Local elections in Wirral: What voters think in a key target council for Labour

Wirral in north-west England is a key battleground council in this week’s local elections, with local and national Labour politicians hopeful of taking overall control.

With an all-out election, the Tories and Labour near neck-and-neck on current seats and challenges from Greens and independents, Wirral Labour faces complex challenges in its efforts to gain overall control of the council.

The council is currently in no overall control, with Labour the largest party on 23 councillors and the Tories close behind on 22. The council also has a notable Green presence, with nine seats, while the Liberal Democrats have six councillors. Five independents – four previously Labour– make up the rest.

This week is especially significant as the local authority is moving to an all-out system, where previously councillors have been elected in thirds – meaning residents will be casting votes for three separate candidates on May 4th.

Labour leader of the council Janette Williamson told LabourList the campaign is going “really well” though she described it as “unknown territory” given the new all-out system and the introduction of voter ID. According to Williamson, there are “very, very positive noises” coming out of wards with wafer-thin Tory majorities.

Labour is also focusing on holding off the Greens. Tom Laing, one of Labour’s candidates in Seacombe ward, described the Greens as the “biggest threat to the Labour Party on Wirral” and a “huge threat” across the country. “They can win across the board,” he told LabourList. “Because they are able to be a populist party of all things to all men. And, at the moment, that allows them to be incredibly dynamic in where they can campaign.”

Deputy council leader Paul Stuart – a sitting councillor in Seacombe – agreed the Greens more than the Tories pose a threat locally, and claimed Greens were heavily targeting Labour seats. “Our residents need to be aware that a vote for Green will definitely return a Tory-controlled council.”

Yet Williamson claimed the Greens had “plateaued”, or at least “after this year they will”.

The battle for Bromborough ward will be particularly tense, with former Labour councillor Jo Bird – who was expelled from the party in 2021 – standing as a Green candidate. The importance to Labour of holding Bromborough, and unseating Bird, was demonstrated by general secretary David Evans’ campaign visit to the ward last month. Williamson does not think Bird will retain her seat, however. “When they voted for her, they voted for Labour.”

Wirral Labour has also faced internal unrest in another ward in recent weeks: Rock Ferry. Ex-Labour councillor and former council leader Yvonne Nolan is standing against the party as an independent after being deselected, after a row over her partner and ward colleague’s deselection. Labour is also guaranteed to lose one ward seat too, as former councillor Clare O’Hagan stood down at the last minute, in part over controversy about candidate selections.

Williamson said she had “no influence on or involvement in” Nolan or her partner’s deselection. Asked whether the issues could impact Labour’s prospects, she said: “I don’t think we’re in danger in Rock Ferry… I don’t think it’s on most people’s radar. And I also think that we pay a lot more attention to internal battles than anyone else.”

To try and gauge the public mood towards Labour ahead of polling day, LabourList spoke to voters outside a supermarket in the party’s target ward of Greasby, Frankby and Irby. Here’s what they had to say…

Steve Lawrence, retired, voting Labour: “Never voted other than Labour”

“I like Keir Starmer,” Steve Lawrence says. “I think he just needs to get a few points across a little bit stronger.”

The retired fireman explains that he has “never voted other than Labour”, describing himself as “dyed-in-the-wool”. He does, however, think Labour nationally “should be doing better”, adding: “I think particularly the serving government have given them that many opportunities to take advantage of the situation, and maybe they haven’t fully done it.”

He sees that the party needs to be “clearer” on its future policies, “rather than just criticising – quite rightly criticising, but you’ve got to come up with your own strategy as well”.

Lawrence sees Rishi Sunak as an “improvement” on what the Tories have had and a “man with more integrity”. But he says he is not seeing any “major difference” in the party’s policies, adding that he thinks the Conservatives are still “out of line” with their immigration policy.

Formerly a “very active” member of the Fire Brigades Union, Lawrence also highlights the issue of public sector pay, saying: “It’s no wonder we’ve got the situation we have where there’s mass disruption and people on strike. Lots of public sector workers in particular have gone for a decade on restricted wage rises, and people aren’t going to stand for it any more.”

Victoria Stephenson, quantity surveyor, Lib Dem and Green: “All as bad as each other”

“Truthfully? I just think they’re all as bad as each other,” Victoria Stephenson says when asked for her thoughts on local politics. “I just think that they all lie, basically. So you just have to pick the best of a bad bunch.” She highlights the disruption caused to bin collections by strikes last year: “I wasn’t overly happy with the way the council dealt with that.”

Stephenson, a quantity surveyor, voted Conservative at the general election in 2019. For the locals this year, she has already completed a postal vote, voting for the Lib Dems and giving one vote to the Greens for the first time. “I did used to vote Labour, I’d say more so when I was younger,” she explains. “The thought of voting Conservative was always like: “Oh, we don’t do that.” I just think things have changed.”

Starmer does not give her the “confidence of a leader”, but neither did Boris Johnson. During Johnson’s tenure, she thought Sunak “would be a good choice going forward”. “I don’t think it has been as successful as what I had hoped it would be,” she adds. “But again, you’re getting the information from the press, and it’s just skewed to how they want to portray things.”

She questions Sunak’s suitability as leader, saying: “I do have an issue with these multimillionaires saying they’re for the people. And it’s like, have they ever really struggled for a pint of milk?” Noting the Labour leader’s title of ‘Sir’, she argues: “And Keir Starmer’s the same.”

Janet Quarry, retired, undecided: ‘We are basically Labour people. But Keir Starmer put us off’

“We just find that, the Green Party, people seem to be knocking on our door and visiting us, and just, I don’t know, being seen more,” Janet Quarry says. “I haven’t seen anybody Labour at all.”

Quarry – who is retired – voted Green at the last local election but does not tend to vote for the party nationally, explaining that she backs the party locally “because they seem to do a lot for the local area”.

She says how she has voted nationally has “differed”, adding: “The last one we did Conservative. Usually, we’re more than likely Labour. But just can’t get Keir Starmer at all.” She describes herself and her husband as “basically Labour people” but continues: “It’s Keir Starmer that put us off. Jeremy Corbyn at first. And then Keir Starmer.”

She argues that Labour “like to criticise a lot but don’t actually come up with what their bigger plans are”. She sees that Rishi Sunak is “doing alright at the moment” and “does seem to be doing what he’s saying he wants to do”.

On how she plans to vote on Thursday, Quarry says her and her husband “haven’t really discussed it” but notes that there is a big piece on the Labour Party in the local paper, which she has yet to read. “I’m interested to read it to see where they’re coming from and what they think.”

David Jones, transport planner, undecided: ‘Things have improved a lot under Keir’

“Not good,” David Jones says when asked what he thinks of the local council’s performance. “Things seem to be getting worse in terms of… not having enough money for anything really. I’m not sure if that’s their fault or whether that’s national government’s fault.”

On Labour locally, he notes that the council has been a “Labour-run council… for quite a while or no overall control” but adds: “I kind of get the impression it’s probably not really their fault that they haven’t got enough money.”

Jones – a transport planner – describes himself as a “bit of a floating voter” and a “centrist”. He voted Lib Dem in the last locals and the 2019 general election. He thinks he may be away on polling day this year and is unsure who he would vote for if he were able.

On Starmer and Labour’s position nationally, he says: “I would not have supported Labour under Jeremy Corbyn at all. That’s why I voted Lib Dem in the last election.” Jones continues: “Things have improved an awful lot under Keir. I think he’s tried to get back to what is the centre.” He argues that the Conservatives’ performance has been a “car-crash of errors”, adding: “I can’t see anything other than a Labour government… I don’t see how they can survive this.”

Cara McCrossan, retired, undecided: “I find [Starmer] a bit of a flim-flam”

“They’re all just good at spin,” Cara McCrossan says when asked for her thoughts on Labour locally. “But down on the ground, I find it really difficult to tell the difference. I’m staunchly Labour. I was brought up Labour, my background’s Labour. But I do sway between Labour and Green.”

McCrossan – who is retired – says she is undecided on how to vote on Thursday. On the council’s performance, she says it has been “better” and there are some “good ideas coming forth”, though she adds: “It’s slow moving, because I think money’s tight.” She raises concerns about the future of some public services, noting that some leisure facilities had been “under review“: “I don’t want to see any more of the baths or the leisure centres or anything like that go.”

McCrossan says she liked Starmer during his legal career. “Now, I’m really not sure about him,” she explains. “I find him a bit of a flimflam really. He seems to move from one thing to the other. I can’t actually peg him or pin him down to what he really, really believes.” She says the Tories “do absolutely nothing for me”, adding: “There’s so many of them that I find not credible. Not credible and nothing to do with me, my life, my background, my ambitions. Just so out of touch that they worry me really.”