As the Labour Government faces a backlash over dreadful local election results and the Prime Minister’s job has come under fire, the East Midlands Mayor feels more needs to be done to listen to what people need during the current financial difficulties.
Labour East Midlands Combined County Authority Mayor Claire Ward, who this month marks her two-year tenure since she was elected in May 2024, has expressed disappointment over local election results across the country after Labour suffered heavy losses at the expense of Reform UK, which made enormous gains.
But the Labour Mayor has insisted her philosophy is ‘Place before Party’, with cross-party working continuing as funding from the Government comes into the region for numerous projects, including improvements to housing, public transport and highways.
On the election results, Mayor Ward said: “I am obviously hugely disappointed but, in essence, the public are making it clear that they are not happy and this Government is not delivering fast enough and that also, some of the policies they simply do not agree with and whilst I have been through decades of working in mid-term elections, it’s clear there is something more to this.”
During the local elections across England, which did not involve any of Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire’s councils apart from a handful of by-elections, Reform UK made major gains, taking over 1,000 seats, while Labour suffered heavy losses, including losing control of many councils. The Conservatives also suffered significant losses, while the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party enjoyed some moderate success.
The backlash has thrown Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s future into jeopardy, with more than 70 MPs calling for him to resign, while he is insistent he is not going anywhere, adding that if enough MPs wish to sign a vote of no confidence, they can do so to force a leadership contest.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced months of criticism over unpopular policies, including an increase in national insurance payments from employers, plans to introduce inheritance tax changes for farmers, the U-turn on unpopular plans for winter fuel payment cuts, followed by further U-turns, including on plans for welfare reforms and digital ID for right-to-work checks.
There were also calls for his resignation as early as February over his handling of Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US Ambassador in 2024.
Mayor Ward thinks people’s patience is being tested and that people expect action immediately as their lives have been ‘financially constrained’ and ‘deteriorating’ since 2008.
She added: “That is a long time to go through not seeing the change you want and particularly for young people because they are looking at not having the same opportunities their parents had.
“In essence, I am a public servant. I do this job because I want to make my community better and the lives of people who live in the community better and therefore that has always got to be at the forefront.
“I said when I was elected, and continue to say, my duty is to the people of this region – Place before Party – and I work with anybody who shares the ambition to see this region become a better place. I have demonstrated this over the last two years.
“But in these two years I have worked across party political boundaries and communities and this is a board, despite political differences, that has focused on getting money out of the door on priorities.”
EMCCA has confirmed that it has given councils the most money ever to tackle potholes and has seen the first residents move into the thousands of new homes unlocked for development.
Mayor Ward is also proud to reveal that she has secured billions of pounds towards her key priorities alongside attending hundreds of engagements and meetings with residents, business leaders and civic leaders during her first two years at the helm.
Key achievements include: £2 billion secured for transport investment; £121 million per year for road maintenance and pothole repairs; over 36,500 residents engaged in the Big Transport Conversation; a £1.14bn Investment Fund established to drive regional growth; £107m secured for skills, business support and regeneration; 17,000-plus businesses supported through the EMCCA Growth Hub; 27,000 adult learners supported into skills development; 2,800 young people supported into work experience; 1,600 young people supported into employment, education or training; almost 2,000 new homes delivered or under construction on brownfield land; £93m-plus secured for housing delivery; 574 homes supported to reduce energy bills through retrofit programmes; and major regeneration underway at Broad Marsh and Infinity Garden Village.
Mayor Ward said: “What we are seeing now is the real impact of sustained investment and partnership working across the East Midlands. From improving transport and housing to backing businesses and creating opportunities for young people, we are beginning to shift the dial on what is possible for our region.
“I said I wanted the East Midlands to be the best place to live, work and learn – and that remains the driving ambition every single day.”
Mayor Ward stated that money is coming into the region and plans are in place, and she thinks the relationships being built across political parties show a sense of purpose aimed at delivering for people who expect politicians to deliver.
However, she concedes this delivery does not always happen quickly or easily after the country has suffered ‘massive problems’ during the last 20 years.
She added: “We have seen massive problems in our country over the last 15 or 20 years and I think people have become frustrated but also expect these issues to be solved immediately, but they cannot be.
“They took 15 years to get to this situation and they will not be solved immediately and we do not think anybody has promised that, but it’s about giving people more than just hope; it’s about the delivery of some change.
“Whatever is going on nationally, it’s about getting money out of the door. We are getting houses built because we have allocated the brownfield housing fund, I have got councils working on potholes that people are so frustrated about because it has cost people money and I am putting extra money into that.”
Regarding whether Mayor Ward feels the Prime Minister should resign or stay in place, she says it is a volatile situation that is out of her hands and is a matter for the Government’s Cabinet and MPs.
But she expressed disappointment over the changing number of Prime Ministers the country has seen in recent years after they have been subjected to calls to resign or leadership challenges.
Mayor Ward said: “It’s out of my hands. It will be a matter for the Cabinet and MPs and the situation is volatile. I do not think this change of leaders is good for this country and at this point there should be some clear heads and a change of policy and a response is what we need.
“What we need is a change of policies, a change in response and listening to people in our region, particularly in the Midlands and the North, who do not feel they have been heard enough and that is why devolution to me is important because my job will be, for whoever holds the office, to speak truth to power and always put Place before Party.”
Mayor Ward stated the reason she is not an MP is because she ‘detests’ the ‘Westminster bubble’ because she fears it is not listening and responding, which is why she came back into politics as the East Midlands Mayor to make progress and build relationships.
She added she cannot give a view on who she would like to see as Prime Minister if Sir Keir Starmer loses his job, but she is concerned the current situation could have an effect on people’s lives, their mortgages, the cost of borrowing and the cost of Government borrowing, making it more difficult to do the things the Government needs to do.
Mayor Ward added that anybody in public service should be asking first and foremost what this situation is doing to the citizens that politicians have been elected to serve?
