In my book LONDON; THE NATION’S CAPITAL[1], I say that if a Conservative MP could be kicked out of Chesham and Amersham, as happened last year, the Labour stranglehold on London councils could equally be broken, but add cautiously that I would not be holding my breath. The results of the recent London council elections show the wisdom of my caution.
With advance apologies to Elton John for the corruption of his lyrics, between you and me, I can honestly see that things can only get worse. In central and local government, that has very often proved to be the case; historically, when a crisis occurs, things have tended to get much worse before they have even begun to get better.
In crisis-torn London, it was clearly “the blues” who took the biggest hit, losing the flagship “true blue” Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet councils, although this was counter-balanced by regaining Elton John’s former home borough of Harrow and winning the directly-elected mayoralty of Labour-dominated Croydon.
What’s really significant about the London results is the degree to which the eye has been taken off the local issues ball, something which is a central theme of my book. In the boroughs that fell to Labour, the elections were clearly a referendum on “partygate” which admittedly occurred in a street in Westminster. Not even the great gerrymandering scandal that happened in that borough in the 1980s, and screwed up the lives of many local electors, could dislodge the Tories back then. But this year a 10-minute party attended by the Tory prime minister during lockdown did. In Harrow, and Croydon, by contrast, it was truly local issues that determined the result. In Harrow, campaign groups such as FreeHarrow succeeded in getting unwanted Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) removed. They were installed by the outgoing Labour administration, which has been in the spotlight over a potential “kickbacks” scandal over road repairs.[2] Obviously Harrow residents judged the local Labour party on its local record. The same is true in Croydon, where the Labour administration has seen de facto bankruptcy declared.[3]
Let’s look at what’s likely to happen in the three flagship Tory councils that were lost to Labour in this election. Residents of Barnet can be expected to lose their weekly general waste collections on ideological grounds, in the naïve hope that they will be incentivised to recycle more, as if that were possible. They can therefore expect to see as much fly-tipping as there is in neighbouring Enfield, now quite literally a rotten borough, as the photo in this blog shows. They can also expect to see the entire borough covered in silly blanket 24/7 20mph speed limits, as Ealing has been for some years. Until now, such limits have been imposed in Barnet only where there is an objective safety case, and over the minimum expanse of road necessary to ensure genuine safety. Tradespeople in Westminster can expect to see cycle lanes popping up everywhere, making their lives difficult and necessitating the application of surcharges. Wandsworth residents, among them London mayor Sadiq Khan, can expect their council tax to rise to the same levels as in neighbouring Lambeth, and their services decline. “Karma is a bitch,” I hear Mr Khan’s detractors shouting. All three boroughs can now expect a proliferation of road closures under daft Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes and democratic consultation over transport matters restricted to those who toe the party line. Lambeth council minutes from 2019 refer to the need to work together with, inter alia, Extinction Rebellion.[4] Suddenly, “Red Ted” Knight, the man so often blamed for giving Lambeth its “Loony Left” reputation in the 1980s, seems positively moderate and sane. But apparently, all this is a price well worth paying. For what? Giving the prime minister a “bloody nose” over a 10-minute lockdown party? Well I guess that’s why they kicked out the blues…..
“A council leader who steps in personally to name and shame fly-tippers, and to get traffic wardens retrained when they have issued tickets wrongly, deserves both every vote that he/she gets and every penny of whatever salary he/she draws from the public purse.”
But right now, one London council stands out as a beacon of focus on local issues. Funny old thing it’s a Labour-held one, Redbridge to be exact. Under the leadership of Cllr Jas Athwal, ably assisted by Cllr Khayer Chowdhury, the cabinet member for crime, safety and community cohesion, many new law enforcement hubs have opened, even in non-Labour-held wards[5], to get a grip on anti-social behaviour. Fly-tippers are routinely named and shamed.[6] LTNs were removed after it became clear that they weren’t wanted by the vast majority. This needs to happen in every borough. Cllr Athwal stands alone in tackling over-zealous traffic wardens. In 2017 he sent for re-training wardens who were ticketing cars that were parked on driveways and overlapping the kerb by a matter of centimetres, causing no obstruction[7]. A council leader who steps in personally to name and shame fly-tippers and to get traffic wardens retrained when they have issued tickets wrongly deserves both every vote that he/she gets and every penny of whatever salary he/she draws from the public purse.
.……”an unlikely cocktail of Labour Redbridge and Conservative Harrow local politics might just be what London needs to rescue it from its catastrophic loss of direction.”
What does London want? Clean, safe streets, which we can get along in our chosen method of transport without needless obstruction. Responsible financial management, with zero tolerance of corruption. Genuinely democratic consultation. A rigid focus on here-and-now local issues. When does London want it? Now! We hope so, anyway.
To counter those of my followers who accuse me of party political bias, let me put it to you that an unlikely cocktail of Labour Redbridge and Conservative Harrow local politics might just be what London needs to rescue it from its catastrophic loss of direction. Over to you.
[1] LONDON: THE NATION’S CAPITAL: A BLUEPRINT FOR A POST-BREXIT AND POST-COVID-19 LONDON eBook : LAWES, DAVID: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
[2] £2 million kickbacks claim over London council’s repairs ‘scam’ | Evening Standard
[3] Council admits: We’re on the brink of bankruptcy. Again | Inside Croydon
[4] Agenda item – Lambeth’s response to the climate crisis: Call In | Lambeth Council
[5] https://fb.watch/cTagxZ6TyS/
[6] Redbridge – Redbridge residents help catch local fly-tipper landing him with hefty court fines
[7] Gants Hill residents fed up of ‘stupid’ fines for cars parked on drives | Ilford Recorder
DAVID LAWES 