LABOUR has retained power at Southampton City Council - with the Conservative group leader conceding a loss before the final results were declared.
Led by Satvir Kaur, the Labour party was fighting to retain control of the council - having won back power from the Tories last year. Claps broke out from the Labour camp as their majority of 26 was confirmed.
When the final results were declared, the make-up of the council was 35 Labour, nine Conservative, three Liberal Democrat and one Green.
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Cllr Kaur told the Echo: “It has been a fantastic day for Labour both nationally and locally.
“Only two years ago we were in opposition and now we have over two-thirds. The largest majority Labour has ever had.
“This is a clear sign that confidence and trust in Labour is growing. That we are delivering for our local communities, offering value for money and taking our great city forward.
“I look forward to working with my team to serve our local communities.”
Three seats in Coxford will be decided in a separate poll after the tragic death of Graham Galton saw the ward’s election halted.
The Green Party had reasons to celebrate after winning a seat for the first time in the council’s history.
The Liberal Democrats also made gains at the expense of the Conservatives.
Former Conservative cabinet members Spiros Vassiliou and John Hannides lost their seats alongside former Tory leader Marley Guthrie who lost out in the new ward of Banister and Polygon.
Speaking before all votes were announced, Southampton Tory leader, Cllr Daniel Fitzhenry, said: “There were lots of predictions about the Conservative party having been completely wiped out.
“But what we found on the doorstep is people are naturally concerned about the cost of living situation.
“What they’re also interested in is what is going on in Southampton. The council’s got significant financial challenges.
“They haven’t really been discussed by the Labour Party on how they will manage them.
“If they are successful today, which by all indications, from what we can see and what we know so far, it looks like they will be, then they’ve got a big challenge on their hands and a win for them is not an indication of what they’re doing locally so they’ll have to work that out.”
Cllr Fitzhenry’s words come after the former finance chief, John Harrison, warned the council could run out of cash reserves by next year.
Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, said the polls reflect national concerns, rather than what has been done in Southampton.
He said: “It’s not a good day but it’s an entirely predictable one. We did it last year in thirds and we didn’t do very well so I think we all knew that this was going to be a challenging one.
“It’s not a reflection of what any of our people have done or even what Labour have done.
“It’s a reflection of national issues and they will tend to manifest themselves in local elections.
“Here we are with a population that wants the boats sorted quicker, wants inflation getting under control quicker, wants a waiting list to come down quicker. All legitimate things, and they’ve made that point today and that’s what happens in local elections.”
Asked if he thinks this is an indication of what’s to come at the next general election, he added: “I just don’t really.
“There isn’t a clear route for Keir Starmer into Number 10. Although this is a protest to the government or a warning to the government to pull your finger out, I don’t think this tells me that Keir Starmer will have the keys to Number 10.”
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The Greens won their first seat on Southampton City Council since the authority was created.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats gained two seats on the council having taken full control of the Bassett ward with the re-election of Richard Blackman and the election of Sam Chapman and Sarah Wood.
Cllr Chapman said: “I think it’s been a long way back for the Lib Dems locally from being in power in 2009 all the way through to today.
“It really represents the start of the Lib Dems being back as a force in Southampton and to be honest, going out in Bassett, we’ve seen lots of disenfranchised people with the local Tory councillors and I think it’s real vote for change.
“We’ve spent so much time engaging with our local residents. We’ve pounded the streets and we’ve had a whole army of volunteers out, really speaking to local residents and understanding their needs and concerns and listening to them in a way that they’ve never been listened to before.
“So, for us it’s a validation of all the hard work we’ve put into the ward.”
Lord Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Jacqui Rayment, was also re-elected in Bevois.
She said: “I don’t think there’s a surprise with Bassett going Lib Dem, they’ve worked really hard and credit to them for that.
“The new ward (Banister and Polygon) could have been a challenge for us but I think it demonstrates that hard work pays off.”
Meanwhile, fellow Bevois Labour councillor, Toqeer Kataria, told the Echo: “We’ve done a lot of work in Bevois last year.
“The opening of St Mary’s Leisure Centre, that was a Labour priority before we came into power in 2022.
“We’ve done that for the community, and these results really reflect that.”
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