| Round Two of the Election | |||||||||||||||||||||
Now we learn who is going to run our Councils
With all of the local seats in the General Election having reported attention turns to voting in local boroughs. Although electors cast their vote at the same time the count to decide who is elected to the Council is not taking place until this afternoon. Most counts in the local area are expected to begin around midday with results being reported between 4-6pm. Hammersmith has already started reporting and Hounslow is expected to begin as early as 4pm. Hounslow is currently controlled by a coalition of Conservatives and the Isleworth Community Group. This morning's victory in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency will give the former some encouragement that they can win a majority of Council seats but Labour will be hoping that factors such as MPs' expenses and Heathrow will not have as much impact on this vote. The Conservatives on Ealing Council have a comfortable majority in terms of seats. What the general election results tell us about the likely outcome of the local elections is difficult to interpret. The Tories made gains in Ealing Southall but perhaps not enough to win them seats in the borough, the Labour vote held up well in Ealing North but the personal popularity of the local MP Steve Pound may have played a part. In Ealing Central and Acton, Conservative joy at the win will be tempered with the concern that the Liberal Democrat and Labour vote was high enough to suggest they could win seats back lost at the last election. The Conservatives also enjoy a comfortable lead in Hammersmith and Fulham in terms of Council seats. They will be hoping that a series of council tax cuts and positive publicity from their in-house newspaper will maintain their majority but the surprise victory of Andy Slaughter suggests that they may come under more pressure than they might have anticipated. In Wandsworth the long term grip of the Conservative on the Council looks unlikely to be troubled particularly considering their win in the Battersea constituency.
May 7, 2010 |