Introduction

Now that the dust has settled, we thought we would reflect on the Harlow District Council Elections of 2018.

Labour

Labour regained power with a 5% increase of the vote. They gained Bush Fair and were within one vote of gaining Staple Tye. They now have 20 seats compared to the Conservatives 13.

Their campaign was full of enthusiasm and passion. Harlow Labour has always had a strong left leaning tradition and so the coming of Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum has seen a real injection of political activism.

You don’t have to agree with people to be able to applaud their commitment to the cause.

We may have to remember that it wasn’t so long ago that Labour was struggling to get candidates. Now they seem to have waiting lists as well as large numbers on the doorstep.

They have also brought a back to the streets form of campaigning which has been very effective in drawing attention to situations. The Osler House campaign has been particularly impressive.

They may want to reflect on why the Conservatives increased their share of the vote and whether there is anything they need to change?

The next decision will be whether leader Emma Toal stays on. Cllr Toal has been very calm and controlled over the last few stormy months but she has her professional political commitments. There is no obvious candidate but we hear cllrs Mark Ingall, Danny Purton and Mike Danvers might be throwing their hats into the ring.

Their challenge will be to carry on the good work of Harlow Council under Jon Clempner as well face the challenges of the Local Plan and regeneration.

It is also needs to assure partners that this is a council that will continue to go forward as a town of regeneration and not be bogged down in internecine conflicts or posture politics.

Councils are run by full time professional local government officers who advise. Having observed from close quarters the top team at Harlow Council seem highly adept.

To be fair, Harlow councillors, in their capacity as committee chairs, just get on with the business in hand.

You just get the feeling that this is going to be a very important year for the Labour run Harlow Council.

Conservatives

To be honest, we feared the worst for the Harlow Conservatives. At the last council meeting of the year, only four were in attendance. Yes, there were very good reasons for being absent but we just wondered if this was a portent?

A few weeks later, they come out of the elections with an 11% increase share of the vote.

They took the seat of Staple Tye from UKIP and beat off the challenge of the candidate Laura MacAlpine, who is also the prospective parliamentary candidate. There is no doubt that they will make reference to that over the next few months.

They defended all their seats and made real in roads in others. They got within 99 votes of Labour in Bush Fair and a 190 in Netteswell. They also massed large number of votes for first time candidates such as Andy Colley in Mark Hall. Many have now got a real taste for local politics and campaigning.

With Harlow now back to two party politics, the Conservatives go into the new civic year with real vigour. They feel there are a number of flaws in the Labour’s approach to a number of issues. They clearly see the Local Plan as a big open goal and can see all the pressure points.

UKIP

UKIP lost their two seats. They now have a year to reflect and decide whether they continue. Who knows? We are scheduled to leave the EU on March 29th, 2019. If things don’t go to plan, then UKIP might just be back in the game.

Harlow Alliance Party (HAP)

HAP only launched in January. The dipped their toe in the water of local democracy by fielding three candidates. Between them, they polled a total of 426 votes.

They are greatly encouraged and believe that their concerns over the Local Plan are resonating with residents.

It will be vital that they build up their presence and numbers, attract a wide platform and keep in the spotlight. If they can then field a full slate in 2019, then things could be very interesting.

Lib Dems

Another year goes by when the Harlow Lib Dems go through the motions. They do need someone to take the group by the scruff of the neck but we expect to be writing that again next year.

Conclusion

Politics in Harlow continues to be fascinating. These are vital times for Harlow and you feel that Harlow Labour has a lot to prove.

From potholes to planning, from crime, housing, regeneration, environment, health and well-being to job creation, people expect a lot of answers from Harlow District Council. sometimes regardless of if it is within their remit.

We applaud all councillors and campaigners, who, whatever the weather, went out there. Much respect to those who stood and faced the music at the count. Tis better to have fought.

We would like to thank all the parties for helping us and making candidates available for interview.

We hope you have been entertained by our ward by ward assessments. As we stress, they are not psephological treatises but just political pen portraits.

For the record, we got 10/11 right. We got Staple Tye wrong. Who was the one voter who ruined our stats!

We encourage everyone to get involved in politics. All councillors are different, all parties are different, all issues are important and each vote is vital, each councillor can make a change and we should cherish that given to us in 1832, 1867, 1884 and especially 1918/1928.