The full reaction to local elections going ahead in Gloucestershire
Elections for Gloucestershire County Council will take place later in May
The news arrived this week that elections for Gloucestershire County Council will take place in May 2025. Despite the county council asking for the election to be postponed, the government has said no.
Local politics in Gloucestershire and elsewhere across the country has been getting to grips with the idea that local government will be reformed thanks to the devolution white paper. Moves to create a unitary authority for the county will mean the disappearance of district councils, a two-tier system scrapped.
For now, elections are going ahead with polling day on May 1st. The building blocks of Gloucestershire’s political map are set to be thrown up in the air once again as politicians from all parties, as well as independent candidates, now try to persuade you for your votes.
The county council is different to the current district councils. Services Shire Hall provide include education, transport, planning for infrastructure, social care, libraries, highways (yes that means repairing potholes), trading standards, economy and the fire service. For now, bin collections, licensing and decisions on housing are provided by district councils.
The judgement voters make comes down to a crucial question - which party or independent do you think will run services and spend the council’s money the best? There’s always the notion that what goes on in Westminster affects local elections, this is true, although local issues should always be discussed. Putting party politics aside, voters may even ask themselves: has my local councillor represented my community to the best of their ability?
How did each party react?
Conservatives
Shire Hall Conservatives have condemned the move to allow elections to go ahead, arguing that “immediate local government reform” and “much-needed investment” for the county has now been denied.
The Tories have accused the Labour government of “ignoring Gloucestershire” and “MPs and local politicians in Gloucestershire from Labour, egged on by the Lib Dems, have once again chose to focus on a political game. This decision also highlights Keir Starmer’s neglect of rural communities, with even Gloucestershire’s own Labour (and Lib Dem) MPs turning a blind eye to the needs of the people they represent. Instead of fighting for investment and better services for our County, they have actively played party politics, leaving Gloucestershire behind.”
The Conservatives add: “Without the crucial investment that other areas continue to receive, our communities are being left to face growing infrastructure challenges without the necessary resources.”
Labour
The Labour group have said they are willing and able to fight the elections. Group leader John Bloxsom said: “We look forward to campaigning in the forthcoming elections. Gloucestershire has a poor track record across a range of services, including adult social care, which the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reported last week as requiring improvement.”
Cllr Bloxsom adds: “Residents have had enough of 20 years of Conservative rule at Shire Hall and we look forward to sweeping them aside, as they were at the general election. We will be contesting all 55 seats.”
Liberal Democrats
News of the elections going ahead have been welcomed by the Liberal Democrats as leader of Gloucester City Council, Jeremy Hilton, outlines. Also a county councillor, Mr Hilton said that stopping the elections was “a blatant attempt by the Conservative county council leadership to stop voters having their say on their failed administration.”
“I am relieved it has failed and democracy should never be put on hold for political convenience, Mr Hilton adds. Postponing these elections would have been an insult to local people. The rejection of this delay is a victory for accountability and local democracy. It’s time to boot out this failed administration out of office. May 1st cannot come soon enough.”
Greens
The Greens have said they are “delighted” to have it confirmed that elections are going ahead and there’s criticism of both Labour and the Conservatives.
Adrian Oldman, coordinator of the Stroud District Green Party said: “Around the country, people are being denied a vote at local elections in May because the Labour government wants to do away with many local councils and replace them with more unaccountable bodies. Cllr Stephen Davies jumped on this move and tried to have these elections cancelled because the county’s Conservatives were scared to face the voters with their painfully slim control of the council. Thankfully his request was turned down by the government and the Conservatives have forfeited their right to represent the county as we face an uncertain future for local decision-making.”
Mr Oldman confirms that the Greens will “have candidates standing so that people’s views on what happens in the place they live are heard in the council chamber.”
What about Reform UK and independent councillors?
Chris Farmer, who stood as Reform UK candidate for Gloucester at last year’s general election, confirms that they will be standing candidates across all districts of the county.
Mr Farmer says that membership has overtaken the Conservatives and they are not just a protest party, but one that can form the next government at the next general election. “The Conservatives have betrayed the British people and in just months Labour has already failed as economic growth has collapsed, illegal immigration is at record highs and councils are charging more while delivering less.”
“Reform UK is the only viable alternative. The upcoming local elections will be the first real test for Labour since taking power, and we offer the people of Gloucestershire the chance to send a clear message that neither Labour nor the Conservatives deserve to govern anymore. We are standing candidates in the county, including Gloucester and we urge you to vote not just for change, but for Reform.”
Independent councillor Alastair Chambers has added his voice to the reaction. The Coney Hill and Matson representative feels that creating a unitary council would provide a “smarter, fairer approach for taxpayers” and says the elections, potentially just for a one-year term, “is a further misuse of public money. The Lib Dems have been pushing for this election, hoping to capitalise on Labour’s failures regarding bus passes, warm fuel allowances, and broken promises. However, this is nothing more than political opportunism at the expense of the residents they claim to serve.”
Mr Chambers adds: “Now, more than ever, we need independent voices in local government, representatives who are free from party whips, political pressure, and backroom deals. Independents listen to the people, not party leaders. Our city deserves governance that prioritises real community needs over political games. This is a call for smarter, more accountable leadership. Let’s cut the waste, scrap the unnecessary spending, and put the power back in the hands of the people.”
What is the state of play?
Gloucestershire County Council elections last took place in 2021 as the Conservatives retained their majority with 28 seats, the Lib Dems came second with 16 seats, Labour with five seats and the Greens on four.
2021 now feels a lifetime ago as since then the Tories actually lost their overall majority after Cllr Sue Williams defected to the Greens, two councillors became independents and leader Mark Hawthorne stood down after 14 years. The Conservatives have been running the council since 2005.
Currently it is: 25 Conservative, 16 Lib Dem, 5 Green, 5 Labour, 2 Independents
What might happen in May?
It is inevitable that the incumbent party running the council will be scrutinised for its performance over the past four years, while opposition parties need to be held accountable for what they would do differently.
At last year’s general election, Conservatives except North Cotswold MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, lost their seats to Labour and the Lib Dems. Local elections for Gloucester City, Cheltenham Borough and Stroud District council’s also took place. Whether you can read anything into the data and voting patterns from both elections to determine what might happen in May - it’s not as easy to do because elections for Tewkesbury Borough, Cotswold District and Forest of Dean District council’s actually took place a year earlier in 2023.
Local elections are very different to general elections where a range of factors are at play: lower turnout, local issues and smaller parties tend to perform better at local level. If you can take any clues from previous elections you can see where the parties expectations are.
The Conservatives have a task to gain and defend all the seats they currently hold in every district, a task that could be hard in Cheltenham as so far at both borough council and general election, the Lib Dems have torn the Tories to shreds. Subsequently the Liberal Democrats will hope to not only hold their own but gain seats from the Tories in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds. Failure to hold as well as adding seats would be a disappointment from their point of view.
Labour now in government could present them with problems as the popularity of any incumbent central government always falls once in power. They’ll seek to hang onto their five currently-held seats in Stroud and the Forest of Dean and hope to add more. Gloucester does have a newly-elected Labour MP and city councillors but the party currently does not have any county council representation.
The Greens have county council representation in Tewkesbury, Stroud and the Forest of Dean and in recent district elections have gained representation further on Cheltenham Borough, Tewkesbury Borough, Cotswold District, Stroud District and Forest of Dean District councils. There are small pockets of Cheltenham where the Greens have performed better than the Lib Dems and up against the Conservatives and Labour they’ve strengthened their representation in Stroud and the Forest. Keeping the five seats they have now with new additions would be a welcomed result for the party.
It is hard to read how Reform UK will do as this will be first time the party will contest county council elections. If you can take any indication on how Reform may do, only one recent by-election with poor turnout for the Cirencester Chesterton ward on Cotswold District Council saw the Reform candidate come second to beat the Conservatives into third place. You can guarantee that any seat across Gloucestershire won will be concluded as a success.
Independent candidates always have a chance at local elections where they will present their campaigns as unattached to the party political machine.
The Lib Dem - trying to take advantage of people? Who'd have thought!? Seems like Cllr Chambers is a smart man, and can see through Hilton's rhetoric.