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Local Elections: Labour’s clean sweep in Banbury
08/05/2023
The party now controls 12 of the 15 Banbury town seats on Cherwell District Council
The leader of the Labour Group at Cherwell District Council was in a buoyant mood following last week’s local election results. Not only had Sean Woodcock been elected to represent the Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown seat, but his party had won every seat available in the town.
“We’ve had some brilliant results”, said Councillor Woodcock. “It was a lot of work. We’ve been out all year knocking on doors and have got some tired legs and feet, but we’re delighted.”
Across five wards Banbury town is represented by fifteen Councillors at Cherwell District Council. One third of those seats were up for election this year, two previously held by Conservative Councillors.
Tory control of all three seats in the Calthorpe ward was reduced by one when Labour’s Lynne Parsons beat Banbury’s deputy Town Mayor, Conservative Fiaz Ahmed.
In Hardwick, former Tory finance chief Tony Illot was beaten by Besmira Brasha, giving Banbury Labour two of the three available seats in that ward.
The end position sees Labour with 12 of the 15 seats in the town – the party also benefitted from taking control of Banbury Cross and Neithrop, which had been in independent hands.
Councillor Woodcock says people have voted for change: “I think the message has clearly been that people are fed up with this government. Thirteen years of the NHS not working, sewage in the rivers, people’s money not going anywhere near as far as it used to. Those were the issues that came up at the door.
“Also locally, people see a Conservative Council that has been in charge for too long, gone stale and run out of ideas. They’ve voted for change and in Banbury that change was Labour. Elsewhere you saw other parties picking up seats.”
Prior to this election Councillor Woodcock had served the Banbury Ruscote ward for three years, but this time stood for the Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown seat. He received 1030 votes (56%), retaining the ward for Labour following Perran Moon’s decision to stand down.
Whilst Labour’s performance in Banbury was strong, it doesn’t have any representation from anywhere else in the district. This leaves the group with 12 seats on Cherwell District Council, but well beneath the 25 needed to take control.
Whilst having lost overall control the Conservatives still remain the largest group, controlling 20 seats.
Who will now control the agenda at Cherwell will be down to which alliances can be formed between the parties.
Councillor Woodcock is clear on what Labour’s priorities are. He said: “Our priorities have always been dealing with the affordable housing crisis that there is in the district. People are really struggling to get a decent place to live, that they can afford. That’s always been our number one priority.
“When I put my pitch out I said that my priorities were safer streets and cleaner estates and those are the priorities of the Banbury Labour Party. We’ll be looking at things like fly tipping, making sure that the that the streets are clean and making sure that people can go out and enjoy the shops in the town centre, or their nightlife, and feel safe.“
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam