Election campaign under way for Nottinghamshire County Council

BBC News

14-04-2025

Nottinghamshire has acted as something of a political bellwether in recent years - an indicator of trends across the UK as a whole.The 2017 county council election saw the Conservatives become the largest group but short of an overall majority - a mirror image of the snap general election of the same year.Fast forward to 2021 - the last time the council was contested - and local Tories appeared to capitalise on the so-called "vaccine bounce" in the national polls as they secured the majority they were after.A lot has changed since then, but Nottinghamshire has seemed to stay roughly in step with the national mood.Labour won all but two of the county's parliamentary seats at the general election last summer as the party swept to power.But after a turbulent period in government, do they still have the momentum to reclaim the council for the first time in 12 years, particularly in a county where there are so many other challengers?With less than three weeks until polling day, party leaders across Nottinghamshire have been telling us how they have been trying to convince people on the doorstep.
At a glance, the Conservatives' victory in 2021 looked reasonably comfortable, winning more than twice as many seats as anyone else.A net gain of six saw them take charge of the authority outright, having previously run it in coalition with the Mansfield Independents.But in the four years since, a combination of defections, by-elections and expulsions mean the maths in the council chamber is now rather different.The Tory majority is wafer thin - lose just one seat and they would lose overall control.They'll be without former leader Ben Bradley who stepped down in December, and whose absence could have bigger implications.Most of the Tory gains in 2021 were in Mansfield - the town where Bradley was also Member of Parliament at the time - so any personal vote he had no longer exists in what could be a key battleground.Sam Smith, who took over from Bradley in December, insists the Conservatives have a "proud track record of getting things done"."We've invested over £9m in rural bus connectivity, linking people up to towns like Newark but also jobs and leisure facilities," he said."We're investing over £17m into repairing our roads. We know it's the number one priority, we drive on the roads as well."He added they plan to build new schools and continue improvements in the council's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services, which were criticised by inspectors in 2023.
2021 was a particularly tough election for Labour.They lost eight seats in Nottinghamshire overall, with former leader Alan Rhodes among them.All the churn in the council chamber over the last four years hasn't been to their benefit either.One of their number was among a group who quit the party en masse earlier this year, and in doing so relegated Labour to third largest group on the authority.But they have enjoyed recent electoral success with two of their councillors becoming Members of Parliament last summer.Both Michael Payne and Michelle Welsh - now the MPs for Gedling and Sherwood Forest respectively - are not seeking re-election to the council, however.Leader Kate Foale said Labour would "run the council responsibly, but with a people focus".She said they would would not spend money on "more fancy, swanky projects" like the new council headquarters which opened last month."Labour really cherish public services. They want to properly fund and properly invest in health and social care, they want to properly invest in children and families," she said."If you want decent schools, if you want a health service where you don't have to wait forever...if you want all those things that quite often we take for granted, you need to vote Labour."
The Ashfield Independents were big winners in 2021, taking all 10 of the Ashfield seats - doubling their number from the previous election.In the years since, they have extended their influence beyond the borders of the district.A further five independent councillors now sit with their group in the council chamber, taking their total to 15 and making them the official opposition.Leader Jason Zadrozny said he hoped they can continue to expand, with a message that "independents do things differently"."It's not just red or blue's turn to rule. We've seen that big party politics has not done anywhere any favours and people are tired of that," he said."Independents can look at the facts of the matter, they can use common sense and deliver real change. We've proven that in Ashfield and it's time to do it across Nottinghamshire."He added "the primary focus is to get the finances of the council back on track".Zadrozny is due to stand trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion next year.He denied the charges when he appeared before magistrates in 2023.
Reform UK already has a foothold in Nottinghamshire, both at parliamentary level and on the council, but the county is now one of their target areas.Along with Labour and the Conservatives, they are standing candidates in all 66 seats at this election.Compare that to 2021, when they only contested eight seats.Their only current councillor, John Doddy, joined the party after being expelled from the Tories for standing against them at the general election.He said Reform was offering "something different"."Whenever I go out to see people, all I see in their faces is despair and hopelessness," he said."We're going to take the councils which are broken, which are in debt...which are taxing people more but delivering services that get less and less and less, and people have just had enough."I'm saying to them Reform UK is the answer to those problems."
The Liberal Democrats' strongest performance in Nottinghamshire came back in 2009, when they won nine seats.Since then, the county has been a tough nut for them to crack, winning just a single seat at each of the last two elections.And after long-standing councillor Steve Carr quit the party in 2023, they currently don't have any at all.Lib Dem candidate David Watts acknowledges his party "can't go down" from their current position locally, but buoyed by a strong performance at the last general election, he hopes to win enough seats to be "an effective voice"."We want to fix the potholes, because the state of the roads is dreadful," he said."We want to make sure there's honesty and integrity in politics, and protect the green belt because central government seems to think it's open season for building on it."He added the Lib Dems were "completely opposed" to the reorganisation of local councils.
The Green Party has never won a seat on Nottinghamshire County Council.After making record gains in the other parts of the country in 2023, however, they feel they are on the up and are standing more candidates in Nottinghamshire than ever before.They're hopeful of turning seats they have on district councils such as Newark & Sherwood and Rushcliffe into seats at county council level.Local party co-chair Ben Gray said winning two or three would be a good result, but added "having a green in the room really makes a difference"."First and foremost the Green Party is going to stand up for you. The Green Party is going to demand fair funding for councils," he said."We're going to the tell the government to stop wasting time and money with re-arranging local councils."Your Green councillors are going to be out there working hard for you, day in, day out."Polling day for the Nottinghamshire County Council election is 1 May.More information and a full list of candidates is available on the council website.