Cllr. Robert Barnard represents Penistone East Ward on Barnsley Council.
Those of us who are long in the tooth knew the Labour Government would be bad, but even I was surprised at how catastrophically inept it has proven. Maybe that is the consequence of never having held a proper job in the private sector and concocting fantasy CVs like some latter-day Walter Mitty. At first, I thought it simply failed to read the room and understand the concerns of people across the country, but increasingly, it looks to be contemptuous of everyone outside the liberal establishment. It prioritises the prejudices of left-wing lawyers and international organisations over the needs of the British public and uses our taxes to benefit those who wish us harm.
In the eighteen months since Labour won the election with a large Commons majority on a low percentage of the popular vote, we have seen public disenchantment with politics grow and with it new, previously fringe parties have seen their support increase. Politicians are mistrusted, the mainstream media is not believed and now with the growth of alternative sources of information through the internet and social media people are able to see original source material for themselves. Hence those organisations like the BBC which previously had a virtual monopoly now complain about ‘fake’ news, accusing others of doing what they themselves do – like manipulating videos.
Whilst individual opinion polls should always be treated with caution, the trend shows that a realignment of British politics is taking place and this is echoed in local government by-elections. What does this mean for local government when, in May, many councils will be contested and new insurgent parties will be looking to make gains and maybe even seize control? I suspect the first to feel the wrath of voters will be those politicians who have sought to delay elections. Did they really think people would look kindly on councillors hiding in the municipal bunker, adding up supporters from old canvass returns? Then there are those councils which, after boundary changes, are having all-out elections – Barnsley is one along with others in Yorkshire such as Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford.
With every seat being contested at the same time, regime change becomes a real possibility, especially in those areas which have been de facto one-party states for as long as most people can remember. Where the ruling groups look old and tired, have a cosy relationship with council officers and where the same old faces pop up on the pages of the local paper opening something or simply posing for a photo opportunity with the ubiquitous litter-picker. Around here, they have been distributing the usual leaflets, telling everyone how good they are and promoting their MPs while privately telling everyone how much they want Starmer replaced. Yet they are the very same people who enthusiastically campaigned for those MPs who gave him a majority in 2024. At least these leaflets will have found work for printers, increased the recycling rates and provided liners for the litter trays of many grateful felines.
Local government finances have been difficult for some time and every council now faces rising costs due to inflation and Government policies which leaves outgoing councils struggling to balance the budget while residents see declining services. Bins not emptied, potholes increasing, litter and fly-tipping everywhere but still money for pet projects and staff in many cases on higher salaries than the Prime Minister. Convincing voters that things will get better will prove an uphill struggle. The real challenges for many councils will be in the years ahead and whichever party or parties form the administration will have some difficult decisions to make and I hope everyone challenging in these elections will be open with the voters. Simply promising to manage decline less badly than Labour is no longer enough. A mistake made by Conservative Governments since 2010 which chose not to undo all the damage inflicted on the country after 1997.
Treating the voters as adults would be a first step. Making it clear that they can no longer have everything they have been promised in the past. Then there will be the challenge of dealing with the local government machine for which the default position is ‘nothing can be done.’ The same people excuse cost over runs on projects as being par for the course and therefore inevitable. New administrations need to stop accepting business as usual, stop using the failed old playbook, force through radical changes and be prepared to defend their records in 2030.
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