding villages in the Borough.”

Disappearing Safe Seats

One feature of the election is the disappearance of safe seats.

In 2019 half the seats in the East had Con majorities over 20,000, and the average majority was 17,000. None now has a majority as big as 17,000.

There are now seven MPs with majorities under 100. Three are in our region. Basildon & Billericay (Con 20), NW Cambs (Lab 39), and S.Basildon & E Thurrock (Reform 98)

5 July 2024

Bedfordshire round-up of results

Only one seat actually changed hands in this county.

• Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard: Labour gain. A narrow win for Alex Mayer over Andrew Selous. Interestingly, she was Labour MEP for East of England from 2016 – 2019.

Hertfordshire round-up of results

A lot of movement with eight seats changing hands.

• Watford: Labour gain. Matt Turmaine comfortably took the seat from the incumbent Conservative Dean Russell.
• Hemel Hempstead: Labour gain. David Taylor beat the Tory Andrew Williams by nearly 5,000 votes.
• Welwyn Hatfield: Labour gain. In a dramatic toppling, Andrew Lewin beat Defence Secretary Grant Shapps into second place by nearly 4,000 votes.
• Stevenage: Labour gain. Kevin Bonavia easily beat Conservative Alex Clarkson.
• Hitchin: Labour gain. Alistair Strathern (who took Nadine Dorries’ Bedfordshire seat last year) gained the seat from Bim Afolami with a comfortable margin of over 7,000 votes.
• North East Hertfordshire: Labour gain. Chris Hinchliff beat Tory Nikki da Costa, who worked closely in the offices of Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
• Hertford & Stortford: Labour gain. Josh Dean easily beat incumbent Conservative Julie Marson.
• Harpenden & Berkhamsted: Lib Dem gain. A huge win for Victoria Collins over Conservative Nigel Gardner, with a margin of well over 10,000. She took over 50% of the vote share.

Again, a range of Labour gains in Hertfordshire. Conservative candidates have again suffered by losing votes to Reform. The Lib Dem victor in Harpenden, however, gained an overall majority, with more than the Tory and Reform candidates combined.

5 July 2024

Cambridgeshire round-up of results

Five seats have changed hands.

• South Cambridgeshire: Lib Dem gain. Pippa Heylings comfortably took the constituency from Tory Chris Carter-Chapman by a margin of over 10,000.
• Ely & East Cambridgeshire: The Lib Dems won this new seat, formed after recent boundary changes. Charlotte Cane narrowly won with 500 more votes than Conservative minister Lucy Frazer.
• St Neots & Mid Cambridgeshire: Lib Dem gain. A comfortable win for Ian Sollom over Conservative Anthony Browne who lost 23% of 2019 vote share.
• North West Cambridgeshire: Labour gain. A very narrow win of 39 votes for Sam Carling over Shailesh Vara.
• Peterborough: Labour gain. Another close win of 118 votes for Andrew Pakes over incumbent Conservative Paul Bristow. 

As elsewhere, in some seats the numbers of Reform voters have deprived the Conservatives of victory. Winners’ vote shares haven’t necessarily risen, but the opposition has been more split.

5 July 2024

Essex round-up of results

Eight seats have changed hands. All Conservative losses: five to Labour, two to Reform and one to the Lib Dems.

• Harlow: Labour gain. Chris Vince took the seat with 2,500 votes more than Tory Hannah Ellis, and a swing of nearly 33% away from the Conservatives.
• Colchester: Labour gain. Essex University professor Pam Cox easily beat ex-Olympic rower James Cracknell with a 42% share of the total vote.
• Southend East & Rochford: Labour gain. Bayo Alaba won, beating Conservative Gavin Haran by 4,000 votes.
• Southend West & Leigh: Labour gain. David Burton-Sampson beat Tory Anna Firth, who had taken the constituency in 2022 after the death of Sir David Amess.
• Thurrock: Labour gain. Jen Craft won comfortably on 16,050 votes, with Reform’s Sophie Preston-Hall placed second on 9,576. Conservative Jackie Doyle-Price, fighting for the Conservative name in a town where the Tory council got into catastrophic financial debt, came third.
• Chelmsford: Liberal Democrat gain. Marie Goldman, Deputy Leader of the city council, gained 5,000 more votes than incumbent Conservative Vicky Ford. 
• Clacton: Reform gain. Nigel Farage took the seat from Conservative Giles Watling. Reform had a vote share of 46%, and with the Tories share down 44% on 2019, which may show where the Reform votes came from. Other parties’ vote shares remained constant.
• South Basildon & East Thurrock has finally declared, after more than one recount. It was close between Conservative, Reform and Labour, but the winner was the Reform Party’s James McMurdock with 98 votes more than Jack Ferguson of Labour. Incumbent Conservative Stephen Metcalfe came a respectable third. Turnout was low at 55%.

5 July 2024

Suffolk round-up of results

Four Suffolk seats have changed hands:

• Ipswich: Labour gain. In a seat which swings back and forth between the two main parties, Labour’s Jack Abbott comfortably took the seat from Tom Hunt by a margin of 7,400. 
• Suffolk Coastal: Labour gain. Jenny Riddell-Carpenter beat Tory ex-minister Thérèse Coffey by 1,000 votes, surprising some pollsters.
• Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket. Labour gain. NHS consultant Peter Prinsley gained nearly 1,500 more votes than Tory Will Tanner, who suffered a 33% swing away from 2019.
• Waveney Valley (part Norfolk, part Suffolk): The Greens took this seat, recently formed after boundary changes. Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay won with a margin of nearly 6,000 over the Tories’ Richard Rout.

The remaining Suffolk seats stay under Conservative control.

5 July 2024

Norfolk round-up of results

Seven seats changed hands in Norfolk yesterday:

• North Norfolk: Lib Dem gain from Conservatives. Steffan Aquarone comfortably took the seat back from Duncan Baker. Lib Dem for 18 years under Norman Lamb, Baker managed one term.
• South West Norfolk: Labour gain. Terry Jermy narrowly won over former Tory Prime Minster Liz Truss, who lost over 43% of her vote share since 2019.
• Lowestoft: Labour gain. Jess Asato for Labour beat incumbent Peter Aldous by 2,000 votes.
• Norwich North: Labour gain. Alice Macdonald beat Conservative Charlotte Salomon by nearly 11,000 votes.
• South Norfolk: Labour gain. Ben Goldsborough beat the Tory candidate by nearly 3,000 votes.
• Great Yarmouth: Reform gain. A narrow win over Labour; the Conservative managed 3rd place. 
• Waveney Valley (part Norfolk, part Suffolk): The Greens took this seat, recently formed after boundary changes. Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay won with a margin of nearly 6,000 over the Tories’ Richard Rout.

Norfolk is now a mix of colours – the five main English parties are represented here. In many places it was a story of fairly high Reform votes splitting the right wing vote share.

4 July 2024

Will unexpected high turn-out affect predicted poll result?

Reports from several sources throughout the day so far suggest that the voter turnout for the election may be much higher than expected. Those reports come from local observers and at a national level. In face Conservative HQ claims: “we could have a MUCH better chance than polls have suggested”.

Reports from rural polling stations in Suffolk suggest that, by mid-day, turn-out was already several times higher than anticipated.

4 July 2024

Last minute polling

Six opinion polls have produced constituency level predictions in the last week. They do not all agree, but the overall picture in the Eastern region is:

Conservatives win 12-22 seats
Labour win 31-40
Liberal Democrats win 3-6
Reform win 1-2

There are 14 seats where the polls disagree.

There are 15 seats where the average lead of the winner is under 5%. They are:

3 July 2024

Brexit supporting Reform candidate took EU money

A businessman standing as a Reform candidate in Waveney Valley and strongly supporting Brexit appears to have accepted an EU grant for his business.

Scott Huggins runs a property company called Big House Holiday Rentals, with his wife Clare. The company’s website clearly shows the EU’s European regional Development Fund motif, confirming that the company has asked for and been provided with an EU grant.

It is not known how Mr Huggins explains this request for EU money with his determination to leave the EU and thus deprive other British businesses of the same opportunities.

3 July 2024

Postal vote delays may rob Badenoch of close-run victory

Delays in getting postal votes to the public in the NW Essex seat of cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch might rob her of possible victory.

The seat was expected to be safe Conservative, but in the present climate the polls show it to be highly marginal. If that proves to be true and Badenoch wins by a small margin, the runner up (probably Labour) would be entitled to challenge the result in law, and have the election re-run.

If Labour were to win marginally, it is unlikely that the Tories would have the appetite for pursuing this one in probably several hundred losses. But with a Badenoch victory, a resurgent Labour would almost certainly pile in resources to get rid of one of the Tories’ most extreme leading voices. During the period between the elections, the Tories would be trying to elect a new leader. But Badenoch would still be a candidate, not an MP, so she wouldn’t qualify to run for the position.

1 July 2024

Could an independent candidate oust Truss?

An informal poll by door canvassers in South West Norfolk suggests the race is much closer than national polls indicate in what was the 11th safest Conservative seat in the country. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss is fighting for her political life after the shocking results were announced.

James Bagge, an independent candidate who we have profiled, who quit the Conservative Party in 2009, has garnered significant support. His 100+ strong campaign team, supported by endorsements from celebrities such as Anne Robinson, Rory Stewart, Dominic Grieve, Sir Anthony Gormley, and Sebastian Faulks, has been actively polling voter intent.

They knocked on 1,750 doors, and feedback suggests Truss is struggling. In some villages, Bagge has nearly 50% support, with overall enthusiasm for an independent candidate at around 45%. This contrasts sharply with the national MRP polls, which often overlay national data onto local demographics, potentially missing local factors, which East Anglia Bylines has previously highlighted.

In detailed breakdowns, one village saw 35 of 80 answered doors showing 15 votes for Bagge. In another, 70 of 160 responses indicated 40% support for him. One canvasser reported 175 of 465 engaged homeowners favoring Bagge, 175 ambivalent, and 115 supporting other parties.

South West Norfolk appears up for grabs, and while Labour is predicted to win nationally, James Bagge seems poised to lead locally if his team’s findings reflect the wider constituency.

On Thursday, we’ll find out.

1 July 2024

Who will show up for UKIP in Harlow at the count?

Lois Jasmine Perry was the UKIP parliamentary candidate for Harlow. She’s from Southend, and was announced as the new UKIP Leader on 13 May after taking over from former Tory MP, Neil Hamilton. Her resignation after just 34 days in the role came the day after she had endorsed Reform candidate Lee Anderson (AKA “30p Lee”).

Mark Gough, a previous UKIP parliamentary candidate and UKIP candidate in the local elections a few weeks earlier, sat in for her at a local hustings on 19 June, confirming that she had indeed stepped down as both Leader and candidate.

Bizarrely on 21 June, in the comments section of the local online paper, Your Harlow, two comments signed off as: “For Martin Casey”, stated that Mark Gough was not authorised to speak on Miss Perry’s behalf, or continue to associate her with UKIP, and that Gough wasn’t even her Election Agent. It wasn’t clear who the scribe was and the publication’s editor (Michael Casey) must surely have been bemused by the new monicker bestowed upon him.

Thursday night in Harlow might just be the ‘in’ place to be.

1 July 2024

Southend Reform candidate deselected

A Southend Reform candidate has been deselected days ahead of the General Election amid allegations of racism.

The Reform Party has withdrawn its support for three of its candidates, including Leslie Lilley, who is standing as the parliamentary candidate for Southend East and Rochford. Lilley had been mooted to be in line to get 20% of the vote on Thursday, according to recent polling, but he has been dropped by the party after he is alleged to have said he would “slaughter” migrants arriving in small boats in a Facebook post he allegedly made in 2020.

According to a Times article, Lilley is also alleged to have reacted to the news of a small boat arriving in Dover saying: “I hope I’m near one of the scumbags one day I won’t run away I’ll slaughter them then have their family taken out.”

Reform’s withdrawal of support comes after party leader Nigel Farage faced accusations from across the political divide of failing to tackle allegations of racism within Reform which have engulfed the party. Addressing an audience of thousands in Birmingham on Sunday, Mr Farage said: “Look, Reform is a new organisation. It’s a start-up and there were requests put out for candidates to stand. Have we had a few bad apples? We have, although to my knowledge nobody involved in an organised betting ring is standing for us, which is something. I have to say, the bad apples are gone. We’ll never have them back.”

Asked if he would withdraw his support from “these people”, Mr Farage said: “I wouldn’t want anything to do with them, people like Lilley, what he said is criminal.” Lilley will still be on the ballot paper as the Reform candidate despite the party pulling support for him. The Tories said that if 130,000 voters joined the Reform UK candidate who switched to back the Conservatives “it would be enough to stop Labour’s supermajority”.

Other candidates in Southend East and Rochford are Bayo Alaba (Lab), Gavin Haran (Con), Lee Clark (Confelicity), James Allen (Lib Dems), Simon Cross (Greens), Bianca Isherwood (Heritage).

29 June 2024

West Norfolk: ‘Lib Dem Rob’

An MP hopeful has said he has lost two stone in the past few months after attempting to knock on every door in his constituency as part of his election campaign. Rob Colwell, who is running to become an MP for the Liberal Democrats in North West Norfolk, has racked up more than 500 miles since the election was announced in May. While he admits knocking on every door is unlikely due to the tight time constraints, Mr Colwell thinks he has reached more than half of households.

The Norfolk district and county councillor hopes his conversations on the doorstep will be the difference at this election, as people look for change through choosing a local candidate. “I’ve really enjoyed this election campaign – It has been amazing for my health. I’ve spoken with people who have told me they haven’t had a politician knock on their door for 40 years. All these conversations are having a really positive effect. I don’t think any other candidate is putting in as much effort as me. As a lawyer, I’ve been sticking up for local people for 17 years and I will continue to stand up for the area if I am elected as your MP.”

He says the biggest issue coming up on the doorstep is the rebuild of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, with many frustrated at the lack of progress. “People are worried it will not get the funding it needs. I think it is a scandal, they have a deadline of 2030 but what on earth are they waiting for? Problems with the NHS and dentistry are coming up time and time again. We are left behind in west Norfolk and I will fight to change that.”

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is held up with thousands of props to stop the roof collapsing, is a key issue at this election. While polls say otherwise, Mr Colwell believes recent local election results show there is a swell of support for Lib Dems in North West Norfolk, and he fancies his chances to beat the Tory candidate James Wild.

Who is changing party?

Focaldata have just published their latest MRP poll results. They predict that, nationally, Labour will win 41% of the vote share, and that will convert into a Parliamentary majority of 250. But they also report a very high number (109) of marginal seats which might go to a different party, and an unprecedented number of three and four way marginals. So that 250 figure could be substantially wrong.

One critical factor is the scale of switching between parties. This matrix shows what proportion of 2019 voters intend to vote for the same or a different party this time. Two features are striking. First, that Labour and Brexit/Reform are much more successful in keeping their 2019 voters than the Conservatives.  Second, that Labour is attracting a high proportion of 2019 Liberal and Green voters.

22 June 2024

Big Beasts make a splash

Ed Davey, Libdem leader, donned a wet suit again with his parliamentary candidate Steffan Aquarone to swim in the North Sea.

His appearance, together with Sir Norman Lamb, highlighted again the need for clean seas & action against polluting water companies. This is, together with health & social care, a key part of the LibDem manifesto.

Davey and Aquarone caused a splash with other swimmers in Sheringham, Norfolk.

Aquarone is in a close dog fight against incumbent Tory MP Duncan Baker.

Baker has consistently voted with the government against amendments to control sewage discharges and make water company bosses accountable for polluting.

18 June 2024

Farage falls out with former Brexit mate over Yarmouth fight

The woman who founded the Brexit Party with Nigel Farage in 2019 accuses him of betrayal in not supporting her to be a candidate in Gt Yarmouth.

Catherine Blaiklock claims she had an agreement with him that he would back her for the role. Blaiklock eventually left the party over a series of tweets that were considered Islamophobic, and it later changed its name to Reform. Under that name it has appointed a Gt Yarmouth candidate who lives in the Cotswolds, hundreds of miles away. he is Rupert Lowe, former chairman of Southampton FC.

Blaiklock runs a guesthouse in Lingwood, in the Broads, and claims she remains a fan of Farage. But she will be standing instead as an English Democrat, a party which is mostly concerned with immigration.

“What does Rupert know about Great Yarmouth?” she asks. She admits Brexit has been a “catastrophe”, for which she blamed MPs – particularly those in Norfolk. Though perhaps oddly she admires former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Lamb, who represented North Norfolk for nearly two decades.

The right wing of politics will now be fought over by three candidates: English Democrats, Reform, and of course the Conservatives.

(via LDRS)

14 June 2024

Does a surprising by-election result signal trouble for Kemi Badenoch?

North West Essex Labour Party are hopeful for their general election candidate Issy Waite, after a surprise town council election result in Saffron Walden on 12 June.

In Castle and Little Walden ward Labour’s Cherry Parker beat the opposition with 515 votes, 45 more than the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) candidates put together.

Cherry Parker, Labour 515

Lucy Brett, R4U 259

David Sadler, Independent 186

Maria Pearson, Conservative 145

Andrew Baxter, Lib Dem 66

Labour’s win leaves R4U with 17 of the 18 councillors on the council. The Tories will be disappointed with this result as Maria Pearson is very experienced, having served on Brentwood Borough Council and two parish councils.

The result may be interesting to John Lodge of the North West Essex Primary campaign. It aims to find one progressive candidate for voters to coalesce behind in order to topple Mrs Badenoch on 4 July. R4U is not fielding a candidate in the general election.

13 June 2024

North Norfolk’s Great Climate Election Debate

Climate Norfolk will be quizzing North Norfolk’s parliamentary candidates about their views & their party’s proposals to address the climate crisis. Members of the audience will be encouraged to ask questions at the hustings on Wednesday 19 June, 7pm in North Walsham Community Centre.

Panel includes: Duncan Baker – Conservative; Steffan Aquarone – Liberal Democrats; Liz Dixon – Green Party and possibly candidates from Labour and Reform UK.

“Everywhere is affected in some way by the rapidly changing climate, but impacts such as coastal erosion put North Norfolk very much on the frontline.” said Stephen Little of Climate Norfolk. “While there are also huge opportunities in terms of job creation, home insulation, the protection of nature and creating a cleaner and safer living environment, difficult decisions will need to be made – politicians must be brave and honest, communities need to be involved.”

The free event aims to give the local community a chance to discuss the climate crisis with their candidates, while also raising the profile of climate change within the wider election debate. Dr Hayley Pinto will introduce the candidates with a short presentation.

Location: North Walsham Community Centre, New Road, North Walsham NR28 9DE

Time: 7pm Wednesday 19 June

10 June 2024

Record polling deepens Tory woes

One poll doesn’t make a summer, but the latest one from Redfield & Wilton will be a further shock for Conservatives. Carried out over last weekend, it has a very large sample (10,000), and confirms the pattern of other recent polls.

It shows the Conservatives on 19%, their lowest ever vote share. Only 40% of those who voted Conservative in 2019 plan to do so again, with 27% going to Reform UK, and 18% to Labour.

By contrast, Reform has its highest share ever, with 17%, putting them only two points behind the Conservatives. They now actually lead the Conservatives among people aged 45-64. However, because of their geographical spread, in a first past the post election, they are unlikely to win more than one seat.

On 45% of the vote share, Labour leads in all age groups, and their 26 point lead over the Conservatives is their highest ever.

The leaders both also clock up record scores. Starmer’s net approval is now +12 points, while Sunak’s is the lowest ever on -27 points. Again, on the question of who would be the best prime minister, Starmer’s lead of 21 points is the highest ever.

On an even vote swing, these numbers would give Labour 403 seats to the Conservatives’ 128, a majority of 276, larger that Tony Blair’s figure in 1997. The Liberal Democrats would have 43, and Reform one. Furthermore, Ben Ansell’s voting site suggests that, if 22% of anti Tory voters voted tactically, the the Liberal Democrats might reach 70 seats, to become the official Opposition.

9 June 2024

Nineteen polls: one conclusion

This election campaign looks set to drown us in opinion polls. Since the beginning of June 19 separate polls have been published, all from separate companies, each with its own sampling and methodology. But the pattern is remarkably consistent.

On average, they show Labour with 44% of the vote, and Conservatives with 23%.  The smaller parties have lower numbers: Reform on 13%, LibDems on 10% and Greens on 6%, but this can be misleading, since Greens and LibDems are likely to focus their campaigning in a small number of constituencies, where they are likely to beat the national poll figures. By contrast, Reform UK is standing in almost all constituencies, and may well win none of them.

Polls always report how the vote share has changed since that pollster’ previous poll. All but two of these show the Conservative vote dropping slightly, and all but two show a slight rise in the Labour vote.

In the East of England, these national vote shares, evenly distributed, would produce 46 Labour MPs, 11 Conservatives, and 4 Liberal Democrats.

9 June 2024

Nominations close: what are we being offered?

Nominations have closed for the election on 4^th July. There are 400 candidates standing in the 61 seats in East Anglia. They represent 26 parties, 10 of them offering a single candidate. There are also 37 Independents.

Every constituency has candidates for the four main parties – Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens. Reform is standing in 59.  After that, the Social Democratic Party is largest, with 10 candidates, followed by the Workers Party of Great Britain with 9, and the Heritage Party with 8. Five parties have 3 candidates, and four have 2.

The constituency with the most choice is Southend West and Leigh, with 10 candidates, including the Psychedelic Movement, Confelicity, the Heritage Party, and two Independents. There are nine candidates each in Chelmsford, Clacton (where Nigel Farage is standing for Reform), Ely & East Cambridgeshire, and South West Norfolk (Liz Truss’ seat).

5 June 2024

Another big poll shock for Conservatives in the East

Opinion polls all agree that if an election were to be held today, Labour’s vote share would be about 20 points ahead of the Conservatives. However, what matters is not national vote share, but where those votes are, so constituency level polling is important.

Three companies are now producing constituency level estimates, using MRP polling. This has proved broadly sound in the past, but it has limitations. It cannot take account of local issues, the history of the seat, the reputation of the candidates, or the strength of the local parties. So the results should be treated with some caution. But all three recent MRP polls broadly agree with each other, and all are consistent with the national picture from the conventional national polls.  

As the map shows, the latest MRP poll, from Survation, is even more shocking for Conservatives than the previous ones from YouGov and Electoral Calculus.

Of the 61 seats in the East of England, they predict that the Conservatives will only hold five, and only one with a vote share more than 3 points ahead of Labour.  

It suggests that tactical voting will be critical in four seats where the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat vote shares are very close. The Conservative would only be defeated by tactical voting in St Neots & Mid-Cambridgeshire, Harpenden & Berkhamsted, Ely & East Cambridgeshire, and North Norfolk.

5 June 2024

Suffolk Council to give tax relief to environmentally-friendly businesses in ‘carrot and stick’ approach

East Suffolk District Council will award tax relief to environmentally-friendly businesses in a ‘carrot and stick’ approach. Members of the council’s cabinet unanimously agreed on policy proposals yesterday to provide business rate relief and exclusions to businesses with a low or zero carbon focus. At the same time, the amended Local Discretionary Rate Relief (LDRR) policy means businesses engaged in the oil and gas sector will not be eligible for rate relief.

Cllr Toby Hammond, who proposed the change, said the carrot and stick approach would ensure the district established itself as a hub for low carbon and environmentally positive businesses. He added: “It’s a relatively small but important change to our policy which will mean that we can further encourage new businesses into our area who are doing great low carbon things.”

The change was made under the 2011 Localism Act which allowed local authorities to ward business rate relief to any type of organisation within their boundary. The officer’s report stated: “LDRR provides Councils with much greater flexibility in awarding rate relief and critically is based on locally determined criteria which will support the council’s local sustainable economic objectives.”

Via LDRS

4 June 2024

James Cleverly’s flag gaffe

James Cleverly, candidate for Braintree, found himself in hot water during an interview with Kay Burley on Sky News. She pointed out that a Tory promotional video included footage of a union flag flown upside down, traditionally a distress signal. Cleverly refused to be drawn on whether this amounted to a gaffe.

Never mind, James. Michael Green’s The art of coarse sailing told of an attempt to use the flag as a distress signal on the Norfolk Broads, back in 1962. The only response it had was from the man who called out: “I say, you’ve got your ensign upside down.”

3 June 2024

NW Essex Primary — results for first informal poll

NW Essex Primary have announced the results are in for their first informal poll. Labour’s Issy Waite is currently in the lead with their subscribers.

Labour’s Issy Waite 58% 

Liberal’s Smita Rajesh 28% 

Green’s Edward Gildea 13%. 

Independent candidates less than 1% together

That is the story so far. NW Essex Primary remind us it’s an informal poll and only around 64% of their subscribers voted. A lot could change.

For more on this story see NW Essex Primary’s website at https://mailchi.mp/2c063d214c3f/the-vote-is-in-12701991 . And for the background to primaries more broadly, and their campaign to help voters coalesce around one progressive candidate in their constituency to unseat Conservative incumbents, see Jenny Rhodes’s article at https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/featured/primaries-reliable-tactical-voting-comes-to-east-anglia/

NW Essex Primary will be polling their members again next weekend.

1 June 2024

Next Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire?

On Tuesday 4 June, the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel will be asked to confirm the appointment of the county’s new deputy police and crime commissioner (DPCC).

The new police and crime commissioner (PCC), John Tizard, announced Ms Umme Ali as his choice for DPCC during his election campaign.

The Panel will be asked to recommend whether or not Ms Ali should be appointed – but the PCC can reject their decision.

As the deputy PCC, Ms Ali will assist and advise the PCC on championing victims and strategic policy for reducing violence against women and children.

Ms Ali was elected to Luton Borough Council in May 2021 and re-elected in May 2023, and is the council’s portfolio holder for Children’s Health and Wellbeing.

She also sits on the council’s Corporate Parenting Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board, and is a trustee and board member at Luton Foodbank and Citizens Advice Bureau Luton.

Ms Ali is also a specialist paediatric dietitian at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, working in the areas of paediatric oncology and type one diabetes.

Ms Ali can take up the role “with immediate effect” should the PCC choose to confirm the appointment after hearing the Panel’s recommendations.

via LDRS

31 May 2024

Was it luck or good old strategic thinking that launched Hannah Ellis into the post of Parliamentary Candidate for Harlow, announced late on Thursday 30 May by the Harlow Conservative Party?

Earlier this month, in her first attempt to be a councillor, Ellis won a seat in the Great Parndon ward in Harlow District Council – an election which left the Conservatives with a one seat majority over Labour (17-16).

At the Council meeting held on 23 May, it was announced Ellis would head up Corporate Services and Transformation. This post was previously held by Cllr Michael Hardware who was put in charge of Finance after the previous portfolio holder, James Leppard, was suspended on 18 April for alleged Islamophobic social media comments. Without voters knowing of his suspension, he was re-elected to his ward this month.

Despite reassurances that Leppard’s investigation would be concluded shortly after the local elections, nothing has been announced. His suspension has left the two parties in a tie, meaning the crucial vote is being cast at Council by the impartial (Conservative) Chair, Cllr Andrew Johnson.

If Ellis is elected to be Harlow’s MP and chooses to remain a councillor to avoid a by-election, the following scenario might unfold: she could step down from her role as Corporate Services and Transformation, passing it back to Hardware, and Leppard will likely be welcomed back into the fold to ensure a Conservative majority.

30 May 2024

Time for change

‘Change’ its the keyword of the Labour campaign, and the latest poll from Redfield and Wilton suggests that voters really want change. Probably more than Labour is promising. Could they choose to be bolder?

30 May 2024

Petty party politics in Breckland

A row has erupted in Liz Truss’ constituency, with the Conservatives accused of “petty party politics”. Terry Jermy, who would traditionally have been elected to the key council role after his stint as vice chairman, said he missed out because he was standing as the Labour MP candidate against Liz Truss.

The row at Breckland Council’s annual meeting saw Keith Gilbert, an independent member, elected as chairman. The Conservative-run council opted to select Mr Gilbert in an unusual move. The new chairman himself said it had “come out of the blue. I didn’t see this coming. I’m totally unprepared for this.”

Roger Atterwill, leader of the Independent and Green group, said that he was “not aware that this has ever happened before” and added that “it is petty party politics”.

Mr Jermy said: “I am naturally disappointed to not take up the role of chairman. I care passionately about the area and would have liked the opportunity to serve in the role. I think this is further evidence that the contest in South West Norfolk is closer than many predicted. The clear tradition is for the vice chairman to become the chairman but that did not happen on this occasion and I am sad to think tradition has been the victim of party politics.”

Mr Jermy said he has noticed a “sudden surge of support” in his campaign – following Ms Truss’ publicity campaign for her memoir Ten Years To Save The West. He said her media appearances in the UK and USA had helped swell his election fundraising pot to its £5,000 target.

By Eleanor Storey, Local Democracy Reporter

Cleverly Strikes Again

27 May 2024

In a recent interview James Cleverly blamed the doctor & nurses strike for NHS patient waiting list rising in England to 7.7m.

According to a chart published by the Financial Times waiting lists were under 3m in 2012. They rose to about 7m before the start of the strikes.

26 May 2024

Cleverly caught out

Home Secretary James Cleverly, MP for Braintree, has been caught out for stating incorrect facts about knife crime.

After the BBC fact checked his claim Laura Kuenssberg issued a statement:

“James Cleverly told you that if you exclude London from statistics on knife crime, the number of offences are falling in England and Wales….. But knife crime is up in almost half police crime areas.

26 May 2024

Tories this week and last

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a plan to bring back national service has taken many by surprise this weekend. Defence Under-Secretary Andrew Murrison stated just last week that “The Government has no current plans to reintroduce National Service.” Murrison highlighted concerns that national service recruits could harm morale, recruitment, and the professional nature of the armed forces. Since 1963, he said, policy has favoured a professional military staffed by volunteers. Today’s abrupt policy shift raises questions about what prompted such a dramatic change in direction within a week. See post below for one answer.

26 May 2024

National Service policy not as mad as it seems

On Sunday morning, the airwaves blew up over the announcement by the Conservatives of “compulsory” National Service for young people, with Braintree’s James Cleverly doing the TV rounds defending the policy, while changing the details of it as the morning wore on. It is clearly a last-minute back-of-the-fag-packet policy that hasn’t been thought through.

While it might seem nonsensical, there is method in their madness. The Conservatives are being attacked from both the left and the right, in the shape of Labour and Reform. This new policy is designed to snatch back Reform voters, and the polling suggests it strongly appeals to them:

Would you support or oppose compulsory national service for young people? Support: 42%; Oppose: 34%. Net support: +8 Net support amongst… 18-34 year olds: -3; 35-49: -5; 50-64: +14; Over-65s: +26; 2019 Con: +30; 2019 Lab: -7; Reform: +38. Polling conducted on 2-5 May with 2,001 adults by JLP/Rest Is Politics podcast.

The Conservatives smell blood as polls show a slow decline in support for Reform from its high in April. Winning back a proportion of their voters will likely save them a number of seats, including some in the East of England. The gamble is will the Conservatives pull enough voters from Reform to outweigh previously apathetic young voters who will be so appalled by this announcement they will now be galvanised to vote Labour to stop this?

25 May 2024

Labour candidate for South Cambridgeshire is Luke Viner

Luke Viner, Chair of South Cambridgeshire Constituency Labour Party, has been selected to stand as parliamentary candidate.

The composition of the constituency for the election has been much altered by the 2023 boundary review. Some areas have been lost to the newly created St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire seat; wards have been gained from Cambridge City and the former South East Cambridgeshire (renamed Ely and East Cambridgeshire for the 2024 election onwards).

Other changes to the political landscape include 2019 MP Anthony Browne’s move to contest the new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire. Picture above is of Browne. South Cambs is a constituency to watch.

25 May 2024

Liz’s Man in Black

Liz Truss has finally made an appearance in her constituency and has tweeted about canvassing with supporters in Ashill.

But who is the gentleman on the far left, in shades and a black bomber jacket? A bodyguard for an ex PM?

The gentleman has been identified as Mark Littlewood, former director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), who backed her disastrous budget when she was PM.

Back in 2004 Littlewood was head of media for the LibDems and was later an advisor to David Cameron’s government. In 2018, Littlewood was recorded telling an undercover reporter that the Institute of Economic Affairs is in the ‘Brexit-influencing game’.

As of February 2024, Littlewood was the director of “Popular Conservatism”, a faction within the Conservative Party led by Liz Truss.

25 May 2024

The new face of right wing politics…

The leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, has announced he is to stand as a candidate in Boston and Skegness at the general election.

In contrast Reform UK founder and honorary president Nigel Farage has said he will not stand in the upcoming election, but he will “do my bit to help” the party in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Brexiters should, by rights, still be doing the biggest & longest lap of honour in the history of British politics. “Instead they‘re all pissing off” tweeted LBC’s James O’Brien.

Farage is off to support Trump. Gove, Leadsom, the architects of Brexit, and at least 70 other Tories are desperately running away from the consequences of what they’ve done over the past 14 years.

25 May 2024

Brexit champions ‘running away’ from what they’ve done

As is already being pointed out, many of Brexit’s most prominent supporters seem to be leaving the Commons of their own accord, before they can be voted out. Some observers are interpreting this as ‘running away’.

This is very early days in the election campaign, but already there are signs that the whole political picture may change even before the vote.

EAB’s election blog will keep you up to date with every whisper as it affects our region, with news posted as it happens.

24 May 2024

Child contracts rare disease in River Stour

A school student has contracted a severe infection of the rare Weil’s disease after swimming in the River Stour at Dedham, the East Anglian Daily Times reports.

The illness was the subject of a letter sent by Dedham Parish Council to pupils and parents at East Bergholt High School. It is spread by rat urine. The EADT quotes an Environment Agency spokesperson saying the risks of such infections are higher in waters not designated as bathing areas. A stretch of the River Stour that was recently awarded bathing status is Friars Meadow, Sudbury, around fifteen miles upstream.

Dedham is in Harwich and North Essex constituency, whose MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, is interested in environmental concerns. He will be standing for re-election in July.

Has election saved Truss blushes over fears of nobody at book signings?

Liz Truss has postponed two book-signing events, due to take place in King’s Lynn and Beccles at the end of May, until after the election, the Eastern Daily Press reports.

The Beccles signing has been rescheduled to 13 August. A staff member at King’s Lynn Waterstone’s said the event might happen in mid-August, but added that it might not go ahead at all.

The Truss book (Ten Years to save the West) is reported to have sold around 2,000 copies in the first week of publication, compared with 21,000 for David Cameron’s memoir and 92,000 for Tony Blair’s book.

24 May 2024

Smaller political parties are being gagged

The Lib Dems, Greens and SNP face being cut out of televised leadership debates, as broadcasters plan to focus on two head-to-head contests between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

Broadcasters are confident they can exclude smaller political parties after a court ruling during the 2019 general election that concluded there were no legal grounds to force ITV to include the Lib Dems and SNP in its debate.

The high court said the format of election debate programmes was an editorial matter for broadcasters and the media regulator Ofcom. Broadcasters can meet the requirements for due impartiality by giving smaller parties airtime in other programmes.

In February 2023 Dr Russell Jackson, senior lecturer in communication and public relations at Sheffield Hallam University, wrote an open letter to the BBC about Question Time bias. To date he’s received no reply.

24 May 2024

93 vacancies and counting….

As wannabe MPs across the country are putting their election campaigns into gear, spare a thought for the harassed folks at the Conservative Party HQ. 

Rishi Sunak’s sodden (sorry, sudden) announcement of the date of the General Election seems to have caught them by surprise as they are still looking for prospective candidates for 93 seats.

It isn’t clear whether the list includes Wokingham, as John Redwood only announced that he won’t be standing again this morning.

Redwood, a former Cabinet minister, has represented his constituency since 1987. He is the 73rd Tory to stand down.

24 May 2024

Welcome back Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock, the MP for West Suffolk, who had the Conservative whip removed for misconduct, has had it restored.

It is not clear however what this involves. West Suffolk Tories have already chosen a successor candidate to replace him, so there is no question of his becoming a candidate again.

Presumably it is so he can see out his last weeks as a Conservative MP, rather than as an independent – though with little effect.

The move is described by the Tory party as an act of “goodwill”.

24 May 2024

PR nightmare – a flood of deserting MPs

It is being claimed that Tory whips have asked MPs to stagger their announcements about not seeking re-election to avoid the appearance of party disarray.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a growing exodus of Tory MPs, some reeling from Wednesday’s snap election announcement, and others, if the polls are to be believed, daunted by a tough re-election battle against Labour.

The whips have been managing the standing down announcements for some months. Time will tell if this continued coordination of announcements will produce a more positive narrative, prevent a PR crisis and maintain Tory morale and party unity.

The Conservative leadership is keen to project stability and resilience despite internal challenges and the looming election.

23 May 2024

Change is the magic word for voters

Labour’s choice of ‘Change’ at the core of their election campaign was predictable.

For several years the word has been top of every voter’s priority list, from every political quarter. Ed Miliband used ‘change’ in his 2010 party conference slogan. Rishi Sunak even tried it himself for a while.

But the fact that change is sought by everybody, including those on the far right, only tells us that the country is discontented, even if for diametrically opposed reasons.

How Labour chooses to use the word once elected will tell us how radical they want to be.

23 May 2024

Essex Deputy Speaker Quits

Eleanor Laing, Conservative MP for Epping Forest for 27 years, has announced that she will not be contesting her seat at the July 4 general election.

Dame Eleanor, who has served as a Deputy Speaker in the Commons for 10 years, said that is “very difficult to give up a job that you love”.

She joins John Baron, Will Quince, James Duddridge and Robert Halfon on the list of Essex MPs so far standing down.

23 May 2024

Red face for Duncan Baker in North Norfolk

North Norfolk MP Duncan Baker faced embarrassment this week when one of his many pre-election newsletters featured a local farmer.

The ‘You & Your Family’ leading front page photo gave the impression that regenerative farmer Ali Cargill, based in Gimingham, supports Conservative policies.

But far from it. The farmer is a long time Labour Party member, and lost no time pointing out to the news media his objections to being misrepresented.

Mr Cargill said: “The image was taken during a farm visit where I grilled Mr Baker on such enjoyable subjects as sewage in our waterways and the disastrous UK trade deals.”

Baker admits he “didn’t give a second’s thought” to Cargill’s views before using the picture.

Via Local Democracy Reporting Service

23 May 2024

Wild rumours! Why Sunak called the election

Rumours abound on the timing of Rishi Sunak’s calling the election. And his own MPs’ reaction to it.

There are claims he called it to avoid suffering another vote of no confidence. Other claims are that such a vote has been accelerated by the election call.

There are even claims that some Conservative MPs are seeking to have the general election called off – even though constitutionally that is entirely a matter for the monarch and his Prime Minister.

23 May 2024

Jo Churchill not to fight election

Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds, this morning tweeted a letter she’d written to the Prime Minister, date 26 April, announcing that she will not fight the election.

Her letter claims many achievements of her time representing the people of Suffolk: commitment to build the West Suffolk hospital, driving upgrades to the A14, new school buildings “from Abbeygate to Stowmarket High, from Grace Cook to Thurston Primary” and much-needed improvements to special needs education on the horizon.

She has frequently featured in the East Anglia Bylines political gossip column ‘Pecksniff’s Diary‘.

Her letter cites family reasons for her decision to stand down, and ends: “to those who have looked beyond the politics to become true friends I thankyou from the bottom of my family’s heart.”

22 May 2024

Harlow’s Yasmin Gregory ‘not a career politician’

Yasmin Gregory, Leader of Harlow Green Party says she was pleased to hear the announcement of a General Election on 4 July, made today by what she calls “the unelected Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak”. She says having taken 25% of the votes cast in the local elections, she knows that the people of Harlow want Green representation.

“Since the last General Election,” she adds, “the country has seen a steady growth of the Green Party. In May the Party gained 74 councillors at England’s local elections, taking its total tally to more than 800 councillors on 174 councils. It is imperative that everyone in Harlow votes for who they want to be the next MP for the town. For those residents who chose not to vote (75% did not vote in the local election), for those who say they are not interested in politics, as Martha Gellhorn, the famous journalist and war correspondent said, ‘They might as well say, ‘I’m not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my rights, my freedoms, my future or any future.’

Gregory says she isn’t a career politician, just “an ordinary person who could not stand by and say nothing about what is happening in Harlow”. She finished, “You have a Green candidate who is prepared to represent you in Westminster. Now is the time to use your vote.”

22 May 2024

General Election finally announced

Rishi Sunak has announced a general election on 4 July in a speech on the steps of Downing Street amid heavy rainfall. His announcement is a bold move that has shocked Tory MPs, especially with the party trailing by an average of 20 points in the polls. It comes amidst rumours that a sufficient number of letters had gone into the 1922 committee from disgruntled MPs to oust him as leader, so forcing his hand.

Speaking outside No10 this afternoon in pouring rain, the Prime Minister declared, “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future.”

Much of his speech was drowned out by the song “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream, played by protester Steve Bray on speakers outside the Downing Street gates. The song was famously used by Labour in their 1997 election campaign.

22 May 2024

New Lord Mayor for Norwich

Norwich’s new Lord Mayor and Sheriff have been revealed and pledged their commitment to supporting the city’s young people. The ceremony at City Hall saw Vivien Thomas, a Labour councillor, sworn in as Lord Mayor of Norwich.

Thomas was first elected in 2010 after moving from Nottinghamshire with her husband Vaughan – who was also Lord Mayor between 2019 and 2021. The new Sheriff is Sirajul Islam, who works closely with Norwich Central Mosque and Islamic Centre and was recognised as a “shining light in his community”. The pair will represent the city at hundreds of events throughout the year, such as formal openings and charitable activities.

Mrs Thomas believes there are stark inequalities facing this city with people struggling with issues including housing, poverty and social isolation. “There are many organisations and individuals working hard to close these gaps,” she says, “and I look forward to bringing more recognition to the work of these groups. I hope to shine a light for young people on why they might consider a path into politics and how they might go about it.”

Mr Islam, the new Sheriff, moved to Norwich from Bangladesh nearly 30 years ago and is “heavily involved” with the city’s Muslim community. James Wright, the former Lord Mayor, said: “Sirajul is open and welcoming, and uses his faith to promote community cohesion. He does all of this with a smile on his face. He has all of the necessary qualities to represent the city and its citizens.”

Mr Islam and Mrs Thomas will raise money throughout the year for their chosen civic charity, the Benjamin Foundation. The charity works on tackling youth homelessness and bullying in schools and supports families in crisis.

The meeting also saw Mike Stonard re-elected as Labour leader of Norwich City Council, which is under no overall control.

Via Local Democracy Reporting Service

22 May 2024

Fall in inflation brings hope the inflation surge is coming to an end

The UK has seen its largest drop in inflation in 45 years, raising hopes that the recent surge is ending. However, the legacy of higher prices remains. CPI inflation fell to 2.3% in April 2024, down from 3.2% in March, nearing the Bank of England’s 2% target for the first time since July 2021. Despite this progress, the Resolution Foundation warns that services inflation (e.g. education, hospitality and culture) remains high, and the impact of elevated prices persists.

The sharp decline in inflation was primarily driven by reduced energy costs, as Ofgem’s price cap dropped from £1,928 in Q1 2024 to £1,690 in Q2. This rapid decrease has brought the UK’s inflation rate below that of the euro area for the first time since March 2022 and below the US rate since March 2024. While overall inflation has stabilised, service-related inflation remains stubbornly high at 5.9%, above the Bank of England’s expected 5.5%.

The period of high inflation has significantly affected the cost of essential goods, with energy prices up 67% and food prices up 32% since July 2021. This disproportionally impacts poorer households, who spend more on these essentials. The inflation shock has also altered consumer behavior, with households saving 6% of their disposable income in late 2023, a significant increase from the pre-pandemic rate of 1.5%.

James Smith, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation, acknowledges the positive trend in headline inflation but notes that persistent price pressures, especially in services, remain a concern.

20 May 2024

Breckland Tory councillor defects

The Conservatives have lost another Norfolk council member just weeks after having been dealt a gloomy set of election results. Tina Kiddell, who represents Watton at Breckland Council, has defected from the party to sit as an independent after becoming “disillusioned” by the Tories.

While this will mean little for the Conservative Party’s large majority on the council – with 30 members remaining – it follows other significant losses for the group on a local and national level.The Tories suffered defeats across the county at the local elections, notably losing their majority on South Norfolk Council for the first time since 2007.

Ms Kiddell, who lives in Watton, said she thought the party had “lost touch with reality”. Announcing the news on Facebook, she said: “I wanted to let you all know personally before you hear it second hand – today I crossed the floor at Breckland Council. I fought with my conscience for a long time. In all honesty, I could not put my name to a party that has lost touch with the people, locally and nationally. I deeply apologise to anyone that voted for me because of my party. But rest assured that I will now be able to beat the Watton drum harder and louder without the constraints of political games.”

Ms Kiddell, who has represented the Conservative group on the council since her election in 2019, will now sit with the Independent and Green Group, led by Roger Atterwill.

Via Local Democracy Reporting Service

19 May 2024

Great Yarmouth’s Grand Makeover

Regeneration of Gt Yarmouth continues apace. On top of the restoration of the Victorian Winter gardens, the town’s Ice House and Market Place are being transformed.

A £5.8m public realm improvement project at the Market Place will improve walkways, shoppers parking and green space seating. This follow the completion of the £4.7m market revamp which aims to create a piazza-style square reminiscent of Italian cities. New lighting, street furniture and repairs to pavements are planned.

The Market Place project was part of an EU funding programme to revive declining markets. Castle Point and Basildon in Essex have also benefitted.

The Ice House in Great Yarmouth’s Southtown is also getting a revamp. Once key to the coastal town’s thriving fishing industry, plans are underway to change the 19th century Grade II listed building into an arts & circus skills space. Out There Arts has received £2m in funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Subject to council officers approving the renovation – a decision will be made at a planning meeting this week – tightrope walking, acrobatics and juggling will soon be the Ice House’s new purpose.

Via Local Democracy Reporting Service

18 May 2024

‘Its the rich what gets the gravy’

The five richest people in the East of England own £40 billion between them. That is £6,400 for every man, woman and child in the region. Or enough to pay the average wage to over 1 million people.
And they pay little tax on it.

17 May 2024

LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL: PCC’s “trust” ambition

Joint working is essential to help boost community policing in Bedfordshire and restore public trust in the local force, according to the county’s new Police and Crime Commissioner.

Accountability and transparency are key themes for Labour’s John Tizard, who was elected to the role earlier this month.

Invited to speak to Luton Borough Council’s scrutiny crime and disorder committee, he recalled spending more than 18 years as a councillor in Bedfordshire.

Mr Tizard described local government as “absolutely the cornerstone of our democratic system to represent local people and communities, and to hold to account all of us, whether we’re elected or appointed as public officials”.

Although accountable to the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel, he explained: “I want to be accessible to the three local authorities and indeed the town and parish councils. So here, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford borough.

“And there are relationships with business, community organisations, faith groups and the residents. We all have a contribution to make to prevent, address and reduce crime, as well as hold those responsible for breaking the law to account.

“How do we have the community feeding into the police, feeling confident in them and having access to them, with joint advisory groups to identify the issues?”

Via Local Democracy Reporting Service

15 May 2024

Goodbye Liz Truss. Or not.

A former HGV driver hopes to drive Liz Truss out of her Norfolk South West seat at the next general election after 14 years as MP.

Josie Ratcliffe, a Downham Market councillor, will be the LibDems parliamentary candidate. She joins Labour’s Terry Jermy, Independent James Bagge and Reform candidate Toby McKenzie in vying to topple Ms Truss.

Key issues for Ms Ratcliffe include tackling NHS waiting lists and ending west Norfolk’s status as a “dental desert”, as well as supporting the rebuild of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and finding long-term solutions to end the cost of living crisis.

She is up against Mr Bagge, who was among the so-called Turnip Taliban opposing Ms Truss’s selection before she was elected in 2010.

Bagge has embarked on a 150-mile walk visiting towns and villages in the constituency to learn about voters concerns.

Labour candidate Mr Jermy, well-known in Thetford in his role as a town and district councillor for Breckland, has said he has seen a recent surge in support following the publicity campaign for Ms Truss’ memoir, Ten Years to Save the West.

The Tories have held the constituency since the 1960s. Electoral Calculus give Truss a 65% chance of holding the seat.

Via Local Democracy Reporting

15 May 2024

New laws to be introduced to prosecute dangerous cyclists

The Government has today agreed to introduce new laws so cyclists who kill or seriously injure because of dangerous cycling, or who kill through careless cycling, face the same penalties as drivers and motorcyclists who do so.

Ministers have backed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to introduce the ‘Offence of causing death by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate cycling, and causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate cycling’. The most recent figures show that 531 people were involved in accidents with cyclists in 2022. Of those, 120 were seriously injured, and three died.

The government will bring forward an updated amendment to the Bill as it enters the House of Lords where it will be further debated.

“Most cyclists, like most drivers, are responsible and considerate, says Transport Secretary Mark Harper. “But it’s only right that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full weight of the law for doing so. Just like car drivers who flout the law, we are backing this legislation introducing new offences around dangerous cycling.”

15 May 2024

Send polluting water company bosses to jail!

LibDem MP Tim Farron will table an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill today to criminalise water bosses who fail to crack down on sewage spills.

“The LibDems have long been calling for an overhaul of the privatised water companies that currently make up our utilities industry.” Steffan Aquarone, Lib Dem candidate for North Norfolk, told East Anglia Bylines.

“Aside from the fact their profits go out of the country to foreign owners and are not reinvested in the infrastructure that would have prevented sewage spills in the first place, one of the main failings of late has been the lack of accountability for water company bosses when it comes to sewage discharge.”

The proposed new change in the law would deliver justice for swimmers, wildlife and our natural environment.

In Aquarone’s view not only has the regulator failed to enforce the legislation properly but he believes that dumping sewage in the sea has become merely a cost of business for most water companies – cheaper by comparison to any mitigation or infrastructure investment measures.

“I am absolutely appalled that this is still carrying on. I am therefore delighted to see that Tim Farron is pushing to criminalise bosses of water companies who allow sewage pollution into our waters.”

15 May 2024

Essex Crime Report – sticky tape on noticeboard!

A town council chief has reported residents to police for alleged criminal damage after they stuck a leaflet on a noticeboard using an “adhesive tape”.

Bernard Arscott, chairman of Leigh-on-Sea Town Council, claimed members damaged the noticeboard’s Perspex covering with their leaflet, advertising a meeting.

In response to the police complaint, independent town councillor Carole Mulroney said: “A little bit of soap and water would take care of it. It beggars belief.”

It is understood the leaflet referred to an online petition put up by the Looking After Leigh Group seeking councillors who were elected in uncontested seats to resign and “submit themselves for a proper vote”.

Arscott has claimed the petition and campaign is being spear-headed by “former councillors with poor track records”.

Cate Willoughby who helped organise the petition, said: “I am often stopped on the street by residents who are hugely concerned about Leigh Town Council and complaints of staff bullying, the lack of financial understanding, poor budget control, and outrageous spending on locums as well as dismissive behaviour towards councillors and concerned residents.

“At last week’s community action, councillors called the police rather than speak to the residents.”

Via Local Democracy Reporting

14 May 2024

Better Health Comes to Hertfordshire

A ‘Better Health Bus’ is to tour Hertfordshire offering free NHS health check-ups. The bus with two consultation rooms and skilled staff has been dubbed “an absolutely brilliant initiative”. It will provide free health and wellbeing services, offering blood pressure tests, advice around high cholesterol and quitting smoking.

Hertfordshire County Council’s public health team has secured £88,680 funding plus VAT for the vehicle using Covid funding from central government.

Jo Meola, senior health improvement manager, said “While the bus is available to all residents in all ten districts of the county, one of its prime purposes is to go into geographical areas and communities who are more disadvantaged by health inequalities and would otherwise not access such services which lead to poorer health outcomes.”

Following its launch at Farnham House on June 4, the bus will appear at:

• Event Island, Stevenage town centre, June 7 and 8 (from 10 to 4pm)
• Market Traders Square, South Oxhey, June 11 to 13 (from 10am to 4pm)
• Watford High Street, June 14 and 15 (10am to 4pm)
• Borehamwood Shopping Park, June 18 to 22, (10am to 4pm)
• Lidl, Waltham Cross, June 25 to 27 (10am to 4pm)
• Brookfield Shopping Centre, June 28 and 29 (10am to 4pm)

Via Local Democracy Reporting

14 May 2024

Hertfordshire – Who’ll look after our infants?

In the spring budget of 2023, the Chancellor announced that childcare funding would be extended to eligible working parents of children over nine months old in England, to help them get back to work.

But Councillors have questioned whether there are enough nursery workers in Hertfordshire.

The expansion is being rolled out in phases. The first phase of the expansion programme sees up to 15 hours of free childcare for working parents of two-year-olds beginning at the next term, effective from April 1, 2024.

From September 2025, working parents of babies over nine months will be able to access up to 30 hours of free childcare at the beginning of the next term.

To be eligible, parents must work at least 16 hours per week earning above the National Living Wage, with a cut off point of £100,000 per year, per parent.

Cllr Lesley Greensmyth said: “My concerns are when you’ve got 30 hours for nine-month-olds, you’re going to need an awful lot of staff and also you’re going to need space in the nurseries.”

“I think in Hertfordshire, a constant barrier is finding affordable space for new provision.” said Melany Knowles, the council’s head of early years’ services. “Which is one of the reasons why we are also heavily recruiting childminders.”

Via Local Democracy Reporting

12 May 2024

How you vote and what you get

Our readers will already be aware that first past the post elections produce peculiar results. They rarely reflect the votes cast.

The recent local elections prove the point dramatically. The graphic shows examples from three of our constituencies. For each constituency we show the vote share (on the left) and the seat share (on the right) won by each party (using only the one third of seats up for election this time). In all three, first past the post turned less than half the votes into an overwhelming majority of seats.

In the ‘safe’ conservative seat of Broxbourne, the Conservatives won 90% of the seats with only a third of the votes. In a mirror image, in the ‘safe’ Labour seat of Ipswich, Labour won 81% of the seats on 45% of the votes.

Watford is an interesting case. In the 2019 general election the Conservatives won the seat with a majority of 4,433 over Labour, with the Liberal Democrats in a very poor third place. However, the Liberal Democrats control the council with 30 of the 36 council seats. In these local elections, first past the post gave the Liberal Democrats 92% of the seats with less than half the votes, while Labour scraped only 9% of seats with 29% of the votes. However, opinion polling suggests that Labour will win the constituency in a general election.

Watch this space, but don’t expect the results to match what we vote for.

7 May 2024

Impersonating a police officer?

Times reports (£), apparently working on replies to Freedom of Information Act requests made by East Anglia Bylines, reveal that the new Labour administration in Thurrock is being asked by the College of Policing to justify the Council’s use of the .police.uk suffix on their URL. Prior to May 2 Thurrock Council was Tory controlled.

East Anglia Bylines conducted a two year investigation which into allegations that NATIS (Thurrock’s National Investigation Service) posed as a National Law Enforcement agency. NATIS, whose stated remit is “investigate serious crime where public authorities or the funds they manage have been targeted”, was staffed by Thurrock council employees and does not meet the definition of Law Enforcement under the Data Protection Act. Nor did it meet the criteria to be part of the British Policing Community or have permission from the National Police Chiefs Council to operate its website nationally. By doing so, and, by having a logo that looks like a crown, and, purporting to be part of law enforcement, Thurrock Council now face accusations that they were impersonating Police officers.

The URL natis.police.uk now resolves to https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/fraud-and-other-economic-crime/national-investigation-service-natis.

7 May 2024

After the local elections in the East: the state of the parties

There are 50 local authorities in the East of England (including the 45 District Councils, 6 County Councils and 6 Unitary authorities.

Twenty of the 45 Districts held elections on 2^nd May.  Following those elections 19 are now led by some form of coalition.

The political balance (all councils) is now as follows:

7 May 2024

Breckland Council expansion plans

Breckland Council in Norfolk aims to expand its size, proposing an increase in councillors from 49 to 51 due to underrepresentation in over a third of its wards.

The Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) has initiated a public consultation to determine new ward boundaries. This move follows a decade since the council’s last review, which saw a reduction in councillors by 9%. With a population growth of 8.5% since 2011 and plans for 16,500 new homes by 2046, the expansion seeks to align representation with demographic changes and accommodate effective decision-making.

The LGBC hopes that filling two new posts would help to improve the services provided by the council. However, this would not come into force for three years. It added that the increased number of members would ensure that any debate is “informed by a range of views and opinions”, and avoid detrimental impact due to absences or unavailability.

The public consultation, spanning ten weeks, began today, encouraging community input in shaping Breckland’s future. Have your say here.

Via Local Democracy Reporting

4 May 2024

Result confirms Greens as main challenger to Tories in Waveney Valley

The Conservatives face a potential loss of control over South Norfolk Council following the Green Party’s victory in the Bunwell by-election on Thursday. Freelance writer Suzanne Wateridge secured the win, becoming the first-ever Green councillor on the council.

The election, prompted by the death of Conservative councillor Stephen Ridley, erases the Tories’ slim majority, putting the Tories on equal footing with opposition parties. This outcome could see control hinge on the deciding vote of the council chair.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay was pleased with Wateridge’s win, saying it confirmed the Greens as the primary challenger to the Conservatives in the newly-formed Waveney Valley constituency. With the Greens now holding 13 district council seats compared to Conservatives’ 10 across the constituency – which includes Diss and Harleston as well as the Suffolk towns of Eye, Bungay and Halesworth – their influence is evident.

Wateridge says she’s excited to be able to represent residents in her ward. She added: “It’s very clear from my conversations on the doorstep that people have been put off politics because they feel that they are not listened to. I aim to change that”.

4 May 2024

Can a Leppard change its spots?

When will Harlow Conservatives announce the findings of their investigation into Cllr James Leppard and the allegations of him posting islamophobic comments on social media?

The allegations came to light on 18 April, the day of the local hustings organised by a local online media, Your Harlow.

It is the responsibility of the Conservative Party, and the candidate, to communicate with residents about what is happening in terms of his suspension from the party and there has been no evidence to suggest that either Party chose to do this.

No public statement from the Conservative Party or James Leppard has been made, apart from saying an investigation is pending. Yasmin Gregory, Harlow Green Party Chair and Parliamentary candidate said, “We will leave Harlow Conservatives to ‘mark their own homework’ but doubt they will force Cllr Leppard to declare himself an Independent and lose their one seat majority.”

4 May 2024

Essex: A mediocre mandate for Conservative Police Commissioner’s 3rd term

Roger Hirst has won a third term as Tory Police Commissioner in Essex with 126,447 votes. Labour’s candidate Adam Fox was close behind on 116,875. Turnout at 24.52% was low.

In 2021 Roger Hirst polled a resounding 235,346 votes against Labour’s Chris Vince on 99,712.

Turnout was a higher 32.47% in 2021 so it looks possible that Tory voters were staying away from the polling stations this time. 

The Liberal Democrats gained 52,922 votes and the English Democrats 44,909.

The Tory 2024 manifesto has many similar pledges to the 2021 one, like reducing drug-related crime, protecting women and girls from violence and improving road safety. Clearly Roger Hirst feels he still has more work to do in these areas.

Hirst is a busy person as he has also just won another term as a local councillor in Brentwood.

3 May 2024

Peterborough: Conservatives worst results since 1997

Labour is now the largest party on Peterborough City Council for the first time in more than two decades.

Peterborough has long been finely balanced between the Tories and Labour. But yesterday, the Tories suffered their worst defeat in a quarter of a century. They are down from 24 to only 13. Conversely, Labour has seen its best result since 2002 who are now up to 19 councillors.

The city saw some of the tightest results of the local elections.

In Park, Labour won by two votes over the Conservative candidate. In Paston and Walton, the Conservative won by five over the LibDem. In Dogsthorpe, Labour beat the Conservative by six votes, and in Eye, Thor, New, Peterborough First won the seat from the Conservatives by nine votes.

The losers included two of the longest-serving councillors and former mayors, who had both served for over 20 years.

The final results were: Labour: 19 (+4), Peterborough First: 14 (+11), Conservatives: 13 (-10), LibDems: 9 (+1), Green: 4 (+2) and Independents: 3 (-).

3 May 2024

North Herts: Labour just misses out on majority

Labour has failed to secure a majority in North Herts by just one seat, but the party strengthened its lead at the authority which covers Hitchin, Letchworth and Royston.

This was an all-seats election following boundary changes, with the council gaining two seats.

Before the 2019 local elections five years ago, the Conservatives had an overall majority in North Herts with 28 seats. But after polling on Thursday, May 2, the party has been left with just seven councillors out of a possible 51, down from 15 before the vote.

Labour won 25 seats, one shy of the 26-seat threshold for a majority, up from 19. The party ran the council as part of a joint administration with the Liberal Democrats, who had 15 seats but now have 19.

The final results were: Labour: 25 (+6), LibDems: 19 (+4) and Conservatives: 7 (-8)

3 May 2024

Harlow: narrow hold for Conservatives

There was more spin than a laundrette from leader of Harlow Council, Dan Swords, at the Harlow count that concluded at the break of dawn this morning.  The Conservatives ended the night with 17 seats and Labour 16.  All 33 seats were contested due to boundary changes within the town.

The exuberant and well-rehearsed speech belied the fact that the Conservatives had lost to Labour the seats of 4 seasoned councillors, Colleen Morrison, John Steer, Simon Carter and Ash Malik, which will be a heavy blow to them.    

Cllr James Leppard has maintained a low profile since being suspended by the party and is being investigated amid allegations that he posted Islamophobic comments on social media.  His re-election in the newly formed Church Langley South and Potter Street ward gave the Tories the extra seat required to give them a majority.  

Average turnout was 28%.

3 May 2024

Three Rivers remains LibDem

In Three Rivers – covering Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire – the Liberal Democrats retain the control they had before the election. The contest was flagged up by the Local Government Information Unit as one of those to watch in the east of England.

A third of the council’s seats were up for election this time. The results returned 7 LibDems (down 1), 4 Tories (no change), 1 Labour (no change), and 1 Green (up 1).

The overall council composition now is therefore LibDem 21, Conservatives 12, 3 Green, and 3 Labour.

3 May 2024

Southend: Labour gain seats but council still under no overall control

Following the 2023 election a Conservative minority administration formed to run Southend council. However the Tories have now lost a further 4 seats, Labour gaining 3 and the Greens 1. This gives Labour 20 seats and they are now the largest party, although would need 26 councillors for an overall majority.

The Conservatives have 18, independents 7, Liberal Democrats 4 and Greens 2. The Greens pulled off a resounding win in Leigh ward with 1725 votes against the 2nd placed Lib Dem’s 637.

Although Labour didn’t win as many wards as they’d hoped, they look likely to lead another coalition administration.

3 May 2024

Rochford: some close calls but council remains in limbo

Before 2023 the Conservatives led Rochford council from 2002 to 2023 but lost their overall majority last year and have not regained it.

One third of seats were up for election. The Conservatives lost five seats to the Lib Dems and Independents/Others. The council now consists of 11 Lib Dems, 10 Tories, 9 Independents, 8 Residents’ Association and 1 Green with no party in overall control.

Conservative candidates narrowly missed winning in Hawkwell East and Foulness & The Wakerings, beaten by Independent candidates by 14 and 15 votes respectively. Labour came just two votes behind the Conservative winning candidate in Roche South.

Due to strong local feelings about local overdevelopment and intensification of land use, the Greens fielded six candidates who polled respectably while not gaining another seat.

3 May 2024

Cambs County Council leader loses Cambridge City Council seat

People across Cambridge headed to the polls yesterday to cast their vote in the city council election, with a third – 14 – of the seats up for grabs.

Only one seat changed hands amongst the 14 being contested. Liberal Democrat Cambridgeshire County Council Leader, Lucy Nethsingha lost to the Green candidate, Hugh Clough who won with 925 votes. She came in third behind the Labour candidate, with just 306 votes.

The final results were Labour: 8, LibDems: 4, Greens: 2. The turnout was 37.8%. The final makeup of the council is: Labour 25, LibDems, 10 and Greens 5, with Labour maintaining overall control.

3 May 2024

Labour wins Bedfordshire PCC from controversial Tory Festus Akinbusoye

Labour candidate John Tizard is the new Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner after defeating the current holder of the post Conservative Festus Akinbusoye by 5,050 votes. Tizard topped the poll on 40,738, with Conservative Mr Akinbusoye runner-up on 35,688. The turnout was just under 20%, down from 25% in 2021.

The Office for the PCC posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Congratulations to Mr Tizard, our new PCC, who has been elected today by the public. Mr Tizard will officially take up the role on Thursday 9th May.”

Akinbusoye had been criticised during the campaign for appearing in his police uniform in leaflets delivered to residents. This is his second defeat at the ballot box in a little over six months. He came second to Mid Bedfordshire Labour MP Alistair Strathern last October in a Parliamentary contest for the seat vacated by former Conservative MP Nadine Dorries.

The final result was Labour: 40,738, Conservatives: 35,688, LibDems: 15,857, Workers Party: 8,396

3 May 2024

Mid Suffolk by-election: Greens solidify council stronghold with by-election win

The Green Party has solidified its stronghold in Mid Suffolk with a by-election win. Voting for the Chilton ward representative in Mid Suffolk took place alongside other local elections in the county. The Greens, who took control over the council last May – their first in England – were looking to defend a vacant seat previously held by them.

Winner Lorraine Baker said the result showed the success the party has had since snatching control of the council from the Tories last year. She added: “The confidence has been maintained despite heavy canvassing from other parties — people are pleased with what’s been delivered in the past year.”

The final result was: Greens: 589, Conservatives: 375 and Labour 285.

3 May 2024

Basildon: Conservatives lose their majority; council now no overall control

The Conservatives have had a working majority since 2021, and in 2023 won 26 of the 42 seats. Labour last led the council with an overall majority from 1996 to 2000.

However last night the Tories lost 12 seats, six to Labour and six to independents. Gavin Callaghan, a previous Labour leader of the council who had stood down in 2021, regained a seat in St Martin’s ward.

Labour now hold 18 seats, Conservatives 13, and 11 are held between Independents (6) and the Wickford Independents (5).

There are 42 seats on the council which were all re-elected yesterday. Although Labour are the largest party, they are four short of holding a majority. An alliance could be formed by Labour and one of the independent parties, but it remains to be seen what kind of coalition can be negotiated.

3 May 2024

Brentwood: Conservatives lose 2 seats but the town remains no overall control

Yesterday Brentwood held elections in all seats due to boundary changes where two extra seats had been created.

The Conservatives led Brentwood Council with a majority until 2023 when they lost 3 seats to the Liberal Democrats. The LibDems then formed a coalition with the two Labour members, narrowly outnumbering the Tories and leading the council together.

Yesterday the Tories lost two more seats, Labour and the Lib Dems gaining one each. The Tories regained the South Weald seat they’d lost to the Lib Dems last year due to public anger over a Green Belt planning permission issue.

The LibDems now hold 17, Labour 3 and Conservatives 19. LibDems and Labour together narrowly outnumber the Tories and may decide to continue with their coalition.

Brentwood is a story of Conservatives very slowly losing seats over many years, mainly to the LibDems. Labour retain, and now gain, seats in their stronghold of Brentwood South.

3 May 2024

Win for Greens in important Norfolk by-election

Despite the Conservatives throwing everything they could at the race, and the potential for a ‘progressive split’ of the vote, the Greens have won the Bunwell by-election by only a 10 vote margin – 404 votes to the Tories’ 394. Suzanne Wateridge has won the seat for the Greens, thereby removing control from the Conservatives on South Norfolk council.

The ward sits within the new Waveney Valley constituency which the Green co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, is hoping to win at the General Election. The Greens have now won the last two by-elections in South Norfolk.

Last year they won control of Mid Suffolk District Council, the wards of which form a large part of the new constituency.

Ramsay took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Wateridge. He added: “Another Green gain from Conservatives in #WaveneyValley – shows only Greens can beat Conservatives here at General Election.”

The final result was Greens: 40.5%, Conservatives, 39.5%, Labour: 13.1% and LibDems 6.8%.

3 May 2024

Tory collapse in ‘Blue Wall’ Welwyn Hatfield

The Conservatives lost nearly half their seats with gains for both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The biggest winners were Labour with 8 seats and the LibDems gaining 2.

With the Tories only holding onto four of their 14 seats being contested, this will come as bad news for Defence Secretary Grant Shapps whose constituency is Welwyn Hatfield. He has held this seat since 2010 and will be defending it in the next election.

The final result is Labour: 8 (+8), LibDems: 4 (+2) and Conservatives 4 (-10). The result makes Labour the largest party on the council, though with no overall control. The Council is now Labour: 20, LibDems 16 and Conservatives 12.

3 May 2024

Watford: big LibDem gain

The Liberal Democrats are celebrating in Watford after winning all three seats Labour were contesting. The result leaves Labour with only 6 councillors.

It’s likely Labour’s poor showing yesterday is due to the large Muslim community there who are unhappy with Labour’s policy on Gaza. One Labour councillor, Sohail Bashir, switched to the LibDems over it and won his seat, saying he made the move due to the LibDems supporting an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Watford is one result that East Anglia Bylines has been keeping an eye on. Polls suggest in a General Election it would be a Labour win, with tactical voting sites suggesting voters should back Labour. But as we’ve reported, even the more granular MRP polls can be poor predictors when it comes to smaller parties which can buck the trend in specific areas.

The final result was LibDem: 11 (+3) and Labour: 1 (-3). Overall, the council now is LibDem: 30 and Labour: 6.

3 May 2024

Conservatives lose all seats on Castle Point council

In an all seat election, the Conservatives have lost their last 8 seats on Castle Point District Council. Until 2022 the authority had a Tory majority for two decades.

The council will now be run by the People’s Independent Party with the Canvey Island Independent Party in opposition. EAB will need to check, but this could be the first English council to be run entirely by independents.

As East Anglia Bylines explained earlier this week, the two independent parties have been on the rise. A third independent party, the Canvey Residents Alliance which only registered earlier this year, while having a good showing, failed to win any seats.

The final results were: People’s Independent Party: 24 (+8) and Canvey Island Independent Party: 15.

3 May 2024

Suffolk: Conservatives retain PCC via split opposition

Despite losing 14.5% of the vote share compared to 2021, Tim Passmore will remain Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner for the Conservatives with only 40% of the vote. The progressive vote was split three ways with Labour having a good showing, increasing their vote share by 8.7%. However, this wasn’t enough to overcome the vote split by the Greens and LibDems. The final results were: Conservatives: 40.2%, Labour: 31.7%, Greens: 17.1% and LibDems 11.0%.

With the Greens on the rise in Suffolk, without tactical voting, this split vote in favour of the Tories may well decide the fate of many Suffolk seats in the next General Election.

3 May 2024

Huge Labour gain in Thurrock

In a one third election of seats on Thurrock Council, the Conservatives were defending 13 seats and lost 12 of them. This is remarkable swing to Labour who have now gained control of the council.

East Anglia Bylines has written extensively about the problems at Thurrock which is on the verge of bankruptcy due to a record of catastrophic investments by the then-led Conservative council. The result was a huge council tax increase of 7.46% and massive cuts to services in a bid to try to cover some of the losses.

Those who have supported Starmer’s position on Brexit will feel vindicated given at 72.3%, Thurrock was one of the highest Leave-voting areas in the country.

3 May 2024

Vote split allows Tories to retain Cambs Police and Crime Commissioner

In the first of what will likely be a depressing pattern, Labour narrowly missed gaining the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough PCC from the Tories, missing by less than 3% thanks to a strong Liberal Democrat performance. The final result was Conservatives: CON: 38.3% (-4.6), Labour: 36.0% (+4.7) and LibDem: 25.7% (+3.4) Changes in brackets from the 2021 result.

North East Cambridgeshire MP Steve Barclay was quick to congratulate Darryl Preston on his re-election he took to X (formerly known as Twitter to say: “Looking forward to continuing to work with him to keep making our area safer, with a focus on key local issues like rural and neighborhood crime.”

3 May 2024

Colchester result a disappointment for Labour

The Colchester City Council result will be disappointing for Labour who only picked up one seat from an Independent. All other seats remain unchanged. The final results were Conservatives: 7. Labour: 6, LibDem: 4, Greens 1. The Council remains in No Overall Control.

Colchester is a Labour target where they have gradually been increasing their vote share over the last three General Elections. But this result, with an unexpectedly strong Tory performance, puts their ambitions in doubt.

3 May 2024

Win for LibDems in Huntingdonshire by-election

In a by-election for Huntingdonshire District Council the Liberal Democrats gained the seat in Great Paxton from the Conservatives. The final result was LibDem: 47.8%, Conservatives: 38.2%, Labour: 9.4% and Greens: 4.5%.

The result is seen as strengthening the LibDem challenge to the Tories in the new St Neots and Mid-Cambridgeshire constituency, but the District Council will remain in No Overall Control.

3 May 2024

Labour makes major gain in Ipswich

Labour has significantly bolstered its control over Ipswich Borough Council, securing five additional seats from the Conservatives in yesterday’s election. This victory marks Labour’s largest representation at the Town Hall in over two decades. Winning wards such as Gainsborough, Holywells, Sprites, Stoke Park, and Whitton, Labour has demonstrated broad support across diverse areas of Ipswich.

The Conservatives acknowledged challenges faced during the election, citing reduced voter turnout among their supporters.

The leader of the Tory group, Ian Fisher, who held his seat, told the BBC: “It was a pretty tough night for us, but it was what we expected.” He said knowing the Tories are polling badly, they tried to focus on local issues. He added: “We are struggling to get our own vote out and I think that tends to change in a general election.”

3 May 2024

Can Tories hang on to South Norfolk Council?

The Bunwell ward in south Norfolk braces for a consequential by-election following Councillor Stephen Ridley’s death. If the Conservatives lose, they lost control of South Norfolk Council. John Chapman, Chairman of Bunwell parish council told the BBC it’s Bunwell’s third election in a year, each of which has seen intense campaigning from all parties.

With the Tories holding 24 seats, Liberal Democrats 11, Labour 9, and 2 independents, the by-election’s outcome will shape local politics. As local MP Richard Bacon steps down after 23 years, Bunwell’s vote offers insight into south Norfolk’s mood.

East Anglia Bylines is told by a recorder at one polling station that it’s possible the Conservatives could hold the seat given the intense competition between Labour, the LibDem and Greens. None of the parties were in the mood for collaborating – all three have been working hard to win the seat, which might allow the Conservative candidate to slip through the middle.

The result will be announced today.

3 March 2024

Tory anger at results conceals real fear of electoral extinction

As this diary goes to press on Friday afternoon, the local election results are rolling in. They are dramatic, though hardly unexpected. Yet though we are all used to politicians earnestly claiming that (as today) a loss of more than 200 seats is a good result, this time there seems something more in these rebuttals of failure. What is slightly shocking is to see what looks like genuine anger from Tory spokespeople.

Given the mood of the nation, what else would they expect? But perhaps from the Westminster bubble they don’t know the mood of the nation. Yet there is another emotion which often promotes anger: fear. These figures speak of a meltdown for the Tories, a general election result worse than their worst nightmares, and they are terrified.

Terrified that everything they have strived for in 14 years has come to nothing, that the utter failure of the Conservative project means the practical end of the Conservative Party as an electoral force. But also fear that their defenestration will shine a blinding light on all the meanness and cruelty over which they have presided, the dodgy deals, the corruption. A new prime minister who has made his reputation as director of public prosecutions might well have the zeal to uncover the shallow graves of all those misdeeds.

2 May 2024

Could the Bunwell by-election be a Greens win?

As the polls closed this evening, the belief among other contestants was that the Greens would win the Bunwell by election.

This would be significant for two reasons. First, the Conservatives would lose control of South Norfolk Council.

But second, Bunwell is in the new Waveney Valley constituency, which is the Greens’ main target seat. The polls give them no chance, but a Greens win would confound them, and call into question the polls’ success in local battlegrounds with specific local issues.

2 May 2024

Local elections: testing Labour’s lead in the East

For months the Labour Party has had a consistent 20 point poll lead over the Conservatives. Today’s local elections will give us some indication of whether this lead is real.

So what might we expect in the East of England? Of the 21 councils In the region electing today, Conservatives control four and Labour three. In the rest, no party has a majority. In seven councils, all seats are up for election, in fourteen only one third. Bearing that in mind, a good night for Labour could see them take control of eight more councils, three from Conservatives and five from no overall control.

The councils where Labour might take control are:

Southend
Thurrock
Colchester
Harlow
Peterborough
Norwich
Welwyn/Hatfield
Basildon

The first five will declare results overnight, the rest during Saturday (up to 1800)

It is unwise to assume a simple match between local and national voting. Not all council areas are electing, and the ones that are may not be representative. Also, people sometimes vote differently in local and national elections. In some parts of the region (especially South Essex) there are large numbers of independents who rarely make any impact in general elections. The Reform Party, which is likely to take votes from the Conservatives in parliamentary elections is not standing in most of the local elections.

Nevertheless, with those caveats, if people voted in the same way in a general election in the relevant constituencies it would produce a Labour parliamentary majority of over 100 seats.

Cambridge Georgia solidarity demo

2 May 2024

A rally in King’s Parade, Cambridge, on 1 May showed solidarity with Tbilisi demonstrators against the ‘Russian law’, a bill being debated in the Georgian parliament and viewed by its opponents as authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

Paul Browne of Cambridge for Europe explained:

“I’m here to show solidarity with the demonstrators in Tbilisi against a law very similar to a law that was passed in Russia in 2012, which has been used to identify and close down independent human rights bodies, NGOs, media organisations. The campaigners want to be part of a free, open and democratic Europe. As a member of the European Movement, that’s something I believe in.”

Ecologist Lana Mamedova told East Anglia Bylines:

“We have a pro Russian government trying to oppress civil society by adopting a law, which will ban all the foreign funding, which we have from the European Union, or anywhere else in the world. I’m an ecologist myself. Everything that we built, everything that I built and know and did in my country was with the support of the European Union and US and Western society.”

Mikael Gagoshidze said:

“They claim that this law is for financial transparency, but it is to label NGOs as they like, and then from that fuse it to different kinds of tricks. Russia legislated the same law in 2012. And since then, this law morphed into something way worse. So today, there is no opposition voice in Russia. And we believe that the Georgian government is moving in the same direction.”

1st May 2024

What’s happening in Thurrock’s local elections?

Thurrock Council goes to the Polls on Thursday in 17 wards, one councillor for each. This represents one third of the council.

Currently Thurrock is No Overall Control as the Conservatives lost 5 seats last year, and in February this year some Tory councillors switched allegiance. For example, Conservative councillor Sue Sammons left to be an independent in protest at cuts in local bus services.

The Conservatives currently has 23 seats against Labour’s 19, and others’ 7.

Thurrock’s leadership has often changed over the decades, and Labour led the council till 2014. Some local exerts believe that due to the last few years’ of budget fiascos under the Tories, and low turnout of Tory voters, Labour might regain a majority.

All wards have a Conservative and Labour Party candidates, but there are also 4 Greens and 7 Independents to choose from in some wards. There are no Liberal Democrats.

1st May 2024

What’s happening in Southend’s local elections?

Southend City Council goes to the Polls on Thursday the 2nd of May with 1/3rd of the 51 seats that form the Council being up for election. This means that one candidate will be returned from each of the 17 wards.

The Conservative party has 17 candidates, the Labour party has 17 candidates, the Liberal Democrats are also fielding 17 candidates as are the Green Partry.

Southend does have an independent local party called Confelicity, which is fielding 17 candidates whilst the Heritage Party is fielding 7 candidates.

There are also 8 independent candidates.

Since 2019 the Council has not had a single party in overall control.

1st May 2024

What’s happening in Rochford’s local elections?

Rochford District Council goes to the Polls on Thursday the 2nd of May with 1/3rd of the Council seats being up for election. Whilst the Council has not one party in overall control since 2023, it was under a conservative control since 2002.

There are 13 wards being contested, with one candidate being returned from each ward.

The Conservatives have 13 candidates, Labour have 12 candidates, the Liberal Democrats have 7, and the Green Party have 5.

Other Parties seeking election include the Heritage Party which has 1 candidate, Rochford Residents has 4 candidates and a total of 6 Independent candidates.

1st May 2024

On the doorstep in Harlow’s local elections

‘You’re All The Same.’

On the doors, you are faced with No Cold Callers stickers and an air of reticence to engage; “I don’t do politics/I’m not interested/You’re all the same” as the door held slightly ajar is firmly shut.

Lack of funding and scepticism has seen a decrease in local activism and the ability to pump leaflets through doors at regular intervals.

This year, Harlow voters have a choice of over 100 names from 7 different parties in 11 wards to fill the 33 vacant council seats. They may elect to put 3 crosses against 3 different names or opt to select those from the same party or choose like a contestant on a game show: one from the top, one from the middle and one from the bottom.

Low turnouts are now the norm in Harlow with an average of 25% for local elections with some areas not having one household who voted the previous year. If the people from Harlow want a change, they will have to exercise their democratic right and vote otherwise the Apathetic Party will be the only winner with no bonus prize.

30th April 2024

What’s happening in Basildon’s local elections?

Basildon is currently Conservative-run, with 25 Tory members, 10 Labour & Labour Co-op, 6 independents and 1 vacancy.

This year all seats – 42 – are up for election in all 14 wards, due to boundary changes. This means there could be wholesale changes. Basildon has been variously under Labour and Tory control over the past 50 years, although not Labour since 2000. Either way would not be a complete surprise, although Labour has quite a hill to climb. But the Tory council has been criticised by Michael Gove for underperforming.

Local residents’ concerns include issues of law and order, fixing the bins, potholes, a new local plan and regenerating the town centre.

Point of interest: A former Labour leader of the council, Gavin Callaghan, wants to make a comeback three years after he resigned and stood down. He is standing in St Martin’s Ward.

30th April 2024

What’s happening in Epping Forest’s local elections?

Epping Forest is a varied area with many rural villages, but also large towns with underground stations to take commuters on the Central Line to the City. 

Point of interest: the district also contains over 6000 acres of ancient royal hunting woodland, and Epping Forest Heritage Trust wants candidates to pledge to show their love for the Forest in decision-making. 

Following ward boundary changes Epping Forest Council is re-electing all seats this year – but with a reduction in the total from 58 to 54.

Currently the council is a Conservative majority with 34 councillors. Other members include 13 Loughton Residents, 5 Lib Dems, 4 Independents and 2 Greens.

The Tories are fielding a full slate for all seats, with a smaller number of Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates. Among their rivals is a smattering of Greens, UKIP, English Democrats and Reform Party members.

Without a unified large opposition group, it looks likely to continue to be a Conservative-run council after 2 May.

30th April 2024

What’s happening in Brentwood’s local elections?

Brentwood could be interesting as all 39 Borough Council seats – two more than currently – will be contested at the elections on Thursday.

Currently Brentwood Council is poised on a knife-edge. Having been Conservative-run for eight years, last May they lost a key seat to the Lib Dems in South Weald and only have 18 seats. The 19-strong coalition of Labour and LD has been running the town for a year.

Anything could happen, particularly as there now two extra seats which are difficult to predict. Brentwood is not a town for independent candidates, but alongside the full slates of Conservative, Lib Dem and Labour hopefuls, there are eight Greens and a couple of Reform Party members.

Point of interest: Roger Hirst, Essex’s Conservative Police & Crime Commissioner, is again a candidate in the Hutton South Ward, where he has been a councillor for fifteen years.

30th April 2024

What’s happening in Harlow’s local elections?

Since 1974, Harlow has ping-ponged between Labour and Conservative control – the last time Labour held it was from 2012 – 2021. Currently it’s under the Tories, who have 21 seats against Labour’s 12. The Conservative majority will be tested in these full council elections.

Point of interest: Dan Swords, Harlow’s Conservative leader is one of the youngest in Britain at 23. He became a councillor at age 20 and was deputy leader until resigning in February 2023. He then became leader in May last year and is hopeful of retaining this position.

As well as full slates of Labour and Tories, the candidates this week include an array of Greens, 3 Lib Dems, and a handful of independents like the Harlow Alliance Party.

One of the main issues Harlow people will be voting on is the regeneration of the town centre, which has become dilapidated, and social housing for local people. 

30th April 2024

What’s happening in Castle Point’s elections?

Castle Point 41-strong council is a mix of independent councillors plus eight Conservatives. 

For a full account of the runners and riders in with a chance please see JJ Jackson’s article on Tuesday –

‘Castle Point election: a battle of independents’.

29th April 2024

The Labour landslide is real

Some people don’t believe the recent MRP polls, which show a general election giving the Labour Party a majority of well over 200 seats in Parliament. But new research suggests that the pollsters may be right.

In proportional electoral systems, the number of MPs match the number of votes. But our first past the post (FPTP) system doesn’t work like that. The cumulative effect of 650 single horse races is not at all proportional.

At Strathclyde University, Heinz Brandenburg has looked at the relationship between the parties’ vote share and their seat share in Parliament, in every UK election since 1931. In every case, it was the gap in vote share between the two main parties, not the absolute vote numbers, that determined the size of the winner’s Parliamentary majority.

The extreme case is 1997. In that election, the Labour party won 43% of the votes (not an unusual share), but because the gap with the Conservatives’ 31% was so large, Labour won 64% of the seats.

What Brandenburg found was that when the gap in vote share rises above 10% (as it did in 1997 and 2019) the winner gets a supermajority of seats. If the gap reaches 15% the winner can get two thirds of the seats.

So, as the charts show, the MRP poll predictions are exactly what we would expect from a 20 point gap in vote share. And that is where we have been now for 6 months.

24 April 2024

What do voters really want to know about the parties?

Party activists often misunderstand what voters really want to know about their policies.

‘More in Common’ wanted to know whether voters care about the culture wars which some Conservatives are keen to fight. They polled people on a variety of possible leaflet headlines.

The result is clear. ‘Culture Wars’ may matter to some politicians (and perhaps to some activists), but the voters want answers on jobs, anti-social behaviour, the future of their high streets, and potholes.

23 April 2024

Essex: Pandemic and poverty increase families needing help by 50%

The fallout from the pandemic and the cost of living crisis has caused the number of families needing help from Essex’s well-being service to increase by almost half.

The increased numbers have left HCRG Care Group – commissioned to deliver services for the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service – with a shortfall of around £2 million.

Essex County Council has cited specifically children born during the pandemic falling behind in their development because of social restrictions as a reason for the increased pressures.

The impact of parental stress and mental health problems, and the consequences of the cost of living crisis, also pose serious risks to children’s development, including increased risk of poor emotional wellbeing in later life.

Essex County Council said there has been a 43 per cent rise in the number of families using the service in 2023 who had a higher level of need compared to those seen in 2022.

This reflects 38 per cent increases in both the number of families experiencing poor mental health and of families living in temporary accommodation. Families described as low-income have increased by 47 per cent.

Via Piers Meyler of LDRS

21st April 2024

Are you wondering where your MP has gone?

As the Labour polling lead remains firm around 20%, a growing number of Conservative MPs who expect to lose their seats at the general election are looking for new careers. Some are getting started already.

The Guardian has identified 34 who have already taken on new jobs. Leading the charge in our region is Great Yarmouth’s Brandon Lewis, former Justice Secretary. He has declared five new part time jobs, in total worth £410,000 a year. One of these is for the firm F M Conway, a construction company with a string of major government infrastructure contracts.

This raises two issues. Firstly, that sounds like a lot of work. Is it really compatible with representing his constituents? Most MPs treat the job as a full time one, or at least near full time.  Secondly, is it right that someone who was recently a government minister should already be working for firms which are so closely involved in contracting for government.

When Rishi Sunak is finally forced to call the election, will the voters of Great Yarmouth think that a party which tolerated this is really interested in representing their interests?

19 April 2024

Suffolk MP slammed for taking job at hospital he is called on to investigate

A Suffolk MP has angered some constituents by taking a job at a controversial NHS trust on which they have sought his help.

In February, Dr Dan Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, took a job as part-time consultant psychiatrist at the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT), a mental health facility which, as East Anglia Bylines has previously reported, has been the centre of fierce criticism for some time over what is perceived as its failings. It has been rated ‘inadequate’ four times, following multiple complaints and the deaths of a number of patients in its care.

There have been frequent calls for a public inquiry into its repeated failures. The NSFT has been unable to account for 8,440 unexpected deaths between April 2019 and October 2022.

Dr Poulter’s critics claim he has a clear conflict of interest. They claim he can’t support investigations into their allegations of poor treatment when the trust employs him. In the past, Dr Poulter has described the NSFT as “historically the worst-performing trust in the country for both physical and mental health”.

19 April 2024

Liberal Democrats keeping their hold in Cambridgeshire

The only local government byelection in the region this week suggests a continuing polarising of the vote in Cambridgeshire between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. In the East Cambridgeshire District council ward of Ely West, the Liberal Democrats won 48% of the votes, (on a low turnout). But Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both saw their vote share rise by 10%, while the Labour vote dropped slightly. The Council remains, just, in Conservative control, with no Labour councillors.

The result mirrors the composition of the County Council, where Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have almost equal seats, but the Liberal Democrats lead in a rainbow coalition.

The District forms part of the new constituency of Ely and East Cambridgeshire which current polling suggests could be marginal, with Electoral Calculus predicting a Liberal Democrat win.

18 April 2024

Asylum seekers relocated from Wethersfield

The Home Office has relocated around 70 asylum seekers from accommodation at Wethersfield, near Finchingfield in Essex, to hotels.

They say the moves were routine to comply with new planning conditions after having originally obtained permission to use former airfield as accommodation for asylum seekers only until April 2024. Last month a special development order (SDO) was made extending the use a further by three years, subject to certain conditions.

These conditions include ensuring there is an adequate supply of drinking water at the facility and obtaining a report, following concerns regarding both radiological contamination and unexploded ordnance.

The site is reportedly planned to have capacity to house up to 1,700 asylum seekers. Currently it is hosting less than a third of that number until the radiological walkover survey is completed. The relocations were to comply with the limitation on occupation prior to the survey taking place.

The Home Office said the use of asylum hotels was “unacceptable” and that it was looking to ensure MDP Wethersfield was safe for use.

18 April 2024

Poo Troubles across Norfolk

Widespread sewage issues are affecting households across Norfolk – some exacerbated by the recent wet weather.

At a public meeting in Grimston more than 100 frustrated locals meeting Anglian Water & Norfolk County Council representatives were shocked by the revelation of the 87-year-old that she had to toilet in cat litter.

The lady, recently left partially disabled following a stroke, said “I’ve had to resort to sitting on cat litter to get rid of my own waste because the sewer in the front of my house backs up whenever we get heavy rain and it overflows and backs into my drains.
“I am left isolated in my house with no means whatsoever to get rid of my waste. In February, I had to buy a commode and fill it with cat litter. I was left in this state for five days. The situation is awful.”

In Bunwell locals have said they are having to “balance on buckets” after being unable to use their toilets for days due to their system being backed up. Sewage flooding out of drains has also been reported recently in Aslacton. And in Hickling, people have had to use public toilets for months and have reported raw sewage coming up from their baths and toilets.

Based on a report on LDRS

17 April 2024

‘Scandal’ in Castle Point?

Castle Point in South Essex is an unusual place. Although it is one of the safest Conservative constituencies in the region, its Council is run by a coalition of two independent groups. The Conservatives hold only eight of the 41 seats on the Council.

The Council is now embroiled in financial disputes, and the latest accounts have yet to be published. One issue is a payment of £142,733 to the estate of the former Chief Executive, who died in 2021. He was appointed in 2005 by the then Conservative administration on a ‘highly unusual’ contract. This stated that he was employed on a 75% basis, with an agreement that any additional hours would be converted into annual leave. The payment appears to relate to this accrued leave over that period.

Ironically, although the deal was made by the former Conservative administration, it is now a former Conservative leader of the council who has been working with the right-wing Taxpayers’ Alliance to expose this story. He is calling for full publication, but the external auditors have still to sign off the accounts for the previous two years. The council blames this on a national shortage of auditors.

It will be interesting to see whether this makes any impact on voters when they go to the polls on 2 May.

15 April 2024

Thurrock: Green and Independent candidates announced

Independent and Green Party candidates aim to leave their mark in this year’s local elections in Thurrock. The Green Party is contesting four wards, while Independents are running in seven. This election marks the last third before Thurrock transitions to all-out elections in 2025.

The nearly bankrupt council was left with no overall control in February after two Tories opposed the budget which included an 8% council tax hike and £20 million in savings. These measures were needed, as East Anglia Bylines reported, because Thurrock council had revealed a £500m black hole in their accounts, caused by “ruinous business deals” overseen by the Conservative administration.

With 49 councillors, including 23 Conservatives, 19 Labour, and several Independents, a strong Independent and Green presence may chip further away at Conservative numbers. Despite challenges, both Labour and Conservatives are fielding candidates in all wards. Labour’s focus is on maintaining essential services amidst financial constraints, criticising Conservative mismanagement. Conservatives remain hopeful, emphasising the importance of local achievements in their 20th year.

Based on a report by LDRS

13 April 2024

Candidates have been announced for Mid Suffolk Council’s upcoming by-election

The by-election follows a resignation from Cllr David Napier, who represented Chillton (Stowmarket) ward, due to employment commitments. The Mid Suffolk Greens will be defending a position for the first time since they took over the council in May of last year.

The candidate nominations for the seat are:

• Lorraine Dawn Baker (Green Party)
• William Howman (Labour Party)
• Steven John Runciman (Local Conservatives)

The election will take place on Thursday, May 2, alongside voting for Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

12 April 2024

Norfolk council has secured funding to make social housing more environmentally friendly

Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) has been granted £1.38m to be spent on making its social housing more energy efficient. More than 173 homes are to benefit from the second wave of cash from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which follows nearly £1.5m in grants previously.

The money will be used for a variety of changes to homes which include enhancing loft insulation and installing cavity wall insulation, air source heat pumps and solar panels. Carl Smith, leader of GYBC described it as “great news” which follows on from their previous successful bid to help increase the energy efficiency of homes across the borough. “We have a great track record of securing grants,” he said, “which is really important and we hope we will continue to do so.”

At a meeting this week, cabinet members agreed to accept the funding and start the process of beginning the work to improve the homes.

9 April 2024

Are you concerned about crime?

On May 2^nd there are elections for Police and Crime Commissioners. The post holder is responsible for setting crime prevention objectives, holding the local Constabulary’s chiefs to account, balancing the force’s budget, and attending the Police and Crime Panel usually made up of councillors.

If you have an opinion on how your local area should be policed, to vote you must be registered by midnight on Tuesday, 16 April.

The announced candidates are:

Cambridgeshire PCC Candidates

• Darryl Preston, Conservative – seeking re-election
• Edna Helen Murphy, Liberal Democrats
• Anna Smith, Labour & Co-operative Party

Bedfordshire PCC Candidates

• Festus Akinbusoye, Conservative – seeking re-election
• Waheed Akbar, Workers Party [of Britain]
• Jasbir Singh Parmar, Liberal Democrat
• John Tizard, Labour & Co-operative Party

Suffolk PCC Candidates

• Tim Passmore, Conservative – seeking re-election
• Sir Robin Wales, Labour and Co-operative Party
• Rachel Smith-Lyte, Green Party 
• James Sandbach, Liberal Democrat

Norfolk PCC Candidates

• Giles Orpen-Smellie, Conservative – seeking re-election
• John Crofts, Liberal Democrat
• Martin Schmierer, Green
• Sarah Taylor, Labour

Essex PCC Candidates

• Roger Hirst, Conservatives – seeking re-election
• Adam Fox, Labour
• Kieron Franks, Lib Democrat
• Robin Tilbrook, English Democrats

Hertfordshire PCC Candidates

• Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Conservative
• Matt Fisher, Green Party
• Tom Plater, Labour
• Sean Prendergast, Liberal Democrats

4 April 2024

Essex to review alternative educational provision following Ombudsman investigation

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked Essex County Council to review its alternative education provision after it found faults that should not have occurred, had the council implemented previously agreed improvements.

The problems became clear after a recent complaint about provision for children unable to attend school. It concerned a young girl with educational needs who was not given appropriate alternative education for months when out of school for medical reasons.

The Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said: “The council’s lack of action in this case is likely to have had a significant effect on this girl’s academic and personal development. When councils commit to improving their services, they should do so quickly and effectively. This needs to be a priority now.”

The council will apologise to the family and pay them £3,120 for the lack of provision, injustice and distress caused. It will also produce an action plan to improve decision-making on education for children out of school.

4 April 2024

Essex hospitals A&E waits among the worst in the country

ALMOST a third of patients sick enough to be admitted to Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals in February waited over 12 hours to be treated.

Latest figures show out of 7,905 patients admitted to Mid and South Essex NHS Trust hospitals from A&E departments in February, 2,700 waited more than 12 hours – almost a third. Nationally, a quarter of patients face 12 hour delays at A&E.

A recent study suggested long waits in A&E caused more than 250 needless deaths a week last year, with patients waiting in corridors or on trolleys. Bed-blocking, where fit patients can’t leave hospital because of a lack of social care, fuels the problem.

A spokesperson for Save Southend NHS campaign group, said: “The waits are…some of the worst in the country. Evidence shows [they] equate to actual patient deaths.”

Andrew Pike, Trust chief operating officer, said: “The figures show that our hospitals had more people coming through the doors than almost any other trust in the country.”

Written using material by Christine Sexton via LDRS

3 April 2024

Sunak v Starmer polling

At the end of March Redfield and Wilton published their latest opinion poll on the performance of the party leaders. On every issue, Starmer is ahead of Sunak. But Don’t Know does quite well too!

3 April 2024

Report damns our MPs for breaking rules

A commission chaired by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has published a report on our parliamentary democracy and the diminishing credibility of its institutions.

In a recent survey 78% of respondents considered that a “healthy democracy requires that politicians always act within the rules”. The commission finds that “in recent years there is plenty of evidence that this has not been happening.”

The report proposes practical and easily implementable changes that could make a positive difference to how our constitution works and restore public confidence. Recommendations include:

• Inclusion of ethics and a duty to uphold the rule of law in the Ministerial Code.
• Standards in Public Life to include the Nolan Principles.
• Making the House of Lords Appointments Committee an independent body with statutory powers.
• Removing the right of Prime Minsters to make personal honours recommendations.
• Tightening the rules on how ministers and special advisors may work with civil servants.

3 April 2024

Luton’s housing crisis

A total of 560 homeless households approached Luton Borough Council (LBC) for help last month. This “massive demand” is adding more pressure to the local authority’s stretched resources. They had anticipated 3,700 homeless households in 2022/23, but demand came from 5,200.

“This year we’ve anticipated 5,200”, said LBC’s director of housing Colin Moone. “We’re getting around 5,700 approaching us. Demand has gone through the roof.”

LBC have 11,000 on the housing register and 1,088 in temporary accommodation. The council is struggling to provide enough housing. Conservative Poets councillor Aslam Khan warned: “We need to build more homes. Those we build for sale aren’t going to the people of Luton.”

The council’s temporary accommodation budget is anticipated to overspend by £5m without additional financial resources.  “We can’t stop people coming to us,” Moone said. “All we can do is provide the best services we can. There’s a statutory obligation to house someone.”

Written using material from LDRS

2 April 2024

Where are our local elections next month?

On 2 May 18 local councils in East Anglia are having elections, and everyone is having elections for Police and Crime Commissioners.

This will probably be the last test of real voter opinion before the general election later in the year. The polls suggest that in the general election, Labour will do very well, but at local level they face challenges from Liberal Democrats and Greens. Half the councils currently have no political majority.

In 12 councils one third of seats are up for election, and in the others the whole council is elected. The councils holding elections are:

30 March 2024

Bridgen deficiencies in libel suit against Hancock

A High Court Judge has said that MP Andrew Bridgen must pay £44,300 – amounting to 90% of legal costs – to Matt Hancock, the independent MP for West Suffolk and former Health Secretary. Bridgen, the independent MP for North West Leicestershire, and former member of the Reclaim Party, brought libel action against Hancock regarding comments he made on a social media post in January 2023. Bridgen said Hancock had accused him of antisemitism.

In a ruling on the 20 March, Mrs Justice Steyn also ordered Bridgen to correct ‘deficiencies’ in his application. He has until the 10 April to submit his draft amendments to Hancock and apply to the Court ‘seeking permission’ to make those amendments by 24 April. Should Bridgen not submit by then, or if the Judge refuses to make the application, then his claim will be struck out.

Both Bridgen and Hancock are former Conservative MPs who lost the whip, effectively ejecting them from the party.

28 March 2024

31,623 sewage dumps by Anglian Water last year

Recent data from the Environment Agency reveals that Anglian Water, serving North Norfolk, discharged sewage into waterways for 271,465 hours last year, marking a notable increase compared to 2022.

Steff Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for North Norfolk, advocates for stricter measures against sewage dumping in local waters. The LibDems suggest replacing Ofwat with a more rigorous regulator and propose a ban on bonuses for water company executives whose firms engage in sewage dumping.

Conservative MPs, including Duncan Baker in North Norfolk, have consistently opposed measures aimed at addressing this crisis. “Here in North Norfolk,” says Aquarone, “not only is it the environment at stake, it’s also our tourism economy.” He adds, “I grew up here in North Norfolk, and enjoyed regular trips to the beach with my mum and sisters. It sickens me to think that now, when I build sandcastles with my own children, we’re surrounded by sewage.”

The LibDems advocate for a regulatory overhaul to hold polluting firms accountable and ensure cleaner waterways for future generations.

28 March 2024

Norfolk’s worst sewage hotspots

A tiny village on the Norfolk Broads has the most sewage ‘spills’ in the entire county. Environment Agency figures have shown wastewater flowed into the River Bure from an Anglian Water sewage treatment works at Belaugh for more than 2,000 hours (or 2.7 months) in 2023.

Spills come from storm overflows, which dump untreated sewage into rivers and the sea, usually during periods of heavy rainfall from the previous year to stop sewers from backing up and flooding.

Belaugh, a picturesque village popular with boaters and paddleboarders, had almost three times the number of spills recorded in 2022 and is the highest in Norfolk. Next highest is near How Hill nature reserve on the River Ant, another area popular with water sports. 91 spills occurred for more than 1,700 hours (2.3 months).

Overall Anglian Water had the biggest increase in spills of all England’s water companies. MPs and councillors are calling for a national environmental emergency to be declared to help tackle the problem. Anglian Water has said it is “working hard” to reduce spills and is investing £50m into a ‘spills taskforce’. £113m has been invested to tackle spills in Norfolk alone, such as at Horning, Fakenham and Norwich.

Written using material from LDRS

28 March 2024

Pupils to have permanent voice in East Suffolk council

A decision to give pupils a permanent voice in a Suffolk council will bolster democracy, a councillor has said. Last night, East Suffolk councillors unanimously agreed to set up a permanent East Suffolk Youth Council (ESYC). The decision follows February’s very successful event where 52 pupils from seven secondary schools across the district simulated a full council meeting.

Proposed by full council chairman, Cllr Anthony Speca, the setting up and running of the ESYC will cost £6,600 but will not put any pressure on council budgets as the cost will be met by his own civic budget. He says: “The youth should be heard in East Suffolk and the better future we are trying to bring about belongs especially to them. I’m very passionate about youth voice and I think our democracy will be better for it.”

Although the decisions made by the new youth council will not be legally binding, Cllr Speca has promised they will be taken seriously. Councillors also hope the project will bolster the pupil’s development by increasing confidence and self-belief. Council leader, Caroline Topping, added: “We need those youngsters to come through, we need them to be the new people who sit in this chamber. “Whatever we can do to engage those young people in whatever they do when they grow up then I welcome it.”

Joao Santos, Local Democracy Reporter

28 March 2024

Norfolk Conservatives vow to fight Natural England

For some years there has been a plan for a bypass round the north of Norwich. Most of this is already open, but one stretch remains. The Western Link would compete the loop.

Despite protests from opposition councillors and others about the potential environmental damage to the ecologically sensitive Wensum Valley, the Conservative County council is about to submit a planning application. They have already spent £40m on preparatory work. This includes negotiations with Natural England about the impact on a colony of endangered Barbastelle bats.

On 8^th March, a week before NCC were due to meet Natural England, new national guidance on protection of the bats was published. This makes it impossible for the road to go ahead. Labour councillors issued a celebratory post announcing that the scheme is now dead.

But at the full Council this week, the Conservative leader, Kay Mason Billig angrily insisted that the new guidance on the danger to the bats was based on “guesses not facts”, and said that the Council will fight this “unelected quango, going against the will of the people”. When a Green councillor asked about the £40m already sunk in the project, she said that she expected the government to reimburse the County Council, but that the matter is “in the hands of the government who have done this to us”.

27 March 2024

University hopes to expand medical school to help GP shortage

In Essex, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) wishes to expand its medical school and offer more training places at the Chelmsford campus. It is hoped this would help combat regional GP shortages.

Stephen Robinson, Chelmsford City Council leader, wants more investment in ARU’s medical school. He says there is shortage of doctors in Essex, and 300 more are needed annually to replace doctors who retire, and to keep up with growing demands. 

ARU’s School of Medicine received government investment in 2018 to support 100 new places. In 2020 the number increased to 120, but dropped again to 100 in 2022. 

Witham’s Conservative MP Priti Patel agrees that increasing places at ARU would help with workforce shortages. The NHS Longterm Workforce plan recommends increasing the number of GP training places by 50%.

The medical school facilitates placements in rural and suburban areas for trainee doctors. It is hoped that many would stay to work in Essex surgeries after they qualify, although it would still not satisfy the required numbers referred to by Councillor Robinson.

Written using material from LDRS

26 March 2024

Harlow MP and Education Minister in shock resignation

Having been MP for Harlow since 2010 winning by a majority of 4,925 votes, Robert Halfon has announced today that he will be standing down as MP at the next general election.

Robert Halfon, who studied at Exeter University alongside his friend Sajid Javid (previous health minister), will step down with immediate effect from his post as the minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education.

In his letter to the Harlow Conservatives chair, Michael Garnett, he writes that “I have done everything I possibly could to work hard for Harlow.”

There will be mixed feelings from the people of Harlow. The staunch Conservatives who helped increase his majority to 14,000 votes will be looking to do all they can to prevent the Labour party from taking back power. The other residents looking for the new hospital to appear, and parents of pupils at Sir Frederick Gibberd college currently being taught in portacabins and marquees, may be keen to see a fresh face with a new approach.

While no parliamentary candidate has been announced as yet, the young leader of Harlow Council, Dan Swords, must be a firm favourite. His time spent as an intern with Robert Halfon and as deputy leader of Harlow council, moved out in a reshuffle in Feb 2023, only to be installed 3 months later as the leader of Harlow council, one of the youngest leaders in the country.

24 March 2024

The steady march of Labour (and Reform)

It is always dangerous to pay too much attention to a single opinion poll. But when a lot of polls agree it probably means something real. In the last month, twelve polling companies have published voting intention polls, and the chart takes the average of these polls to iron out some eccentric outliers.

The overall picture is a clear Labour lead, with an average score of 44.8%, and eight of twelve pollsters reporting a rise in the Labour share since they last polled. Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has now crept above 20 points.

Despite their hopes of a budget bounce, the Conservatives continue downwards. Their average vote share is now 23.5%, with nine polls reporting a fall since the previous poll.

Nine polls show Reform rising, to an average of 11.4%, now ahead of the Liberal Democrats, who are on 9.3% (and falling).The Greens remain the smallest party, averaging only 6%. However, in an election, the smaller parties might win more seats than this suggests, by concentrating their efforts in a few constituencies.

If there was an even national swing on this scale (unlikely), Labour would have a majority of well over 300. In the East of England the Conservatives would lose 36 seats to Labour and 3 to the LibDems.

23 March 2024

Liberal Democrats strengthen grip on Cambridgeshire

In a byelection this week the Liberal Democrats took the Cambridgeshire County Council of seat of Yaxley and Farcet from the Conservatives. The byelection followed the death of a long serving Conservative Councillor. Yaxley, ‘the biggest village in England’ sits close to the southern edge of Peterborough.

The Liberal Democrats already lead the County Council, in coalition with Labour and Independents, and this strengthens their grip. They now hold 23 of the 61 Councillors.The Conservative vote share halved, from 59% to 29%. The result confirms the Liberal Democrat hold on the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Combined Authority, which has a directly elected Labour Mayor, but where Liberal Democrats hold three of the seven seats.

However, the implications for Parliamentary politics are less clear. Current polling suggests that the North West Cambridgeshire constituency, where Yaxley sits, and its neighbour Peterborough, will both swing from Conservative to Labour in a general election. Is this result a sign of something different?

22 March 2024

Rwanda plan to cost £1.8m each refugee, as Cleverly flies private

The government’s refugees to Rwanda policy becomes increasingly expensive. It is revealed today that home secretary James Cleverly, MP for Braintree, spent £165,000 on chartering a private jet for a one-day round trip to Rwanda to sign the legally-binding agreement with the government. He took a TV crew with him, but it is not clear what their purpose was.

The cost of the private jet follows the revelation that the government’s plan will actually cost £1.8 million for each of the first 300 refugees, a thousand times what the government originally claimed. But after the UK Supreme Court declared Rwanda to be an unsafe country and a torrid time in the Lords, which has thrown out the plan, there will now be further delays in its implementation.

One of the curious points about the arrangements is that Cleverly is the third home secretary to visit Rwanda to sign an agreement. Both Priti Patel and Suella Braverman also flew to the country in order to be photographed signing an agreement. So the government is now under fire for the plan’s being all window-dressing and no substance.

20 March 2024

Fastest inflation fall in nearly half a century suggests UK is on track to hit 2% target by April

Inflation sees fastest drop in nearly 50 years, hitting 3.4% in February says the Resolution Foundation. This marks the lowest level since September 2021 and brings the UK close to US Consumer Price Index levels (3.2%).

Notably, domestic services inflation plummeted to 6.1%, its lowest in over a year. Contributing to this decline was a significant drop in food prices, down to 5.0% in February, the lowest since January 2022. This will alleviate some pressure on lower-income households.

James Smith, Research Director at Resolution Foundation, sees this as “welcome news for households”. He added: “Inflation looks on track to hit its 2% target in April.”

19 March 2024

Peterborough test for independents

This year’s elections for Peterborough council will be an unusual test for the parties. The Conservatives went into last May’s elections holding 30 of the 61 seats on the Council, and they lost two, leaving them still the largest party. However, a series of Conservative Councillors then resigned from the party, one of them citing a ‘bullying, toxic culture’. They joined an independent group ‘Peterborough First’ who then took control of the Council.

Their group leader, Councillor Harper, is confident of retaining some degree of control this year, when 22 seats are up for election. He says  

“I have no doubt there’ll be some sort of coalition that will involve Peterborough First in some way. We’ll be part of the new administration, whatever that may be.”

However, a full change is technically possible. Labour is riding high in national polls and current polling predicts a comfortable Labour win in the Peterborough parliamentary seat. They could take control if they win 19 of the 22 council seats. The Conservatives could take control if they were to win all 22, but this seems less likely.  

It will be interesting to see if those who abandoned the Conservatives for Peterborough First retain their support.

Material from Local Democracy Reporting Service

18 March 2024

MP’s ‘critical error of judgement’ over anti-Semitism claims

Peterborough’s Conservative MP Paul Bristow stands accused of “critical errors of judgement”, after two of his staff allegedly sent anti-Semitic tropes via social media.

In particular, a leaked WhatsApp message to a Conservative Muslims chat group brands as “disgraceful” an article written for Jewish News by a Muslim councillor from the city. One of the advisers describes the article as: “Disgraceful. Trying to win Jewish support for her own political greed.”

The councillor is Dr Shabina Qayyum, a GP in the city, who says: “I’m shocked that anyone from any party would be critical of cohesion and interfaith work. This attitude will not set me back in my pursuit to bring faith communities together.

“It only strengthens my resolve. The Tories are mired in inciting racist abuse. This is shameful. As an ethnic minority woman in politics who has faced nothing but discrimination from the Tories and now the astounding anti Muslim hate, hiding behind anti-Semitism.”

In 2021, the Jewish Leadership Council claimed there was a “specific and identifiable problem” of anti-Semitism in Peterborough, and Bristow himself has described anti-Semitism as “a stain on our city”.

18 March 2024

LibDem photo illustrates Thérèse Coffey’s article

As East Anglia Bylines has recently reported, Barclays is closing branches across the region. In a recent opinion piece in the East Anglian Daily Times, Suffolk Coastal MP, Thérèse Coffey, after effusive praise of the spring budget, went on to thank those who had signed her parliamentary petition to keep the Barclays in Leiston open.

The photo that EADT used to illustrate the piece was attributed to: “Julia Ewart/Suffolk Coastal Liberal Democrats.” Unlike Coffey, Ewart is in the photo, joining a throng of protesters outside the branch.

On her Facebook page, Ewart is clearly delighted by this, saying: “How funny – in the East Anglian Daily Times the Editor, Liz Nice has put a photo of me with the MP’s article! I’m her election opposition! I’m the work horse! Great work EADT.”

16 March 2024

Tory donor’s daughter could run for key seat

Delays in selecting a Conservative candidate for Southend East and Rochford continue to frustrate the local branch of the Conservatives (SERCO).

Speculation surrounds Alice Hopkin, a 27-year-old Home Office advisor and daughter of Tory donor Glyn Hopkin. Allegations suggest James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, supports her due to her father’s donation to his 2019 leadership campaign. Hopkin’s presence on the SERCO election campaign trail has also fuelled the rumours.

Local members have expressed their concerns about transparency and fairness over candidate selection amidst fears of preferential treatment. SERCO Spokesman Gavin Chambers has addressed their concerns, saying: “We have many fantastic prospective candidates, including Ms Hopkins, and I would like to reassure them all that I will do my best to make sure a fair process is followed.” His hope is that members, and not CCHQ, will have the final say.

The huge Labour lead in polls suggests the previously safe Conservative seat of Southend East and Rochford could be marginal.

Via Local Democracy Reporting

15 March 2024

Starmer will call a vote on assisted dying

In an ITV televised phone call with Dame Esther Rantzen on 12^th March, Keir Starmer committed to a free vote on Assisted Dying if he wins the general election. He told her “I’m personally in favour of changing the law. I think we need to make time. … I can give you that commitment right now.”

He said it was possible to introduce safeguards to protect vulnerable people, but that “the debate has to be conducted with respect. I personally think the law should be changed. But there will be people equally passionate, with powerful points to make about why it shouldn’t be.”

When he was Director of Public Prosecutions he revised the guidelines on the prosecution of assisted dying cases, but he added: “When I consulted on this, the churches and faith groups were very, very powerful in the arguments they made. We have to respect that and find the right balance. But I do think most people coalesce around the idea that there is a case where it is obviously compassionate, it is the settled intent of the individual, and there are safeguards with teeth to protect the vulnerable.”

15 March 2024

British Royal-watching is a cash cow for both UK and foreign press around the world. Serious TV programmes in Spain, France, Australia and US were reporting on the infamous Kategate photo.

Press reporting shapes our thinking. So it is interesting to discover what is reported in the foreign press but not UK mainstream media, even when it involves our own prominent citizens who are funded by the public purse.

A case in point is Queen Camilla’s vacation in a Spanish hunting lodge. It was reported by El Mundo this week that she is needing rest due to suffering “agotamiento laboral” or “work burnout”.

13 March 2024

The far right are exploiting residents’ concerns

Today, Sky News unveiled the results of a comprehensive national investigation, revealing a 13-fold increase in anti-immigrant protests. This report reinforces the troubling trend first revealed by East Anglia Bylines in January: Far-right extremists are exploiting local concerns to push their own national agendas.

At RAF Scampton, once home to the Dambusters, a disturbing pattern of Patriotic Alternative (PA) attempting to co-opt protests organised by local residents mirrors the pattern seen at MDP Wethersfield. Despite the rejection of this hijacking by local residents at both sites, Sky’s findings indicate a surge in such protests orchestrated by these groups.

Less than a fortnight ago, Rishi Sunak delivered an urgent address outside 10 Downing Street, warning against the divisive tactics of extremist groups aiming to sow discord. Sky News’ latest revelations echo the initial report by East Anglia Bylines, emphasising the pressing need to confront the manipulation of legitimate grievances by extremist ideologies.

12 March 2024

Tory donor under fire for remarks about Diane Abbott

The Guardian has revealed that businessman Frank Hester OBE allegedly made comments in a 2019 meeting that looking at Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women”. Hester, who has recently donated £10 million to the Conservative Party, added that the MP “should be shot”. He has however tweeted that it “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.”

Minister Mel Stride claimed the comments were not “race-based”. Lord Marland, former Conservative party Treasurer, said that Hester is not racist because he does business in Jamaica, Malaysia and Bangladesh. However, Kwasi Kwarteng MP says it was ‘clearly racist, and clearly sexist’.

Keir Starmer says the remarks were “abhorrent” and that the party should return his donations.

Kemi Badenoch, MP for Saffron Walden, and Minister for Women & Equalities, took 24 hours to respond. She said: “Hester’s 2019 comments, as reported, were racist. … Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling. It’s never acceptable to conflate someone’s views with the colour of their skin.”

In emphasising the remarks were made five years ago, and describing them as “flippant”, Badenoch clearly sought to downplay the matter. What is puzzling is that she said: “I welcome his apology. … there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition.” However, Hester has not acknowledged being racist. He has only apologised for being “rude”.

Downing Street initially refused to comment. However, this evening, Rishi Sunak broke the silence, saying: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong,” adding that as remorse has been shown, it should be accepted. It was clear Sunak wanted to draw a line under the matter. There was no suggestion the party intended to return the £10m in donations.

Diane Abbott described his comments as “frightening” and “alarming” in light of the murders of MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess. This afternoon the Independent revealed she has reported Hester to the police.

8 March 2024

Cuts or services: make your mind up

The budget has stimulated a debate about whether people prefer more public spending to tax cuts. Opinion polls differ on what people actually want. In Prospect, Peter Kellner has examined this, and found that a lot depends on the precise wording of the questions. He finds that:

• If people are offered two options: public spending on health, education and social care or lower taxes, more spending wins by 62-18%.
• If a third option – keeping the status quo – is added, the status quo wins with 42%.
• If people are offered two options: undefined ‘public spending’ and tax cuts, tax cuts wins by 54-40%.
• Asked about specific services, more spending on the NHS is the only spending option winning majority support (57%). On all other public services a majority chooses the status quo.

So, perhaps, most people have a hazy grasp of what ‘public services’ means, and very different ideas about different public services. And lacking confidence in their ability to make an informed decision, and despite widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo, most people opt for no change.

8 March 2024

Labour ousts Southend councillors

The Labour Party has deselected two of its councillors, Aston Line and former council leader Stephen George, just weeks ahead of the May council elections in Southend.

The party provided no explanation for this decision in a brief statement. Pamela Kinsella will replace Line in Westborough, while Sam Allen will take over George’s position in Milton ward. Line expressed surprise at the announcement and stated his intention to focus on becoming Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Southend West and Leigh. Despite his disappointment, he reflected on his achievements and wished success to his successor. Stephen George declined to comment.

Labour Group leader Daniel Cowan attributed the decision to a “national party decision,” while Southend Labour spokesman Matt Dent refrained from elaborating. The council elections are scheduled for May 2.

Original story by Christine Sexton, Local Democracy Reporter

6 March 2024

We are not overtaxed

Richard Murphy points out that although there will be much talk today about the tax burden in the UK, compared to similar countries, our tax burden is low, and we demand services of the scale that they enjoy. Unsurprisingly, the impossibility of achieving that outcome is now becoming apparent. The Office for Budget Responsibility published this in March 2023, but the data has not moved that much since then:

We have a choice. We can go for lower state services and pay for our medical care privately, which is how the US delivers its outcome – whilst leaving large parts of the population at massive risk of not getting the care they need – or we can pay via taxation for the services we need to live in a decent society where everyone has a chance.

To be selfish or not, that is the question.

6 March 2024

Adrian Ramsay’s budget response

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party co-leader and MP candidate for Waveney Valley, has criticised the budget, stating it would not address the urgent issues facing East Anglia. Ramsay highlights the need for increased investment in essential services like NHS dentistry, public transport, and support for young people.

He expressed concern that tax reductions would lead to further cuts in vital services, citing the ongoing struggle to access NHS dentists in the Norfolk and Waveney area. Despite promises of rail improvements, there is a lack of funding allocation for projects such as rail junction upgrades. He criticised the government’s focus on tax cuts over investing in public services, pointing to the austerity measures imposed by Norfolk and Suffolk councils despite rising council taxes.

“This is a careless, reckless budget,” Ramsay said, “designed to win votes rather than invest in public services that the country and Norfolk and Suffolk are crying out for. Tax cuts will mean public service cuts and people in the region realise this.” He is calling for a budget that prioritises public investment, advocating for measures such as a wealth tax to fund essential services and green job creation. He emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach to address the pressing issues facing the region.

5 March 2024

River Stour at Manningtree in line to get new bathing site status

There are hopes that a wild swimming spot in Essex will become an official bathing water site. Manningtree beach is among 27 in England selected to be considered for ‘bathing designation’: a first step towards cleaner, safer water.

If accepted, the river water would be monitored by the Environment Agency during the bathing season from 15 May to 30 September. Any pollution would be traced back to source, and necessary actions by farmers and water companies would be identified.

Sewage from three nearby storm overflows has caused problems here for the Manningtree Mermaids, a local swimming group. Several have fallen ill after swimming in the Stour, which prompted them to apply for bathing water status.

The Mermaids swim regularly here, which is one of the conditions for DEFRA to consider the site for the status.

The consultation closes on 10 March and you are invited to submit your views.

1 March 2024

No enthusiasm for Great Yarmouth byelection

The only local byelection in our region this week was in Great Yarmouth’s Central and Northgate Ward.

The seat was vacant following the resignation of the previous councillor, Mike Smith-Clare on health grounds.

Labour held the seat comfortably, but with a tiny turnout of only 15.5%. The Conservatives remain in control, but with only 19 of the 39 councillors. The vote shares were:

Labour 52.6%,
Conservative 32.2%,
Liberal Democrat 15.5%

29 February 2024

Where is the Labour lead coming from?

The latest poll from Redfield and Wilton confirms Labour’s long standing lead in voting intention, but it also tells us something about where that lead comes from. While 82% of 2019 Labour voters are staying with the party, but less than half of 2019 Conservative voters (47%) will do the same. Those abandoning the Tories divide almost equally between Reform and Labour.

The government’s net competency rating stands at -34%, while Rishi Sunak’s net personal approval is the lowest it has ever been at -26%. Keir Starmer’s net approval has fallen since last week, but is still positive at +2%, and on the question of who would make the best prime minister, Starmer leads Sunak by 42% to 29%.

More than half of supporters of all parties put the NHS and the economy at the top of their priority lists, but Reform and Conservative voters give much more weight to immigration, while Labour and Liberal Democrats are more concerned about housing and education. Reform voters stand out in their very high ranking of the economy and immigration.

27 February 2024

Lengthy meeting frustrations at ‘Norfolk’s most cantankerous council‘

A tense meeting at West Norfolk Council saw frustration among members as former Labour group leader Charles Joyce proposed multiple last-minute budget amendments, sparking a four-hour debate. Suggestions included funding for local causes like food banks and charities. Despite political differences, some Tory members supported Joyce’s proposals, but the amendments were ultimately rejected. Francis Bone, who took over from Cllr Joyce as the leader of the Labour group, described the amendments “political posturing”.

Tensions rose as debates dragged on, with one councillor, Simon Ring, saying he was “losing the will to live”, while others criticised the meeting’s disorderliness. The disagreement extended to discussions on staff wage increases, highlighting ongoing divisions within the council. Despite the tumultuous atmosphere, the budget for the year was eventually passed, incorporating fee increases for services such as car parks and weddings and burials.

The tempestuous meeting is the latest event to unfold at West Norfolk Council, which has been dubbed “Norfolk’s most cantankerous council” due to frequent clashes among its members.

Original story by Owen Sennitt, Local Democracy Reporter

26 February 2024

Pollution threatens rare chalk stream

An investigation is under way after oil and other pollutants flowed into a rare Norfolk chalk stream for several days. The Environment Agency is attempting to identify the source of the issue and is currently analysing samples taken from the Gaywood River in the Bawsey area in West Norfolk.

A spokesman for Gaywood River Revival, a group campaigning to protect the waterway, said: “The problem has continued throughout the week and this could have serious repercussions to the river’s ecosystem. The pollution is entering the river over a half mile stretch east of the Bawsey ruins. It is washing into the river, coating the surface with a film of oil that will cut off vital oxygen supplies to fish as well as contaminating the river banks and silt for years to come.”

Environment Agency officers visited the site last week – three days after it was first spotted. A spokeswoman said: “An absorbent boom was deployed across the watercourse by our operations team. Water samples were sent for analysis.” “We believe we have identified potential sources and are continuing with our investigations.”

Chalk streams are often described as England’s rainforests – unique habitats with the majority of the 200 in the world found in the southern half of England.

26 February 2024

A warning for tactical voting enthusiasts

The think-tank Labour Together recently commissioned a large sample (6k) poll on tactical voting from YouGov. It has 26.5% of voters saying they are very or fairly likely to vote tactically “to try and keep another party out” (a damning indictment of our electoral system).

But critically it also shows that 40% of voters can’t correctly name the constituency they are now in, including 40% of those considering voting tactically. And over half can’t name both the constituency they were in last time and the one they are in now. Plus just 25% of voters (and 29% of those considering tactical voting) know who came second at the last election, which is something that’s quite important to know when you’re voting tactically. This is why the Lib Dems spend so much time on bar charts, and why there will inevitably be seats the Tories hold on split Lab/LD votes, despite many of those voters wanting to vote tactically to defeat them.

From Sam Freedman’s Substack

25 February 2024

Court rejects green objections to A47 improvements

A climate activist has lost his latest legal bid to block three major improvements to the A47 in Norfolk. Dr Andrew Boswell’s case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

The former Green city and county councillor claimed that the cumulative carbon impact of the projects – to dual two sections and upgrade Thickthorn roundabout – has not been properly considered.

Sir Launcelot Henderson, one of three judges who dismissed the case, said the complaint had “an air of complete unreality” with there being “no logical basis” upon which a wider assessment of carbon emissions could have been undertaken.

Preliminary work has already started on the schemes, intended to reduce congestion, improve safety and boost the economy.

National Highways said that the delays caused by this case had raised the cost of the works by tens of millions of pounds, due to construction cost inflation and legal fees.

Councillor Graham Plant, for Norfolk County Council said: “This judgment is great news for Norfolk. These three projects constitute a huge investment in the county’s transport network and will not only tackle current problems with traffic congestion and delays but also help to ensure Norfolk has the infrastructure it needs to cope with population and business growth.”

Based on a story by Eleanor Storey – Local Democracy Reporter

25 February 2024

Number of homeless children ‘truly appalling’

Chelmsford City Council plans to address the concerning number of children living in hotels by investing millions in affordable housing.

The council has pledged to construct 58 new affordable flats and houses, funded through a combination of internal and external borrowing totaling £53.5 million. This initiative aims to alleviate the financial burden of housing homeless families in temporary accommodation like bed and breakfast, which costs the council millions annually.

Despite budgetary adjustments, ongoing homelessness expenses contribute to an unsustainable financial situation. Currently, around 470 homeless households reside in temporary accommodation, with numbers projected to increase to 620 in the next year. The council has been forced to relocate 150 families outside of Chelmsford due to housing shortages.

Councilor Stephen Robinson says: “It is a stain on society that there are over 300 Chelmsford children living in hotels. That’s truly appalling. Their life chances have been shattered because they don’t have a proper house to live in. And we want to build them a proper house so they can go to school near where they live and we don’t have to send them out of the district.”

Chelmsford City Council is run by the Liberal Democrat.

Based on a story by Piers Meyler, Local Democracy Reporter

25 February 2024

Derelict building woes

Residents of Fakenham are pressing North Norfolk District Council for action regarding a derelict building in the town center’s Norwich Street. They claim that the deteriorating structure, plagued by rat infestations, is detrimentally impacting the vitality of the high street. Accusations of council negligence prompt demands for immediate intervention during a recent full council meeting.

Susan Parry, a local resident, questions the council’s commitment to Fakenham’s well-being, labeling the building a “carbuncle” that harms local businesses and deters visitors. Venetia Strangeways Booth, owner of Venetian’s Yarn Shop opposite the site, describes it as “unbelievably ugly and unhygienic,” expressing concerns about safety risks. She fears that Fakenham’s economic prospects are diminishing as businesses hesitate to invest in the area. Tim Adams, leader of NNDC, acknowledges the complexity of the situation and says the council is “seeking further work to secure the property”.

Despite the challenges, residents remain adamant in their call for swift and effective solutions to revitalise the town center and ensure its long-term prosperity.

Original story by Owen Sennitt, Local Democracy Reporter

24 February 2024

Is Stalham being neglected?

North Norfolk District Council has been accused of neglecting the market town of Stalham, one of the most deprived areas in the district. Residents claim the town is being overlooked for much-needed investment – receiving just £20,000 in capital grants while other places like Cromer, Holt and Sheringham are set to benefit by much more.

Stalham is a small town located in the Norfolk Broads and it was once the centre of the basket-weaving industry which supplied fishing gear for the Herring fleet that sailed from Great Yarmouth. While it may be picturesque, with boats on the River Ant that weaves through the town in the summer months, it has been in decline in recent years. Currently, closure of its high street for pavement resurfacing which has put added pressure on local businesses due to a drop in footfall.

Chair of the council, Sarah Bütikofer, argued it had not been neglected and that it had received the same amount of funding as every other town that received grants through the market town initiative. Though she added not all areas had been as successful as others in “achieving the potential of this money.” Tim Adams, leader of the council, said they will look to develop projects in the future for Stalham when funding becomes available.

Original story by Owen Sennitt, Local Democracy Reporter

23 February 2024

Breaking down barriers to opportunity

A year ago, Keir Starmer announced that Labour’s priorities in government would be built around five broad long-term cross-government ‘missions’ In 2019. The Labour Group on the Local Government Association has just published a report ‘101 Achievements of Labour in Power’ highlighting the contribution that Labour local Authorities are making to these. Six of these are in the East of England.

One striking example is a contribution to the fifth mission, to ‘Break down barriers to opportunity and boost local skills’. In Ipswich, the Borough Council’s Museums Service has partnered with Ipswich Job Centre to change the image of the Job Centre by extending the reach of the Museum into the local community and introducing clients to a range of activities. ‘Joy at the Job Centre’ offered a range of free half-term activities for families including shared meals, crafts, dance, and even live animals for the children to pet. The approach has been shared with other Jobcentres and cultural organisations across East Anglia.

22 February 2024

South Cambridgeshire defies the government

South Cambridgeshire District Council is set to continue its trial of a four-day working week for council employees, in spite of funding threats from central government.

The government wishes to “disincentive the four-day working week” by ‘levers’ in its funding settlement for councils in England. South Cambridgeshire District Council has said it will continue the trial until it has more information about the impact of this proposal. The council’s report on the trial was published on 21 February and will be discussed at an employment and staffing committee meeting on 29 February.

Information from Hannah Brown at Local Democracy Reporting Service.

22 February 2024

Council’s expensive move

Before the last local elections, the Conservative councils in Broadland and South Norfolk agreed to make economies by moving into shared offices on the Broadland Business Park in Norwich. They paid £7.1 million to buy the new site from Aviva, to be funded by the sale of their old premises, and the proceeds were included in the budgets for 2024. The site has been on the market since July 2022, but they have yet to find a buyer.

Broadland’s Thorpe Lodge site is close to Norwich centre, and includes a Grade II listed stately home and a nuclear bunker. Although a number of developers have reportedly “expressed interest”, it remains on the market, For the time being it continues to be a financial burden for the district, which has to pay holding costs from its reserves.

In a report to the council’s scrutiny committee, the authority has said that disposing of the site is a “challenge”. Housing Associations have refused to consider an affordable housing scheme on the site because Thorpe Lodge is a listed building, which would require them to protect the historical character of the Georgian house.

21 February 2024

Rats from a sinking ship

As the water level rises, a growing number of Conservative MPs are abandoning ship. They are reputed to have been asked to stagger their resignation announcements to avoid it looking like a rout, but in our region 11 of the current 53 Conservative MPs have already declared that they are leaving.

The table show those who have already declared in our region, showing their 2019 majority and vote share and Electoral Calculus’ current prediction for this year’s election. Only three seats are predicted to stay with the Conservatives. In last week’s byelections, the Conservatives lost seats which they had won with over 55% vote share in 2019.

17 February 2024

Good news for the Liberals

Only one local byelection this week, in Hertfordshire’s Dacorum District. In Tring West Ward the Liberal Democrats held the seat with an increased majority.
Results
Liberal Democrat (Caroline Smith-Wright) 899: (62.7%, +12.8)
Conservative: 303 (21.1%, -3.0%)
Green: 122 (8.5%, -9.6%)
Labour: 109 (7.6%, -0.3%)

15 February 2024

No news is good news: inflation unchanged, and food prices falling

In January, the UK’s CPI inflation remained steady at 4.0%, surprising analysts who had expected a slight increase to 4.1%. This stability was attributed to a balance between rising energy prices, driven by the Ofgem price cap increase, and falling furniture and food prices. The Ofgem price cap rose in January from £1,834 to £1,928 per year, contributing to upward pressure on inflation. However, this was counteracted by the first monthly decline in food prices since September 2021.

These developments are particularly beneficial for those on low income who are grappling with the cost of living crisis, says Lalitha Try, Economist at the Resolution Foundation. “This is welcome news for low-income households who spend a higher proportion of their income on food.” Core inflation was slightly lower than anticipated, at 5.1%, providing some relief from the inflationary pressures. The stagnant inflation rate in January is seen as a temporary halt in the inflation retreat, with energy prices expected to exert downward pressure in the future. Overall, the data suggests progress towards the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target, albeit with ongoing challenges and fluctuations.

15 February 2024

The poll gap narrows?

After months of good steady polling, the Labour party has been hit by two blows: abandoning the plan to spend £28 million a year on a green transformation; and the leak of allegedly antisemitic statements by Labour activists, including two Parliamentary candidates, at a meeting in October.

The first is unlikely to lose many votes, because the Conservative option is certainly less green, and under first past the post a vote for the Green party is wasted. The second is more damaging, since Keir Starmer has made removing antisemitism from the party a major priority.

Against this background Savanta published a poll of voting intention completed on 11^th February showing a significant fall in Labour support for the first time since last Spring. They have Labour now on 41%, a drop of 5% from a fortnight ago, while the Conservatives have gone up two points to 29% over the same period. Savanta point out that these changes are still broadly on the edges of the margins of error.

The better news for Labour is that the overwhelming majority (91%) of 2019 Labour voters say they will still vote Labour at the general election. And they will be joined by nearly 10% of 2019 Conservative and 23% of Lib Dem voters as well.

One poll may be an outlier. It will be more worrying for Labour if the handling of these incidents becomes linked to a perception that Keir Starmer is indecisive.

9 February 2024

Fairer funding

A councillor has called for fairer funding after more than £450,000 were awarded to charities in West Suffolk. A total of 32 charities, community groups, and organisations across the district are set to receive £466,733 in grant funding.

But Cllr Andy Neal, representing Mildenhall, said grants were not allocated fairly and suggested those who got grants should be given less priority the following year. He said: “I know not everyone will get the funding they need, but every town contributes to the same pot, and we should all benefit from it.”

Cllr Donna Higgins, cabinet member for families and communities, said applications were all considered on their own merits and due weight was given to all of them.

Via Joāo Santos at Local Democracy Reporting Service

8 February 2024

Suffolk County Council opposition: let’s work together on Special Needs

Councillors from the Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent (GLI) Group, the official opposition at Suffolk County Council (SCC), today expressed their willingness to work with the administration to help secure the rapid improvement needed in services for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) run by the council. SCC recently received a damning Ofsted report which highlighted failings going back years, which resulted in three councillors resigning.

The report highlighted communication failures, Education and Health Care Plan delays, and exclusions. The council aims to submit a Priority Action Plan by March 7, 2024, for review.

Ash Lever, GLI Group Spokesperson for Education and Child Protection described the situation as “critical”. He stressed the need for rapid improvement, urging collaboration with parents and carers, saying “As the parent of an autistic child, this is a subject close to my heart”. Lever also emphasised the council’s responsibility to rectify years of failures impacting vulnerable children’s education and mental health.

The GLI Group say they are pledging support for recruitment efforts to replace the two long-standing directors of children’s services at the council who left last summer, and participation in the SEND Improvement Board, urging the council to act swiftly and inclusively.

8 February 2024

Labour U-turn on climate ‘a massive step backwards’ says Green candidate for Waveney Valley  

Green Party’s Adrian Ramsay has criticised Labour’s abandonment of its £28bn annual green investment plan as a “massive backward step” for climate action, the economy, and job creation. Ramsay emphasised the urgent need for large-scale investment in greening the economy, especially in regions like East Anglia which is already experiencing climate impacts such as wide-scale flooding from last year’s Storm Babet

Ramsay says investing in a “secure future is a political choice,” arguing for alternative funding through tax reforms, such as a wealth tax. He also highlighted the potential for economic, social, and environmental benefits. He contrasts Labour’s backtrack with the Green Party’s commitment to doubling investment for a swift transition to a green economy, citing benefits like emission reduction, lower bills, and job creation. Labour’s decisions, Ramsay says, is “a signal a departure from “turning its back on a fairer, greener future”, underscoring the necessity for Green MPs in parliament to advocate for climate-conscious policies regardless of the next government.

7 February 2024

Unhappy and out of touch: the Conservative base don’t want Sunak

A poll of 2,086 paid up Conservative Party members finds widespread disillusion. Ninety percent said they will not campaign for the party. Seventy percent want a change of leader before the election. and when asked “would you vote Conservative with the following as leader”, the figures were:

• 85% Boris Johnson
• 69% Jacob Rees-Mogg
• 65% Suella Braverman
• 24% Rishi Sunak

Half said that in an election today, they would vote for the Reform Party. Ninety percent believe that the party is not Conservative enough. Asked what priorities should be important for the government in the next 12 months the response was dramatically different from polling of all voters nationally.:

• 96% Reducing illegal migration
• 94% National security
• 88% Growing the economy
• 86% Tackling too much wokeness
• 78% Reducing NHS waiting lists

Remember this is not a representative sample. It is only a poll of those who chose to respond. But it would be reasonable to assume that they represent the most committed, or those with the strongest views.

7 February 2024

Southend Council to scrap planned library closures

Labour Councillors have succeeded in removing planned library closures from the final budget papers of Conservative-run Southend-on-Sea City Council, following concerns raised by residents. Labour Leader Daniel Cowan pushed for the removal of the budget line during a Policy and Resources meeting. Shadow Cabinet Member Maxine Sadza highlighted the essential role libraries play in communities beyond book lending.

Despite initial resistance from Leader of the Council, Tony Cox, pressure from councillors and the public eventually resulted in the removal of the closures from the budget.

Opposition councillors remain vigilant against potential future threats to community assets and resources.

6 February 2024

‘No fundamental change of approach’ to Suffolk’s SEND crisis

Lowestoft’s Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Adam Robertson, has criticised Suffolk County Council Leader Matthew Hicks for a reshuffled cabinet that lacks significant change in addressing the SEND crisis. We recently reported on OFSTED’s serious criticism of the council and its failures. The report led to the resignation of three councillors, but despite this, there is still no dedicated SEND role in the reshuffle.

Robertson questions if there’ll be a real shift in approach. Comparing Suffolk with Oxfordshire’s response to a similar report, he emphasises the need for specific SEND improvement roles. Without a “fundamental change of approach”, Robertson fears families and SEND children in Suffolk will still face inadequate services.

6 February 2024

Beware of silly polls

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that a poll of 13,000 voters showed that a new Tory leader, championing core Conservative values, could secure a convincing victory over Labour.

As always, one should look carefully at polling questions, especially when they produce such very surprising results. So here is the question asked:

‘Please imagine that we are well into 2024, and the next UK general election is being held. Suppose by this time, the Conservatives had replaced Rishi Sunak and elected a new leader and prime minister, and they had made the following changes:

• Taking a much tougher approach on people coming to the UK illegally on small boats from France
• Introducing tough new measures on crime and anti-social behaviour
• New measures which significantly reduced legal migration
• Bringing in new tax cuts for working people
• Successfully getting waiting times for operations with the NHS falling

In this hypothetical election, which of the following would you prefer to be prime minister?

• The new Conservative leader
• Keir Starmer
• Not sure

You may not be surprised to know that voters in 322 constituencies in England and Wales preferred a new fantasy Tory leader to a real Labour one. The disappointing finding is that they could find 13,000 people willing to answer such a silly question.

6 February 2024

Britain has a bigger, but sicker, workforce than previously thought

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals an enlarged UK workforce, with employment up by 170,000. But it also unveils concerning trends. Despite an increased workforce, the employment rate for Sep-Nov 2023 dropped by 0.7%, with unemployment and economic inactivity rising by 0.1% and 0.7%, respectively.

A significant revelation is the surge in individuals not working due to long-term sickness, reaching a new high of 2.8 million, emphasising a sicker workforce. ONS’s reshaping of the UK population indicates a slightly larger share of younger workers (16-17 and 18-24), and a reduced share in the 25-34 and 50-64 age groups.

The decline in ‘prime-age’ workers contributes to the assessment that employment is lower than previously believed. Hannah Slaughter, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation describes it as a “huge social and economic challenge”. She emphasises the need to tackle rising health issues alongside restoring and surpassing pre-pandemic employment levels.

6 February 2024

Hertfordshire council draws up plans to end holiday voucher scheme

Hertfordshire’s scheme providing supermarket vouchers to struggling families during school holidays may end as funding through the government’s Household Support Grant is uncertain beyond March 2024. Families with children eligible for free school meals have received vouchers since 2020, but the county council warns that February’s vouchers might be the last.

The council hopes to fund additional vouchers for Easter but that will depend on available resources. Cllr Fiona Thomson, executive member for children, urges eligible families to prepare for the possibility that February’s voucher is the final one. Opposition leaders described the situation as “very concerning”, blaming the government for “causing…harm to our most needy children.”

5 February 2024

New figures suggest child sex abuse increase in East Anglia

Child sex abuse campaigners criticise the government’s failures to introduce the mandatory reporting of abuse, 15 months after it was the main recommendation of the public enquiry. It was promised in April last year, but has yet to be enacted.

East Anglia is known to have been as affected by historic child sex abuse as other areas, and it is acknowledged that the problem still exists. Last month the NSPCC reported that during 2022/23, in Suffolk 1417 cases were reported, up from 1335 the previous year.

In total across the country, during the same period a total of 86,962 cases were reported, one of the highest figures since research began 16 years ago.

5 February 2024

Essex Police make ‘dramatic improvement’ in Clare’s Law disclosure rate

Essex Police has made a ‘dramatic improvement’ in responding to requests under Clare’s Law – which allows people to learn of their partner’s criminal record.

Figures from 2014 to 2023 show the force had only made 262 disclosures – a rate of only 5% of requests received.

Essex Police had been rated as the worst performing force in sharing information to requests made under the legislation. Since a change of approach in August 2023, disclosures to the end of December rose to 66%.

Roger Hirst, Essex Police Fire & Crime Commissioner, said: “There is certainly a new policy of declaring both spent and unspent convictions and sharing intelligence with those who inquire under the domestic violence disclosure scheme.”

The law is named after Clare Wood, a 36-year-old woman from Yorkshire murdered by ex-boyfriend George Appleton in 2009. It allows police to both disclose and proactively inform people of their partners’ criminal records and relevant past convictions.

Via Piers Meyler at Local Democracy Reporting Service

1 February 2024

Parliament muzzles our election watchdog

Last night, the Conservative attack on our election watchdog’s independence moved from theory to reality. Despite all of the protests from Parliamentary committees, opposition MPs and the Electoral Commission itself, Parliament has approved the Minister’s “strategy and policy” guidance for the Commission.

They encouraged our elections watchdog to focus extensively on (non-existent) voter fraud and ignore everything else. The document mentions “fraud” eleven times, but only references “donations” twice. As Open Britain commented “in short, they’ve attempted to blind the referee.

1 February 2024

Labour is winning the marginals

The Conservatives enter the next election with a very large Parliamentary majority, and the boundary changes increase that. To win control, Labour must take 150 seats from the Conservatives: an unprecedented swing. The 150 most marginal Conservative/Labour seats include eight in the East of England: Watford, Peterborough, Ipswich. Norwich North, Stevenage, Welwyn/Hatfield, Hitchin and Colchester.

Although current national polling gives Labour a lead around 20 points, that still might not be enough. However, a new Fabian Society/YouGov poll offers Labour more hope. While their national voting intention figures showed a 24 point lead for Labour, in the 150 most marginal Conservative/Labour seats that lead was much larger, at 34 points.

Forty three percent said they would ‘never’ consider the Conservatives, compared to only 25% for Labour. Thirty nine percent said they would prefer “a Labour government led by Keir Starmer”, followed by 30% choosing “neither”, and with “a Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak” supported by only 17%. On all the questions, the gap was wider in the 150 marginal seats.

31 January 2024

Norfolk MP can’t afford his mortgage

George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk has resigned as science minister because he can’t afford to pay his mortgage when it rises from £800 to £2000 per month. Mr Freeman said that with all his other expenses, his salary of £118,300 would not stretch far enough. In future “only spin doctors, hedge fund donors, and failed trade unionists” would be able to afford to be politicians.

Mr Freeman’s salary is three and a half times the national average. At a time when the general public are also struggling with housing costs as well as the cost of living, sympathy may be limited.

31 January 2024

A year of elections in the East

There may, or may not, be a general election on 2 May, but there will be local elections. In some places only one third of Councillors are elected, in other places, they are all elected this time.

The table shows which Councils in the East of England are electing, on what basis, and which party is currently in control.

Half of the Councils are in Essex, and no party has overall control in half of the 18.

26 January 2024

Wanted: a Tory candidate for Norwich North

The beleaguered Norwich North constituency is still lacking a Conservative candidate for the forthcoming general election. Current MP, Tory, Chloe Smith is standing down this year. She had a slim majority of 4,738 at the 2019 election and has managed to hold onto the seat since 2009.

A candidate was appointed in October 2023 to replace her: former Bournemouth councillor Nick Rose. But he was forced to resign a month later following a series of ‘incendiary comments’ made during the course of a hustings at Thorpe St Andrew, and on social media, including “pushing idle benefit scroungers back to work.” The X/Twitter post was deleted. Following intervention from Conservative Central Office and complaints from local Norwich residents, Mr Rose’s time was up.

Having announced in the local press that a new Tory candidate will be selected “very early in the new year”, it’s late January and Norwich North constituents have yet to discover their identity. Neighbouring Norwich South does have a local Tory candidate, David Thomas. He’s facing the popular Clive Lewis, who won the 2019 election with a 12,760 majority.

East Anglia Bylines submitted requests to both CCHQ and Norwich Conservatives for candidate information and has yet to receive a response.

26 January 2024

Ipswich councillor on Suffolk County Council arts funding cuts

Cutting funding in the arts in Ipswich would be completely foolish, a councillor has said. During last night’s Ipswich full council meeting, Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Ipswich’s cabinet member for strategy, culture and customers, announced that there were no plans to cut any of its arts funding, and promised continued support to the industry.

“It sends a message to the people in the arts industry that we absolutely value what they do and the services they give to people. They are a key part of our local economy and vital to the health and wellbeing of our people — the money that goes into the arts builds more money.”

This came after Suffolk County Council announced it would stop core funding of £500,000 to art and museum sector organisations from the next financial year. The council said the decision, which was part of a larger £65m cuts package, was needed to prioritise care services at a time when prices and demand remained high.

Rudkin criticised the cuts but said they were a symptom of the national Government’s disregard for the arts industry. She added: “It would be completely foolish of us not to want to support something that brought money to the town. Nationally, I think it sends a signal that the Conservatives think that the arts are just for a wealthy few. That they’re not for everybody – but they are.”

By Joao Santos via the Local Democracy Reporting Service

25 January 2024

Costessey deaths: Norfolk police chief to be ‘held to account’

Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Giles Orpen-Smellie, has pledged to hold the Chief Constable accountable after officers failed to respond to a 999 call an hour before the discovery of four bodies in Costessey near Norwich. The bodies of 45-year-old Bartlomiej Kuczynski, a 36-year-old woman, and two girls were found at a residence at 7:15 am on Friday. Norfolk Police later revealed that a 999 call had been made from the same address at 6 am, but officers were not dispatched.

Orpen-Smellie expressed condolences for the “terrible tragedy”, telling ITV: “I am clear that the residents of Norfolk must be able to depend on the effective working of the 999 system.”

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) will investigate the incident. They are also examining a prior police visit to the address on December 14 related to a missing persons inquiry. Norfolk Police, who are not seeking others in connection with the deaths, disclosed that post-mortem examinations showed the adults died from neck stab wounds. Tests on the children are scheduled for Wednesday.

Schools attended by the girls will provide bereavement support, and a local vicar is offering assistance to neighbors and those affected by the tragic events.

24 January 2024

Planning project looking at use of artificial intelligence

Councils across Hertfordshire are exploring the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the planning process amid a national shortage of planners. The initiative, led by the Hertfordshire Growth Board, aims to enhance the efficiency of the planning system. Previous efforts focused on addressing the shortage of planning officers through measures like apprenticeships, mentoring, and a county-wide symposium. Information on planning webpages has been improved to minimise the number of ‘invalid’ applications. The latest phase of the project now examines the feasibility of using ‘AI auto-validator tools’ to streamline the validation process and reduce the need for validation officers.

The overarching goal is to bolster planning teams’ capacity, ensuring prompt checks for the validity of applications, ranging from small home-improvement projects to major housing developments. Spearheaded by the planning resilience working group, comprising officers from local government, education, and the private sector, the project addresses recruitment and retention challenges in the county. Notable progress has been reported, including efficiency improvements and a reduction in invalid applications. The focus is shifting towards exploring the potential for shared IT services, with a keen interest in AI applications. The planning resilience project collaborates with the University of Hertfordshire, local colleges, landowners, and developers to enhance recruitment and retention through initiatives such as planning symposiums, apprenticeships, mentoring schemes, and career development frameworks. The Hertfordshire Growth Board’s progress report highlights these efforts as part of its 2022-23 agenda.

23 January 2024

May election still possible?

Noises from within the European Union suggest that EU diplomats are frustrated at delays to agree a date for the next European Political Community summit, which involves Britain, brought about by Rishi Sunak’s indecision over the date of the general election. That suggests that, in spite of his protestations, a May election is still being considered.

23 January 2024

New Mid Beds MP moves on

The man who won Mid beds for Labour in a sensational by election victory last October has announced that he is already jumping ship. Alistair Strathern has announced he is going to stand in the new Hitchin constituency.

Strathern currently lives in Shefford with his partner Megan, but following boundary changes, Shefford will be in the Hitchin constituency whenever a general election is called.

Strathern told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it would be “entirely disingenuous” to stand for Mid Beds while remaining living in Shefford.

“But having spoken at such great length about how important it is for MPs to live in the community, I think it would be entirely inconsistent and unfair to stand in an area where I was no longer living.

It would also have been an option of course for Strathern to move house. But a further attraction of standing in the new constituency may have been that, according to opinion polls, the new Hitchin seat is more winnable for Labour than Mid Beds.

23 January 2024

Tories to use Brexit-style scare ads at election – claim

The Conservative Party is being sued by the Good Law Project over alleged serious breaches to the data protection law leading up to the general election.

The GLP claims that an online tool launched by the Tories, claiming to calculate individual effects of recent changes in national insurance, is actually a data harvesting exercise.

The aim, it is claimed, is to be able to use ‘scare’ advertising to play on personal fears as the poll nears. It is the same tactic used by the Leave campaign in the EU referendum.

17 January 2024

Rebel East Anglian MPs vote to disregard international law

On Monday 68 MPs, including 60 Tories, voted against the government for Bill Cash MP’s amendment to the Rwanda Bill.

The amendment sought to block international law being used to stop an asylum-seeker being flown to Rwanda. Two Conservative deputy chairs, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, resigned their posts to vote for it.

Five MPs from the East voted for the amendment: Paul Bristow (Peterborough), James Duddridge (Rochford & Southend East), Mark Francois (Rayleigh & Wickford), Tom Hunt (Ipswich) and Liz Truss (SW Norfolk).

The bill will return to the Commons today for debate on further amendments. If it remains unamended, the bill will be put to a vote.

16 January 2024

Pay packets have barely grown since the summer

The Resolution Foundation has published their response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. Here’s a breakdown of the latest pay trends:

– Pay growth has slowed: After a strong start to 2023, pay increases have levelled off since the summer, with little growth in both public and private sectors.

– Inflation slowdown: This easing of wage growth is actually a positive sign for inflation indicating, despite a slight blip, it’s likely to continue falling toward a healthier 2% rate.

– Real wage growth: Whilst pay hasn’t surged, its generally kept pace with falling prices, leading to modest growth in buying power.

– Job market cooling: The intense hiring spree of last year has eased, with fewer open positions and slower employment growth. This could moderate pay growth further in the coming months.

– Key question for 2024: Economists are now focused on determining at what level pay growth will stabilise and how this will impact workers’ real wages and spending power.

15 January 2024

Government triggers ‘Sizewell Development Consent‘

After a number of unkept promises to visit Suffolk to meet with local communities affected by the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station, Energy Minister Andrew Bowie finally arrived at Sizewell. He was onsite to trigger the Development Consent Order and enable construction to begin on the controversial project.

Jenny Kirtley, Chair of Together Against Sizewell C, condemned the decision, stating: “By enabling Sizewell C construction to start, the UK government, as majority shareholder, is permitting permanent environmental damage to the Heritage Coast and biodiversity of East Suffolk, directly contradicting its own green agenda.”

During his visit, Bowie, said: “This is a major milestone for Sizewell C and our ambition to deliver up to 24GW of low-carbon nuclear power by 2050.

However, Kirtly points out the government is pursuing the Sizewell C project despite there being:

• no final investment decision
• no updated cost estimates
• no nuclear site licence
• no final sea defence design
• no guaranteed water supply for the plant’s 60-year operational lifespan

With so many critical factors still in the air, there is no certainty that Sizewell C will ever be completed. Kirtley says the government is “driven by nuclear ideology rather than practicality” and describes the decision to go ahead which will have such a huge environmental impact as “heartbreaking”. She adds “It is even more galling given the public purse is funding the project.”

15 January 2024

A landslide in the East?

YouGov have just published the first constituency level poll of the year (using MRP methodology). They predict a Labour landslide. In the East of England the Conservatives would lose 15 seats to Labour and 3 to the Liberal Democrats, leaving them with only 38. In only 5 seats would the Conservative vote share be larger than the combined Labour and Liberal Democrat one.
If an election were held now, YouGov predicts that the Conservatives would lose the following seats:

15 January 2024

Three million more voters from Tuesday

In 1989, the Thatcher government passed the first legislation enabling British citizens living overseas to vote in British general elections. They could do this in the constituency where they last lived, but only for 20 years after they left (later reduced to 15). They were also entitled to donate to political parties during that time. In the 2000s there were usually less than 35,000 such overseas voters (around 50 per constituency: probably too few to influence any result). However, during the Brexit referendum campaign, the number of registered overseas voters rose dramatically, to 233,000.

In its 2015 manifesto, the Conservative Party promised to introduce “votes for life”, removing the 15 years limit. In 2022, the legislation was passed as the Elections Act.

The government estimates that the new rules will allow 3 million British overseas residents to apply. Although there are still some administrative changes to be made, they can all now apply for registration, even if they have had no contact with the country for decades. This is a potential increase of 6% in the total electorate, but of course they will not be evenly distributed. The proportion may be much higher in some constituencies, perhaps enough to swing a result or two. Certainly their donations may have an impact.

The way overseas voters are handled by other countries has been reviewed by the Electoral Commission.

15 January 2024

Access Talks begin for the Labour Party

Rishi Sunak has just formally approved the beginning of ‘Access talks’ between the Opposition and the Civil Service.

In many countries an election is followed by a period (2 months in the USA) for the civil service to prepare for a new regime. By contrast, in the UK, a new Prime Minister is usually in post within 8 hours of the last vote being cast.

The Civil Service has to make the new government’s plans happen, and new governments like to move fast, able to signal achievements in the first 100 days. So, civil servants need to know their priorities, and Opposition leaders need to understand what will, and will not be easy to do.

Access talks allow the Opposition to talk in confidence to senior civil servants, so they can ‘hit the ground running’. Knowing which of the current government’s plans are likely to be reversed, also means that the Civil Service can gently apply the brakes to avoid waste of public money.

This time, talks are starting later than usual, and the Labour Party is reported to be finalising its manifesto next month, so time is pressing. The race is on, and the Opposition faces, as always, the challenge of preparing for government at the same time as running an election campaign.

14 January 2024

Labour overtakes Tories in rural areas, claims poll

A new poll suggests an earthquake in British politics, with the claim that Labour has overtaken the Conservatives in rural areas. The research finds that 34% would back Labour, and only 30% would continue to support the Tories. If so, it would pose an existential threat to the party as a parliamentary force. (EAB recently suggested the party might follow the example of the old Liberal Party, who all but vanished as a serious political player in 1924.) The poll is revealed by the Daily Telegraph, which goes on to suggest “a Portillo moment is possible anywhere”.

12 January 2024

Labour lose a Council seat in Essex

Yesterday Labour lost a Council seat to an Independent. Tendring lies on the far North East coast of Essex, and is one of the poorest Districts in the region. It is the only place which ever elected a UKIP MP (Duncan Carswell). In 2015 it had 22 UKIP Councillors, and the area voted strongly for Leave in the Brexit referendum.

This time, in the Bluehouse Ward, there was a plethora of Independents. Both Conservative and Labour saw their vote share drop dramatically, and Reform, who are bidding to become a significant force in this year’s general election, appeared for the first time.
IND (Goldman): 30.4% (+6.6)
CON: 15.3% (-10.6)
LAB: 13.9% (-12.1)
RFM: 9.1% (New)
IND (Mayzes): 8.7%
IND (Bayford): 7.6% (New)
UKIP: 6.4% (-5.6)
IND (Holland): 4.0%
LDM: 3.7% (-1.8)
IND (Chittock): 1.0% (New)

11 January 2024

Are the election battlegrounds emerging?

The parties are preparing for the general election. Since 2019, the boundary review has added three more constituencies in the Eastern region (making 61 in all) and changed some boundaries.

In seats where a change of control seems possible, parties try to select their candidates early, so the candidate can begin to make an impression on the voters. So, from the list of candidates already nominated, we can begin to see which seats are most likely to be hard fought. Two parties are furthest ahead. The Conservatives, who hold most of the seats at present, have already chosen 39, but the Reform party is slightly ahead with 40. Labour is trailing, with only 14. Of the 61 constituencies in the region, there are 16 with three candidates now in place. But perhaps the hardest fought will be the following six, all with four candidates already in place:

10 January 2024

Bid to save farm café amid ‘town centre activity’ argument

A café at Chigborough Farm faces closure after an application for change of use was turned down by Maldon District Council. It deemed the café status incompatible with the farm’s agricultural setting and wants it gone, citing their “town centre only” policy for cafés. However, the café boasts strong community support, employing locals and serving 10,000 annual farm visitors.

There has been a food hospitality provider onsite for over 40 years, with a restaurant established in 1982 closing in 2022, and a café operating since 2018. However, they want to move the café to a different building and applied for planning permission.

Applicant Paul Tallowin argues the policy misinterprets cafés as purely urban entities, ignoring its distinct rural appeal. The café plays an essential role within the farm which also has fishing lakes, a camp and glamping site, a food retail outlet and smokehouse. Councillor Nick Spencely highlights its local value, job creation, and sustainability practices.

This tug-of-war pits a community asset against rigid planning. Will the council recognise the farm’s unique needs and the café’s value, or will its policy prevail, forcing a popular rural hub to shut down? Today’s planning committee decision holds the answer.

By Emma Doyle, LDRS

9 January 2014

Essex pharmacy closures threaten ‘Pharmacy first’ relief for GPs

Alarm bells are ringing in Essex as pharmacies, particularly Boots branches, continue to close amid plans to use them for the NHS Pharmacy First scheme. This initiative aims to lighten GP workloads by directing minor ailments to pharmacies for advice and medication.

However, large chains’ business models may not accommodate an emphasis on consultation and treatment.

Councillor Marie Goldman of Essex County Council told the health scrutiny committee on 8 January of residents’ frustrations over shuttered pharmacies in Chelmsford.

William Guy, Director of Primary Care for Mid & South Essex NHS Integrated Care pledged to prioritise pharmacy viability, but acknowledged that closures of chain outlets hamper the scheme. While smaller businesses wait to see the benefits of Pharmacy First, the rollout is slow and the scheme’s future uncertain, as reported by EAB last October.

Summarised from LDRS

7 January 2024

Polling: voting intentions steady as a rock

There have been 11 opinion polls since 1^st December. None show a significant change in vote shares. The average vote share is:

Labour                43%
Conservative     25%
LibDem               10%
Reform                9%
Green                  6%.

The Labour lead remains 18%.

On an (improbable) even swing, this would give Labour a Parliamentary majority of over 200.

In the Eastern region the Conservatives would lose 26 seats: 22 to Labour, and 2 to LibDems.

6 January 2024

Walcott affordable housing proposal: building on shifting sands

A proposal to build 23 affordable homes in Walcott, North Norfolk, has sparked controversy due to its proximity to the eroding coastline. While proponents tout the economic and social benefits of the project, opponents warn of the long-term risks of building so close to the sea.

As we have frequently written about, the Norfolk coast is subject to severe erosion. In the last 20 years to the end of 2023, 34 homes in the neighboring village of Happisburgh have been lost to the sea, and the cliffs at Walcott have also shown signs of retreat.

The proposed development would see 23 affordable homes built on farmland just 150 meters from the beach. Supporters of the project argue that it would provide much-needed housing for local residents and boost the local economy. They also point out that the homes would be located outside the current “red zone” of erosion identified by experts.

However, opponents of the development are concerned about the long-term risks of building so close to the sea. They argue that the homes could be at risk of erosion in the future, and that the development could exacerbate coastal erosion problems. They also worry about the impact of the development on traffic and other infrastructure.

The decision of whether or not to approve the Walcott housing development is a difficult one. There are strong arguments on both sides of the issue. Ultimately, the decision-makers will need to weigh the economic and social benefits of the project against the environmental risks.

The Walcott housing proposal is a microcosm of the wider challenge of balancing development with environmental protection. As coastal erosion becomes more of a problem, many more coastal communities will face similar difficult decisions.

Via George Thompson, LDRS

5 January 2024

Wildlife under threat after EU rules expire

Wildlife is seriously threatened as EU regulations to protect hedgerows and limit river pollution expired on 31st December 2023. The Wildlife Trusts are calling for swift action to fill gaps left by their expiry.

Farmers had to comply with these regulations in order to receive rural payments. They agreed not to farm land on riverbanks to prevent pollution and soil being washed into waterways, and also had to protect hedgerows.

Following Brexit, the UK Government mandated that these rules would expire and be replaced by new UK ones. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has not clarified whether protections will be recreated. Without any rules in place, farmers are now free to cut hedges in spring, putting nesting birds at risk. More pollution could wash into streams already polluted by excess nutrients from manure.

Source: wildlifetrust.org

4 January 2024

Sunak only hedges bets on election timing

Rishi Sunak is widely reported today as having dismissed the idea of a May general election.

In fact he gives no assurances either way, only suggesting that the election is likely to be held later in the year.

Since there is no advantage to him in giving away his preferred election date, whatever he says may be seen as a tactical ploy. A May election would give him greater short term control, but still with the opinion polls heavily weighted against him. A later election would give him more time to make up the arrears, but less control over how events might pan out.

4 January 2024

Norwich headteacher speaks out about hungry children

Headteacher Jade Hunter’s school serves West Earlham, in one of the most deprived areas in England. Around half her students get free school meals. Small children have arrived hungry and tried to eat sand, and on wet days attendance drops, as parents can’t afford coats. Hunter sees stark evidence of dropping standards of living, and of ill health due to malnourishment and poor living conditions. Dr Sarah Hanson, associate professor in community health at the University of East Anglia, has identified malnourishment as leading to low mood and anxiety, rising tension within households, and increased demand for GP services.

All children at the West Earlham school, whether or not they get free school meals, receive breakfast thanks to the charity Magic Breakfast. It’s a national charity, and was present at Labour, Conservative and SNP party conferences in 2023 to highlight the importance of ensuring that no child is too hungry to learn. They spoke to large and receptive audiences, but Jade Hunter’s experience in Earlham suggests that there is much work still to do.

Source: The Guardian

3 January 2024

Already a difficult week for James Cleverly

James Cleverly, Home Secretary and MP for Braintree, Essex is having a testing week.

Yesterday our blog reported that he had been challenged by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on the truth of his claims of having ‘cleared the asylum backlog’.

This morning on the Radio 4 Today programme he repeatedly denied using the word ‘sh**hole’ last year in the Commons to describe Stockton-on-Tees, after Mishal Husain asserted that several times things he said had ‘got him into trouble’.

Today he also apologised for making a ‘joke’ about spiking his wife with a date rape drug. This caused outrage last month when it became public, but Rishi Sunak has now declared the matter closed.

Mr Cleverly has faced calls to resign, but is standing firm.

3 January 2024

GLI Group Response to 2024-25 Suffolk County Council Budget

Suffolk’s Conservatives unveiled a budget tackling “deeply disappointing” government funding with hefty cuts and a maxed-out council tax. Opposition calls the move “unsurprising”, slamming years of inaction that led to this “admission of defeat.”

Proposed cuts hit children’s services, education, and even Suffolk’s green ambitions. The Greens, LibDem & Independent (GLI) group – the official opposition – blames years of Conservative tax resistance for the drastic measures, accusing them of “sidelining” Suffolk despite holding all seven MP seats.

The budget relies heavily on reserves and offers no solution for replenishing them, violating council policy. Critics charge it “affects us all” while offering “a lesser service or higher taxes.” The battle lines are drawn as Suffolk wrestles with a budget under financial strain.

Based on a GLI press release

2 January 2024

New Ofsted chief halts inspections over teacher wellbeing

Following the tragic suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry, linked to stress from an Ofsted inspection, the inspectorate’s new chief Martyn Oliver today announced a halt to inspections. He will investigate Ofsted’s role in her death and improve inspectors’ mental health awareness training. Aiming to win back teachers’ and parents’ trust, Oliver will embark on a ‘Big Listen’ for professionals to voice views on Ofsted’s approach to inspection. Acknowledging how stressful teaching is, he promised to prioritise staff wellbeing alongside school improvement.

The decision follows the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report into Perry’s suicide last January, and union calls for an interim suspension. Only emergency safeguarding visits will proceed for now.

Credit to UK government via gov.uk

2 January 2024

Hertfordshire: PCC David Lloyd will NOT stand for re-election in May

Hertfordshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd announces his departure at the next election after 12 years and three terms. He cites leadership knowing “when to say goodbye” and highlights achievements like the Beacon victim service, neighborhood policing, and crime reduction. The biggest challenge for the next PCC, he says, is efficiency despite financial constraints, upholding stop-and-search fairness, and prioritising prevention and conviction rates. Lloyd, involved in local government for 30 years, plans research at Birmingham University and pursuing his interests beyond policing.

Credit to Deborah Price via LDRS

2 January 2024

Cracks in government’s migrant boats policy

There are already cracks in the government’s renewed determination to present their small boats refugee policy as a success. The vigour with which they are pursuing the policy has added to perceptions that they are aiming at a May general election.

But the promised new bill which was due to be presented imminently just before Christmas has failed to materialise, amid reports that those agencies involved claim it would be unworkable. Rishi Sunak’s boasts of progress have been described as outright “lies” by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper. Then today, home secretary James Cleverly’s claims that all small boat crossings will cease this year have been disowned by No10.

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29 August 2026

Pecksniff

Pecksniff: ‘No confidence in any party’ as Burnham bottles water and sticks to red lines

by East Anglia Bylines

29 August 2026