Political Activities
Introduction
Exeter
Labour Party is active across
the City
all year round and not just during elections. In recent years Labour
has been the only party in Exeter to have offered candidates in every
ward at every election.
Locally, Labour is represented at all political levels: Labour is the largest group on Exeter City Council, Labour provides an effective voice for Exeter in the rural dominated Devon County Council, Exeter's Labour Member of Parliament is Ben Bradshaw and Glyn Ford represents our region in the European Parliament. A summary of recent political activities in Exeter is provided below.
3 May 2007
Thirteen seats on Exeter City Council contested. The Lib Dems completely abandoned campaigning in many parts of Exeter in order to concentrate on a "decapitation strategy" against Labour Group leader Roy Slack. Their campaign was marked by the usual deceit and dirty tricks - with breathtaking hypocrisy they put out a leaflet just before polling day warning voters about possible last minute Labour smears! The campaign was also marked by Lib Dem run Devon County Council putting out anti-Unitary Status for Exeter leaflets during the election campaign - a staggering misuse of public money for political purposes. Alone amongst the political parties in Exeter, a small group of Lib Dem Councillors have been the most vocal opponents of Exeter's bid for Unitary Status. Despite the losses in Cowick and Exwick, the Labour vote held up very well across Exeter and Labour remains the largest group on the city council. Labour was the only party represented on Exeter City Council which offered the electorate a manifesto for these elections.
2006
13 July - By elections for Alphington ward (Exeter City Council) and Alphington and Cowick division (Devon County Council). Traditional dodgy graph leaflet from the Lib Dems who held both seats despite a strong challenge from the Tories. Adverse national news coverage didn't help Labour's campaign although it seemed that Labour voters stayed at home in preference to switching to the other parties.
4 May - Thirteen seats on Exeter City Council contested. The Lib Dem website announced that they hoped to replace the City's Labour administration. Another election campaign featuring dodgy Lib Dems claims, included trying to blame opposition parties for their County Council plans to close local libraries, and blaming government policy for the closure of a local post office, which subsequently reopened again! Labour lost two seats (Cowick and Pinhoe) to the Tories on a swing of less than 1%. The Lib Dems suffered a 1.3% swing to Labour and lost one seat (Pennsylvania) to the Tories.
5 May 2005
General Election. Ben Bradshaw seeks re-election for an historic third term for both a Labour government and for Labour in Exeter. The Lib Dems told us that the “Conservatives can’t win” and to prove it presented their annual graph which, surprisingly, was accurate, although quite how the number of seats on the City Council translated into general election votes was not clear. However the Lib Dems were confident: “Exeter Lib Dems Surge as Tories Fade Away” they proclaimed. They came third again. Full result here. Devon County Council elections. Lib Dems take control of the Council. Nine new divisions were contested in Exeter due to boundary changes. Labour took 4 of these seats, the Lib Dems 4 and the Tories 1. An Exeter City Council by-election caused by the resignation of Labour Councillor Carol Griffiths, who was moving away from Exeter was won by the Lib Dems.
10 June 2004
Exeter City Council elections saw the Lib Dems up to their usual tricks. They were particularly rattled when Labour exposed their candidate in St Thomas as being a former member of both the Conservative and Labour parties with a questionable attendance record while serving on a council elsewhere in Devon. In fact two years later they were still reporting the election on their website; “Labour fought like cornered rats in St. Thomas, with a particularly dirty eve of poll leaflet”. Pot and kettle come to mind. The Lib Dems gained two seats (one from Labour, one from the Tories). Labour had the largest share of the vote and remains the largest group on the City Council.
European Parliament elections. The seven seats for the South West region (which now includes Gibraltar) were contested under a proportional representation system. Glyn Ford retained his seat for Labour while the Tories lost one seat to UKIP. Seats held are now: Conservatives: 3, UKIP: 2, Labour: 1, Lib Dems: 1.
Save West Exe Campaign 2003 to 2004
The
Boundary Commission proposed splitting the Exeter Parliamentary
constituency
down the Exe, placing the West
Exe
wards in a new constituency stretching almost to the Cornish
border. Labour
argued that if Exeter
had to be
divided, it should be around Topsham – the one area of the
City which maintains
a strong separate identity.
Following a
Public Enquiry in December, the Save West Exe campaign, run by Labour
and West
Exe
residents was
successful. The
new constituency
boundaries will come into effect after the next General Election.
May 2003
Thirteen Exeter City Council seats contested with Labour defending seven of them. We lost two – St James and St Thomas - to the Lib Dems, leaving the council with no overall control: Labour 20 seats, Lib Dems 10, Conservatives 6, Liberals 4. In St James the Lib Dems put out a leaflet which, along with the distortions and half truths we have come to expect of them, included personal attacks on Labour councillor Carol Griffiths. Labour responded with an A3 leaflet answering, point by point, the Lib Dems claims.
May 2002
Thirteen Exeter City Council seats contested and all were held by the defending party – Labour held seven with increased majorities, The Lib Dems held four, the Liberals and Tories one apiece, although Labour also came within just 36 votes of taking Polsloe from the Tories.
Labour councillor Granville Baldwin became the first Lord Mayor of Exeter.
7 June 2001
General Election. Ben Bradshaw re-elected as Exeter’s MP with an increased majority over the Tories and a swing from the Tories of 1.7%. Labour recorded their biggest ever share of the vote in Exeter and the Tories suffered their worst result ever. The Election was marked by the apparent absence of any dodgy claims from the Lib Dems. Full result here.
Devon County Council elections see the Tories make 8 gains and the expense of the Lib Dems who lose control of the council. In Exeter Labour held four seats and gained the Alphington and St Thomas seat from the Lib Dems. The nine Exeter seats went to: Labour: 5, Liberals: 2, Lib Dems 1, Conservatives 1.