Labour leader fears 'messy' election results

The leader of the Labour group on Norfolk County Council says he fears the local elections this May will lead to "messy results".

Steve Morphew said he was not in favour of the elections going ahead and instead said stability was needed ahead of the major shakeup of councils expected next year.

The Labour government wanted to postpone voting in Norfolk to allow time for the reorganisation, but made a U-turn following a legal challenge from Reform UK.

The other parties on the council – the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Reform - have said elections should go ahead.

"I was not one of those in favour of these elections going ahead," he said, speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk as part of a series of interviews with local party leaders.

"There will be a number of inexperienced councillors who maybe think they're going to be able to do things they simply aren't going to be able to.

"We need sensible people in the room who are going to get a grip on keeping the services safely running for the people of the county while we transition into this new system."

The decision by ministers to postpone elections in Norfolk and other parts of England undergoing local government reorganisation was controversial.

Its devolution plan includes the scrapping of eight councils in Norfolk - responsible for a wide range of services – to be replaced by three unitary authorities.

It is a major undertaking, and the government argued that postponing local elections in 2025 and then 2026 would allow for a smooth transition.

Elections for the new authorities are scheduled for next year, with the new councils due to start work properly in 2028.

Morphew, who is a long-time supporter of devolution, is not seeking re-election.

He said he did not expect Labour to take control of the council, but that members would be willing to be part of an alliance running it.

He said his group's policies included proposals to help communities take over pubs, better coordination of roadworks and cancelling the planned sale of 20 care homes.

But he conceded his party's local campaign could be hit by the government's falling poll ratings and urged voters to think about local matters:

"I think it's really important that people vote on the issues that their councillors can make a difference to.

"And the national issues, important as they are, are not things that councillors can change."

A full list of the candidates in the Norfolk County Council election can be found here.

BBC Radio Norfolk has been speaking to the other council group leaders through the week.

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