It has been a rocky start to life in government for the Labour Party. Despite making some early inroads in terms of policy and action, their involvement in the donations row and Winter Fuel Allowance saga hasn’t made them popular – as shown by voting in the Lancaster Council.
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Lancaster Council: Why the Green Party victory is significant
The local authority held by-elections on Thursday night, with the numbers finely balanced. The result in Scotford East has tipped the scales towards the Green Party, however, who now have the largest number of seats on the council.
The vote saw a significant swing of 20% from Labour to the Greens – who romped home with roughly 58% of the vote. They are now the largest party active in Lancaster City, claiming 23 seats to Labour’s 21. The Conservatives polled at 14%, with 6% opting for the Liberal Democrats.
Labour loss in Green Party gain…
Andrew Otway was the victorious candidate, and the significance of his success – and that of the party in general – is being celebrated by the Greens, and their Deputy Leader Zack Polanski has heralded the result as ‘absolutely huge’ for their political future.
“Just look at that swing towards the Green Party and away from the Labour Party. This is an absolutely huge win for us in Lancaster. The Greens are now the largest party representing the council, and we are ready to [emulate these results] across the country” | Zack Polanski
Local elections leave Labour lamenting
Political commentator Owen Jones also praised the Green Party for their overnight success, and criticised Labour for suffering such losses during their ‘honeymoon period’. Though voter turn-out was low, many of those aligned with the left-wing movement are ecstatic.
The drubbings weren’t just limited to Lancaster Council, either. Labour contested four council by-elections on Thursday and lost them all. Notably, one vote in Marton, Blackpool saw Reform come out on top, defeating the incumbent Labour candidate.