On 4th May, voters in 230 councils across England headed to the polls. 24 hours later, the Tories had lost over 1,000 seats.
The results came as a huge relief for anyone in this country that believe in progressive, compassionate politics.
It was a brilliant result for any party trying to oust this shambolic and uncaring Conservative government, but it was a particularly excellent result for the Liberal Democrats.
The Liberal Democrats gained over 400 council seats across England, and took majority control of 12 councils. Now with 29 councils under its control, the Liberal Democrat Party has made it clear it is an electoral force to be reckoned with.
Although my party’s efforts are rightfully focused on ousting Tories wherever they can, Labour should also take heed of rising Liberal Democrat support – especially here in Southwark.
Although Labour now have the most councillors of any party, these results in no way suggested that voters are flocking to Keir Starmer’s side. Liberal Democrats took seats off Labour in Liverpool, and strengthened their hold in Hull after taking control of the council from Labour last year.
So, in these results, there is a key message to Labour here in Southwark – do not take it for granted. The residents of our borough are no fools, and know that there is a real alternative ready to take control when they have had enough of Labour’s failings.
And there are no shortage of issues that our Labour council is failing to deal with. This month alone they have been ordered to pay £10,000 by the Housing Ombudsman for two disgraceful cases of housing disrepair not being addressed.
Labour has overseen a staggering degradation of housing repairs service. How can a pregnant mother be left without heating over one of our coldest winters?
How can young children be left in freezing, damp rooms for nearly a year and half?
These failings are only possible because we have a complacent executive that is neglecting their duty of care to the residents of Southwark, especially the most vulnerable. My Liberal Democrat group has demanded reform of the repairs service for years but we still see no progress.
The voters of Southwark know they deserve better, and the Liberal Democrats have made it clear across the country that they are ready to take control.