Neill Dunne, TUSC candidate in Northwood ward
Voters in Kirkby rejected Labour, kicking them out of every ward. Part of Knowsley Council, Labour has lost power for the first time since the borough was created in 1974.
In the past, individual independent councillors, supported by activists based in the Kirkby Unemployed Centre, were elected. More recently, a First for Kirkby group had some limited success, reflecting the feeling of neglect. There are now three independent councillors.
Working-class community activists in Kirkby have taken up a number of important campaigns. One against medical waste incinerators being put in the town. Another demanding regulation of an industrial estate, with emissions from several sites harmful to the health of local residents. Socialist Party members organised an anti-racist counter-protest when the far-right Patriotic Alternative tried to mobilise the local community to attack a local hotel housing asylum seekers.
Knowsley Labour council has increased council tax, cut essential services, and outsourced and privatised local services. Youth services in Knowsley have had more funding withdrawn than any other borough since 2010. No A-Level education is available anywhere in Knowsley.
The consequence of these cuts is increased anti-social behaviour and knife crime. One committed community activist was forced to successfully campaign for stab/bleed kits to be located in local pubs and elsewhere, backed by the trade unions and independent councillors.
Reform
It is against this background that the emergence of Reform in Knowsley has to be seen. Reform won four seats in the council for the first time.
Reform now controls the council in neighbouring St Helens. In neighbouring Halton, Reform took 16 of 19 seats up for election.
Reform didn’t put any indication of what was required or what their intentions were. They just tapped into fears of working-class people struggling getting kids a place in local schools, or accepted by a local dentist or doctor. Services that many Kirkby people are going out of the borough to access.
Reform’s record in local government is not impressive – shutting council care homes, raising council tax despite pledges to the contrary, scrapping climate net-zero targets, endorsing fracking.
Where we stood as a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate in Northwood ward, we increased our number of votes and percentage from last election (to 409 – 19.4%), coming third, ahead of the Greens, just behind Labour. Labour’s vote was massively down, losing the seat to Reform.
