Everything you need to know about the 2019 Local Elections in Wirral

Labour has had control of the council since 2012. But with a majority that has gone from solid to slender over the past few months, there is a chance of the authority slipping into No Overall Control once more – as it was for a decade from 2002.

That’s because the party now holds just 34 of the council’s 66 seats, meaning losing just one of those would see its majority lost.

The past year has not only seen serving councillors quit Labour, but long-standing members including deputy leader Bernie Mooney have also been deselected by their own party, meaning it will look totally different after May 2.

The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and newly-formed Independent group will all be looking for increased vote shares, and there are also entries from UKIP and a further independent.

That’s as well as Labour, which had 39 seats after last year’s election, wanting to both win back the seats held by its former members, and make further gains of its own.

How things stand

Wirral Council is made up of 66 councillors.

With Cllr Paul Doughty having been booted out of his party after being spotted campaigning for the Independent group last week, it means Labour’s majority hangs by a thread. The ruling party led by Cllr Phil Davies – who is to stand down following these elections – currently holds 34 of those.

Next up is Cllr Ian Lewis’ Conservative group, which has 21 seats.

The Independent group, made up of former Labour members who have quit the party since last year’s election, has five, as does Cllr Phil Gilchrist’s Lib Dem group.

Cllr Pat Cleary holds the Green Party’s single seat.

READ > REVEALED: List of Wirral's local election candidates

Who is up for election this year?

The Local Elections in Wirral will see a third of the council’s seats up for grabs – one in each of the borough’s 22 wards.

For the full list of candidates standing in each one, click here.

In terms of incumbent members whose seats are up for grabs, there are 12 Labour, seven Conservative, two Independents (including Cllr Doughty) and one Lib Dem.

The Labour and Conservative groups are fielding candidates in every single ward, with the Greens in 21, Liberal Democrats in 16, and UKIP in seven.

The Independent group is fielding a single candidate, Cllr Chris Meaden in the Rock Ferry ward – separate to the independent candidate in Claughton, Mo Morgan.

Key battles

There is little doubt the key ward to watch out for in Wirral this year will be Pensby and Thingwall.

The seat is possibly the closest in Merseyside, and was won last year by Labour’s Cllr Kate Cannon on a majority of just 23 votes ahead of her Conservative counterpart.

This year, it’s being contended by Labour’s cabinet member Cllr Phillip Brightmore, who will go up against candidates from the Greens, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Further east, there are a number of other seats that could throw up some intriguing contests.

Council leader Phil Davies’ seat of Birkenhead and Tranmere is a key target for the Greens, with their only member Cllr Cleary having been re-elected last year. Green candidate Steve Hayes is hotly tipped to give Labour’s new candidate Bill McGenity a run for his money there.

Another ward to watch is Wallasey Village, a Conservative seat held by Cllr Paul Hayes that Labour is believed to be targeting. Cllr Lesley Rennie won the vote there last year with a majority of around 800 votes.

Wards such as Oxton and Rock Ferry, both now held by councillors who are part of the Independent group, are also now difficult to predict so could turn into key battlegrounds, while the Lib Dem-held Eastham is also believed to be a Labour target.

Key issues

Green belt and the Hoylake Golf Resort

For the Wirral community, the green belt issue is perhaps above all others when it comes to issues facing voters at the next election.

In August last year, the council revealed the nearly 50 sites that could be built on as it aimed to meet huge government-imposed house building targets.

The figure – a total of 12,000 homes to be built between 2020 and 2035 – is still being disputed.

The council has not had a local plan for 20 years, and was recently given a final warning to write one. Whatever is decided upon will be formally adopted by the end of 2020.

The issue has come to the fore as recently as last week, when leaked documents appeared to reveal green belt sites had been saved – although the news was later denied by council bosses, who are investigating where the information came from.

Perhaps the most obvious single example in the green belt debate is the issue of the planned £200m luxury golf resort in Hoylake, which was subject to a large protest earlier this year.

New Ferry, Wirral Waters and regeneration

Similarly, regeneration is a massive issue for Wirral voters

People across the borough are keen to see the huge Wirral Waters project – promising up to 12,000 homes on Birkenhead dockland – come to fruition.

There are also constantly calls for more funding for the devastated New Ferry community, as well as Birkenhead town centre and Liscard.

And with there being a vast array of brownfield sites across Wirral, many are calling for these to be the sole focus of the council’s house building ambitions.

Labour troubles

After the green belt and regeneration, there are a host of other issues at play at these elections – not least the issues facing Labour, and how the party could look come May 3.

The divide in the ruling party has become more and more clear over the past year, with Birkenhead MP Frank Field the first in a long list to have made allegations against the “hard-left”.

He was followed by five Labour councillors who quit the party to sit with the Independent group, as well as others, including Cllr Mooney and Cllr Ron Abbey, who lost their party nominations to more left-leaning candidates.

And with Cllr Phil Davies standing down, it has meant the party is campaigning without being able to tell voters who will lead them or the council’s cabinet from next month.

Litter and dog wardens

Kingdom may have been booted out of the borough, but the issue of litter and dog fouling will still be on the minds of voters when they head to the polls.

It was revealed last month the council had no immediate plan to replace the controversial litter squad, and that an extensive review would be launched.

It was also revealed a controversial Public Spaces Protection Order, which set out to ban dogs from many locations across the borough and was rejected by the council’s scrutiny committee in January, would be reconsidered.

Any party’s policy on littering and potential restrictions on dog owners are sure to be key to many Wirral voters next month.

… and the rest

A few other issues that could greatly affect where votes will be won and lost include:

1. Austerity. It’s often said poverty and wealth in Wirral is defined by the M53, with the life expectancy difference said to be 10 years higher in the west than many parts of the east. Voters in the poorer areas of Birkenhead and Wallasey will certainly be swayed by how candidates say they will battle austerity and government cuts.
2. Road repairs and highway maintenance. Always a vital issue for people in Wirral, with everyone claiming a road near their home to be the borough’s worst. The council recently announced a £6m boost that will see improvements to roads, bridges, streetlights and more, but opposition parties always say they would pay more.
3. Council expenditure. Wirral made national headlines last week after it was revealed an authority official received a total pay package of £569,423 when leaving the council in December 2017. The council has also been criticised in recent times for how much it pays consultants, as well as money spent on its Wirral View newspaper.

Voting

Voting in the Wirral Council elections will take place from 7am until 10pm on Thursday May 2.

The counting and declaration of results will take place directly afterwards and through the night at Wirral Tennis and Sports Centre in Bidston.