LONDON (Labour Buzz) - This week is local government week for Labour at a time when the party is doing much to recruit candidates from up and down the country. Throughout the week, Labour List will be showcasing articles and highlighting discussions about various aspects of local government.
It all kicks off today with contributors focusing on the role of councillors in the Labour party. Tuesday will highlight everyone’s favourite virus describing how Labour Councils have protected their communities over the past 12 months.
Wednesday will focus on campaigning. Although local elections were postponed in 2020 and maybe once again in 2021, the party faces enormous electoral challenges. They will be discussing these in more detail on Wednesday.
Thursday will examine some of the biggest policy challenges in local government with a particular focus on reforming a health and care sector which the Tories have led to rack and ruin.
On Friday they will explore the role of local government leadership in rebuilding the party and things will conclude on Saturday with a keynote speech from Sir Keir Starmer. They will also look at how the leadership has engaged with local government during his first year.
This has indeed been a year like no other. With more than 100,000 people dead from COVID 19 and a world-beating recession, no government has mishandled the pandemic as badly as ours. Even so, the government continues to poll surprisingly well.
The challenges for Labour are many and varied. Solving them starts with working on the local level and building up. This week will be a chance to look at where things were and some of the major issues the party will face over the coming year.
(Written by Ton Cropper, edited by Klaudia Fior)