Labour’s control of council on knife edge following defection
A COUNCIL run by Labour for over a decade is on a knife-edge, with a few votes in a handful of wards potentially triggering a change in leadership.
Last month’s defection to Hull’s Lib Dem group by Julia Conner left Labour with a working majority of just one, ahead of today’s council elections which sees 19 of the 57 seats up for grabs.
Labour, which has been in control in Hull since 2011, has 29 councillors out of a total of 57.
The Lib Dems are on 26, while one seat is held by the Tories and another by a councillor not aligned to any party.
A Lib Dem spokesperson said they were confident of making a gain in Sutton ward, while four others, Avenue, University, North Carr and Longhill, were key battlegrounds. On the doorstep he said people were expressing “vitriolic hate” towards Boris Johnson for partygate and the cost of living crisis. He said: “People are bringing Boris Johnson up as a reason not to vote Tory, but they don’t really like the Labour council. It is ‘what have they done for us?’”
Council leader Daren Hale said Coun Conner’s “treachery” had made the picture “tighter” and said the Lib Dems were “throwing the kitchen sink” at University ward. He said Labour was confident of taking the Bricknell seat held by lone Conservative John Fareham, which he said was a “political decision”, adding: “John has done a lot of good work for the council.”
He continued: “I’m confident Anita Harrison, who is a brilliant local campaigner will hold on in North Carr and people will recognise the great work done by Marjorie Brabazon in the Avenues and we are confident we will hold on in Longhill; John Black is a long established councillor.”
Veteran councillor Sean Chaytor de-selected as Labour’s candidate in Marfleet, and now standing as an independent, said many believed the council would turn Lib Dem. He said: “The thing that is getting on people’s wicks is crime and anti-social behaviour. They are also bothered about the fact the roads are grinding to a halt and Daren is spending hand over fist on pet projects that people don’t see the value of.”