Warwickshire County Council to be different whatever voters pick
Whatever happens at the election, Warwickshire County Council is about to look very different.This isn't about the prospect of devolution, which could see the larger county-wide authority swallow up the smaller districts and boroughs from North Warwickshire to Stratford.The changes will be down to the number of new councillors that will be elected when the public go to the polls on 1 May.A total of 20 of the 57 sitting councillors will be stepping down.
The Conservatives will make up the bulk of that number, with 17 of the 41 Conservatives who hold a seat going into the election stepping down – including four of the nine who make up the leader's cabinet.Among them is Peter Butlin, the deputy leader who has overseen the council's finances; and Margaret Bell, the portfolio holder for adult social care and health. These are two areas which present the biggest challenges to the council, according to Conservative Izzi Seccombe, who has led the council for almost 12 years.She said: "I am very keen, particularly, that we prevent people coming into need and that we try and help them to stay independent as long as possible."But the second important part is that we help to grow our economy. That we make sure we are an attractive place to do business."
Recent results in the General Election, as well as the district and boroughs, could perhaps provide an insight into why some Conservatives have decided to call it a day.Looking to the north of the county, Labour overturned a huge Tory majority in 2024 to take over Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. The Conservative MPs in the Nuneaton and North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituencies also lost their seats to Labour at the General Election.All that offers hope for Labour, a party looking to make inroads at a council they haven't led since 2005, when it was in no overall control.
It's roads which Sarah Feeney, the Labour group leader on the authority, believes will be a key election issue.She said: "The state of the roads is probably one of the biggest things. If I look across every single division, yes people talk about social care, they talk about children's needs."But the state of the roads comes up time and time again here in Warwickshire, it's clear that people are unhappy with how long things take to get fixed."
Another party which performed well in the north of the county during the 2024 General Election was Reform. While they didn't pick up any seats, they did finish third in the two constituencies – picking up 26% of the vote in North Warwickshire and Bedworth and 22% in Nuneaton.They have no history in the county council election, but Reform candidate James Crocker hopes the party's new-kid-on-the-block status will be part of its appeal to voters.He said: "The one thing that I can see is a genuine desire for change and it's coming from areas that maybe we've not seen in the past particularly."We've got a very different breed of candidate, that is really what I think people will notice over the next few months."
The signs are that the south of the county could present a different challenge for the ruling Conservative Party. Stratford District Council is now under Liberal Democrat control after overturning a Tory majority in 2023 – marking the first time the council had been controlled by any other party since forming in 1974.Then the Liberal Democrat candidate for Stratford in the 2024 General Election overturned a Conservative majority of almost 20,000 to become the first Liberal MP there since 1908.The Liberal Democrat group leader on the county council Jerry Roodhouse said care was one of the issues his party was seeing come up on the campaign trail.
He said: "Adult social care and the elements of care, but not just older people, but younger people too - and that's mental health issues as well - are to the fore at the moment."We want to see much greater action from the county council and the services it provides."The Green Party is also in confident mood heading into the election. In 2023 it became the biggest party on Warwick District Council, taking control away from the Conservatives for the first time since 2007 after forming a joint administration with Labour.
The experience of partnership working could be valuable for the Greens, particularly if the election ends with the council in no overall control – something that has happened four times since the modern version of the local authority was formed in 1974.Green candidate Nicki Scott said: "The Green Party is obviously about sustainability, everybody knows that. But, actually, it's about community and collaboration."I think we've got a really good track record of working with other parties when we need to and getting things done. But actually, also, challenging where required. We are not just the norm."
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