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Bury a top target? Really? We have an outside shot of taking it to NOC, but after the boundary changes, things will be very difficult. But there are some impressive Conservative candidates who have been working hard.

I am going back to Bury this weekend, to get my washing done, so will know more of whats happening then.

I think the Lib Dems may end up being disappointed in Richmond upon Thames. The Tory council seems to be peaking at the right time with a 0% increase in council tax this year and strenous efforts even in the safe ward I live in to get their message across. The Lib Dems are also starting to suffer from the 'Remember what they were like in office' arguments, which are being ratcheted up. Also if Cameron is going to have an effect anywhere then Richmond surely should be the place as it is full of the liberal middle class he seems to be aiming at.

Is there any particular reason why we can't have elections to all borough and district councils in one year?

Also, do town and parish council elections coincide with elections to the boroughs and districts that they are in? I've just realised I know when my borough council election is but not my town council election.

"Is there any particular reason why we can't have elections to all borough and district councils in one year?"

The thinking behind it is so there are constantly experienced councillors on the councils, which if all are up for re-election at the same time is not guaranteed. However the current sytem is stupid and in much need of reform, it depresses turnout as the elections are reduced in importance, and when voters vote for a change in council, but because only 1/3 are up for re-election, a very unpopular party can still maintain control of a council for years.

It would be much simpler to just have one local election every 4 years.

The Liberal will, I'm afraid, take Solihull.

what on earth have we done to Solihull to warrant losing the parliamentary seat and now the council? - is it boundary changes or something else? Surely it's the sort of place we should be winning in and if we aren't then it's important to understand what on Earth we need to do to get it back.

I wondered the exact same thing, before the last election Solihull looked like a very safe seat. I heard that our MP was lazy and the local organisation was poor, but I dont have any knowledge of the area.

Solihull will go NOC but the Liberals will certainly not win it outright and will not even be the largest party. To win outright they would have to win 16 out of the 17 wards and to become the largest party they would have to to win at least 10 wards.

As for what went wrong. The council have made a number of extremely unpopular decisions over recent years and frankly come accross as arrogant, condescending and uninterested in the views of ordinary people.

"As for what went wrong. The council have made a number of extremely unpopular decisions over recent years and frankly come accross as arrogant, condescending and uninterested in the views of ordinary people."

This is the downside of localisation - local councils, just because they are closer to the people, are not necessarily more representative than Westminster. It could of course be argued that such behaviour will lead to the ruling party being booted out but there's no guarantee that a)this will happen due to excessive party loyalty or b)the opposition will be any better.

Localisation has many upsides as well. Look at the US states, they provide an arena for new thinking and trying out radical new policies. For years state governors have been coming up with new ways of funding healthcare and education, etc.

If we had greater localisation, it would be an opportunity to use local councils as shining examples of Conservative policies in action and how they can work.

"If we had greater localisation, it would be an opportunity to use local councils as shining examples of Conservative policies in action and how they can work."

True. And it would show up those badly performing Labour councils!

This Conservative Home regular is also standing for a seat on Huntingdonshire District Council.
I stood two years ago and lost with a 21% swing to me and stand again this spring with just a 90 vote majority to overturn.
I am recording my election campaign activity on my blog.
The Lib Dem Cllr I took so cloise last time has just declared that he is not standing again. I am only partly pleased. I would have liked to have beaten him fair and square!

Best of luck Richard Bailey and James Cleverly. Local government needs people like you two.

Bury's Labour Council has been in office for 20+ years but this last year has been an utter disaster - council finances are in melt down, schools are being closed and the Labour Leader and his Deputy are widely known as Laurel & Hardy. Plus the maternity unit is about to close and the Town's main Post Office disappeared a while ago.

"Bury's Labour Council has been in office for 20+ years but this last year has been an utter disaster - council finances are in melt down, schools are being closed and the Labour Leader and his Deputy are widely known as Laurel & Hardy. Plus the maternity unit is about to close and the Town's main Post Office disappeared a while ago."

Don't hold your breath. I don't know much about Bury. In fact I don't know anything about it! But I'd assume if Labour were in power for that long it's likely to be one of their safe seats which will always be Labour, no matter how useless the council is. I would love it if I was wrong about this.

Bury used to be one of those seats to watch - we held both Bury South (just) & Bury North till 1997. Bury South now looks an impregnable Labour safe seat - depressing how we have been wiped out in places like that.
It would be great to recover at least at local level - fond memories from distant Easter hols staying with relatives, of a cold March Saturdays at Gigg Lane watching Bury struggle to stay up , the paper mills.. the days we held Lancashire town / borough councils aren't quite as distant and hopefully we can start the long road back this May.

"Bury used to be one of those seats to watch - we held both Bury South (just) & Bury North till 1997"

It still is. I think Bury South is the perfect indicator of the country as a whole. I am prepared to bet that if you see Bury South CON GAIN on election night, there will be a Conservative government in the morning. My first political memory is being driven to school in a car covered in Vote Conservative posters, in 1992, helped keep Hazel Blears out of parliament for 5 years anyway.

Bury North on the other hand, as long as we get a good candidate, we will win back at the next election.

When it comes to local elections, the Labour council are deeply unpopular, and for quite a few years in a row now, we have won the popular vote, but thanks to boundary changes (I know I keep going on about them) they managed to hold on.

I can tell you what happened in Solihull. They should have selected Maggie Throup, but the old fellow would not stand down and he lost. We were lucky enough to have Mags for the 2005 election, and she knocked Kali Mountfords maj down to 1501! We couldnt keep her though, as it made sense for her to fight the next one where she is firmly established through work. I bet you anything she wins it back for us. Good Yorkshire grit, and works like stink!! I only hope Colne Valley gets another great PPC like Maggie.

The problem we got in Plymouth for the elections is that we got to win in wards we never had just to get a majority. But at least we at least show willing.

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