Tories boosted in North

Labour could lose over 200 council seats

For the first time in many years the Conservative Party in the north of England is feeling very buoyant and bullish about the local government elections on 1st. May, however don’t expect any major surprises in South Tyneside.

The good news for the party (which currently controls 206 councils in England and Wales compared to Labour’s 69 - the Lib-Dems control 30 and 120 have no overall control) is that they have candidates in every seat in Yorkshire, and more than 40% of the seats in Wales, as well as every seat in South Tyneside. For a number of years since the demise of the last Conservative government it has proved difficult to find people willing to stand under the Conservative banner in these areas at all.

North Tyneside could end up under Tory control, they only need to gain three seats (probably in Killingworth where they did so well last year), they also expect to win control of Bury, and Vale of Glamorgan where they need an extra four seats in this former stronghold. Rossendale and Sheffield will prove to be two key battlegrounds, Labour could lose Sheffield and and the Tories could strengthen their position in Rossendale or lose it with the change of one seat!

Make no bones about it, there will be trench warfare on May 1st, and the results will have a profound affect on the mood in Downing Street, possibly even defining the future of Gordon Brown’s premiership.

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