■ Local Labour leaders reflect on what went wrong at elections
PARTY COUNTS COST AFTER ELECTION DAY DRUBBING
LEADING Labour figures in Nottinghamshire have said their messaging wasn’t “positive or clear enough” as the party reflects on last week’s local election drubbing.
The party lost eight seats on Nottinghamshire County Council after its vote share fell by 2.6 percent.
The Conservatives gained an overall majority.
Some of the biggest losses came in the Mansfield district, where Labour lost three council seats which, alongside the drop in Mansfield Independents vote, allowed the Tories to pick up six.
Other defeats came in Bassetlaw, where the party’s vote share fell by 5.1 percent as it slumped from five councillors to three.
Arguably the biggest defeat was in Worksop North, with Labour group leader Alan Rhodes losing to Tory Callum Bailey.
Mr Rhodes, who represented the area for 16 years, said: “As far as the Labour Party in Nottinghamshire and beyond is concerned, there needs to be a period of discussion both within the party and the electorate.
“This should be about what the expectations are of the Labour Party, why we’ve failed them and how we can build back that trust.
“We’ve got to have an honest conversation with the electorate. The party has got a lot of work to do if they’re serious about winning the next general election.
“[The defeat is] a combination of both the national picture and our messaging. Elections are never straightforward and it’s always frustrating that the national picture has such an impact on our results.
“But we can’t divorce ourselves from that, and we’re a part of it. There has been a vaccine bounce that the Tories have clearly benefited from.
“I don’t think our messaging was positive enough, or was clear enough.
“I do, however, think we had an excellent offer to the electorate, but clearly for whatever reason people rejected it.”
The party’s vote share fell by a considerably 11.2 percent margin in the Ashfield district, with the Ashfield Independents making a clean sweep.
However, in Gedling, the party saw its vote share rise by 2.8 percent – narrowly losing Carlton East by just 23 votes.
Councillor John Clarke, Labour leader of Gedling Borough Council, held on to his Arnold South seat.
The councillor and fellow Labour candidate Michelle Welsh increased their combined vote share, and the council leader believes the party could “learn from Gedling”.
“We lost one seat and that was by a short head, and I think people can see what we’ve done in Gedling with the borough council. “We’ve kept our eye on the ball. “I think Labour need to reflect and to lower some of the politics.
“Yes, we are political people, but people want services and we’ve got a job to do.
“People have forgotten their way and are trying to score points, which is ridiculous.
“Labour does need a period of reflection, and it needs to come and look at places like ourselves and where we’ve won the mayoral votes.
“These are places where we’ve won the confidence of the electorate, and they need to see what we’ve done.”
The Conservatives also secured a victory in the Police and Crime Commissioner election, with Caroline Henry beating Labour incumbent Paddy Tipping by 7,356 votes.
Mr Tipping, who held the post for nine years, said: “It’s been a bad few days for Labour, both in Hartlepool and councils across the country and here in Nottinghamshire.”
Following Alan Rhodes’ loss in Worksop North, Nottinghamshire Labour have selected Councillor Kate Foale as their new leader.
Councillor Foale, who represents Beeston Central and Rylands in Broxtowe, won her seat with 52.6 percent of the vote.
Ben Bradley MP, Conservative MP for Mansfield and councillor for Mansfield North, has been elected as Nottinghamshire County Council leader.