Sunak slams city council over ‘bankruptcy’ while backing Bradley for mayor
THE Prime Minister has urged voters to “send a message to Keir Starmer” as he launched the Conservatives’ local election campaign.
Speaking at a rally in Langley Mill, Rishi Sunak said the Labour leader was “arrogantly taking the British people for granted” and “assuming that he can just stroll into Number 10 without saying what he would do”.
Talking up the achievements of Conservative mayors such as Ben Houchen and Andy Street ahead of the election on May 2, Mr Sunak attacked the financial record of Labour-run councils, saying: “They tax you more and deliver less.”
Pointing to examples across the border in Nottinghamshire, he said: “It’s the same across our councils too.
“Just look what’s happening here, Nottingham Council effectively bankrupt. After having a fire-sale of assets, they still can’t balance the books, in contrast to the extraordinarily well-run Conservative Nottinghamshire County Council.
“Whenever Labour runs something, they run it into the ground. In Birmingham, they have effectively bankrupted the largest local authority in Europe. They have saddled their constituents with a 21% council tax rise.”
Eight councils, run by both Labour and the Conservatives, have declared effective bankruptcy since 2018, with others warning they could be next as they struggle to make further cuts.
In Derbyshire, the Conservatives have a commanding 18-seat majority on the county council – but suffered significant losses in the district council elections last year.
Labour took control of five of Derbyshire’s eight district councils in 2023, including Amber Valley which covers Heanor, where the Prime Minister made his speech yesterday. He was joined by Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield and leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, who is looking to become the first mayor of the East Midlands at the elections in May.
Mr Sunak said: “There’s no-one better to be your first mayor than Ben Bradley. Not only did Ben literally create this role, he also has a track record of bringing in investment.”