Throughout the race to be Labour’s Deputy Leader, LabourList will be publishing a range of pieces from supporters of both candidates, as well as offering a platform to both Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell to share their pitch to Labour members.
Today I will speak at the Labour Local Government hustings, an event I’ve been looking forward to. I pay tribute to the thousands of councillors and mayors across the country who give so much to our movement and our nation.
They know that time is pressing on. The past fifteen months have gone in a flash, and with them, the short-lived honeymoon period. The government we fought day and night to achieve over fourteen long years is now firmly on notice.
Like our councillors, I want this Labour Government to succeed. Sometimes, that means speaking the truth. I’ll never snipe from the sidelines, but when we’ve got it wrong we need to have the guts to listen to the country and change course.
We promised change, and people voted for it. But all of us hear the frustration felt in every part of the country. When security, hope, and pride are stripped away, as they were by consecutive Conservative prime ministers and budget after budget, it is inevitable that patience for change runs out. Reform has the luxury of opposition, with a General Election years away – they can be all soundbites, zero substance.
But for Labour in local government in England, we haven’t got years to recover. Alongside Scotland and Wales, the test is coming much sooner.
In May, Over 4,000 council seats will be contested. Together, these contests will decide control of councils representing more than 20 million people. They are not simply a temperature check on the mood of the nation. They are fundamental to Labour’s – and our country’s – future prospects. And Labour councillors do not just face the threat of Reform in these elections. We face as grave an electoral challenge from the left as we do the right in many wards – from the Green Party to local independents to nationalists wrapped in social democratic colours in Scotland and Wales. We are not going to win back the voters tempted by these easy answers by trying to ‘out Reform Reform’, in fact we’ll simply do more damage to our fragile electoral coalition.
For over a decade, our councils and mayors have acted as a shield against the worst excesses of Tory austerity. They have shown the best of what Labour in power can achieve. Even in the most difficult times, they were building the homes working people needed, regenerating high streets and town centres, and keeping the show on the road – despite record budget cuts and rocketing demand.
We owe them a debt that must now be repaid. Well before voters go to the polls in May, we must repair the foundations with the scale and urgency the moment demands.
It is unacceptable simply to let our councillors pay the price of public frustration – after they have done all that was asked of them and more. And there are much bigger dangers in plain sight. Without hope and a shared future, the right will continue to set neighbour against neighbour. Online frustration and division too often find their way onto the streets we call home.
Much of this comes down to fair funding.
Both the overall amount allocated to vital frontline services – from social care and children’s services to housing, transport, and community safety – and how that money is distributed to those most in need. This work has begun, but it must be properly resourced and delivered. The test is simple. No Labour council should face financial distress because of unfair funding, and local people must see real, visible improvement.
There can be no continuation of the managed decline we saw under the Tories.
Labour has a record to point to when last in government. We drove targeted investment built on solid foundations that allowed all communities to thrive together. That same principle must now guide us again – to demonstrate the change that Labour can bring in every neighbourhood, on every street.
But change must also come in culture. We cannot renew the country if we believe every decision is best made by ministers and civil servants in Whitehall. The best ministers and aides know this. The diversity of the country, the challenges it faces, and the solutions it needs must be shaped through local partnerships that reflect local realities.
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As we demand this for our country, we must also demand it within our own movement. The depth of experience and insight among our councillors and mayors cannot be overstated. By drawing on that knowledge, we become more than the sum of our parts.
We must recognise the central importance of Labour’s grassroots government – the wider movement, with its experience on the ground and its understanding of our communities, is a safety-valve that can and should help our party to avoid mistakes.
I pay tribute to Angela Rayner and Jim McMahon for the work they did fighting for local government to get its fair share, be respected as equals, and have a seat at the table. I want to ensure that pace is maintained and that the wins they secured are built upon – including access to fair pensions for councillors and mayors.
We have to think seriously, too, about how we support councillors facing intimidation online and even in town halls themselves. Or those who give their all to our movement and their communities but don’t make it over the line, and how isolating that can feel when even a thank you doesn’t follow, let alone a check-in when the dust settles. Being valued is more than words. It is action driven by culture.
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The months ahead will test our readiness to govern together. If Labour nationally shows it trusts and empowers Labour locally, we can prove that change works not just in Westminster, but in every city, town, and village across the country.
I will champion our councillors and mayors, creating a bridge between our movement and our leadership. A strong, independent voice with the experience and commitment to deliver for you and the country and the humility to listen.
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