Mixed Fortunes for Labour and LibDems in Cambridge City Elections

2 May 2008

It was a night of mixed fortunes for Labour in Cambridge last night, as across Britain. Labour lost three seats on the City Council, but the LibDems who currently run the city council also lost two seats they won last time round.

Labour lost two quality local Councillors. Coun John Durrant, Labour stalwart on the council for over 20 years and former mayor lost in Abbey to the Green Party. Coun Tariq Sadiq also lost in Coleridge to the Conservatives, losing by the night's slimmest margin, 14 votes after two recounts, and following his narrow 18 vote win last year.

The Conservatives managed one win, the same they achieved the last time last night's Councillors stood, in 2004. Labour also lost a seat in King's Hedges ward.

But the LibDems also lost two seats last night. Against national trends, Labour won its first seat in the north Cambridge ward of Arbury since 2001. Hard working local campaigner Mike Todd-Jones beat the previously most popular local LibDem Councillor Rhodri James.

The biggest shock of the night was Castle Ward going Independent, having been a LibDem stronghold at all elections for over a decade. Former mayor John Hipkin, a LibDem Councillor who fell out with his party a year ago, won in Castle ward. Castle ward is where city LibDem MP David Howarth lives and started his political life as a Councillor, and where the LibDem majority was over 600 in the equivalent election in 2004.

Labour's Cambridge vote held up far better in key Cambridge wards than the national 24% Labour vote average. The city's LibDems also lost more Cambridge votes compared to the equivalent elections four years ago.

Labour Leader on the City Council Coun Lewis Herbert said 'Labour will be listening and responding to voters locally, just as Gordon Brown has said will happen nationally. Given last nights results, the LibDem city Council will also have to the same, and heed the message for both the largest parties in the city.

'It is perhaps no surprise that voters have added three new party labels to the city council, making a 'rainbow variety' of five different parties on the Council. We are a city famous for having the widest range of views, possibly more even than we have people.

'Labour will bounce back locally, as will our two losing Councillors. We will continue to campaign on the issues that matter most to the residents we represent. We will continue to work hard in our local community, including those who didn't vote Labour or at all yesterday.'