Labour councils across the north of England have repeatedly lost seats because leading councillors have spent too much time complaining about austerity rather than dealing with it more dynamically, the leader of one of its flagship authorities has said.
Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, says a decade of government cuts have left many local authorities just about able to offer bare minimum services: library, social care and cultural budgets have all been slashed across much of the country.
But he thinks voters in the old red wall have grown weary of Labour councils continually blaming Conservative fiscal policy for the problems they face.
“For a period of time saying austerity was killing us was fair but over [12 years] the public gets tone deaf to it and understandably so,” he said. “People just want to see services being delivered. So, if you’ve spent too long saying ‘austerity austerity austerity’, people are going to turn away from you. We need to get on with being positive. Explain why there may be a reduction in services –why we’re cutting the grass less or there’s more potholes –but tell people what we’re doing to make things better.”
He added: “Sunderland has lost more than £350m – it’s almost impossible to live with – but what have to do is deliver either more with the same or the same with less.”
He spoke out as fears emerged that the party might lose control of the northeast city’s council for the first time since it was formed in 1974. Internal Conservative polling is said to suggest the reds could lose six seats here on 5 May, denying the party its historic majority on Wearside.
The loss – should it happen – would follow a devastating set of local election results last year in which the party saw more than 320 councillors voted out, including nine in Sunderland. Majority control of one-time redoubts including Sheffield and Northumberland was also surrendered on a horror night for the party.
Now, although Councillor Miller says he is confident Labour will retain Sunderland council and make gains across the north, he admitted many voters appeared to feel the party had taken them for granted for too long.
“We have to work hard to gain the trust of people again by doing,” said the 59-year-old, whose own seat is also up for re-election this year. “And if we’re honest, that probably explains why we’ve lost support in places like Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesborough – because these are big Labour areas that we should be strong in, and we need to work out how we get back there.”
