Guest Blog - 5 Reasons Labour Won a Seat in London's Borough of Barnet by Nancy Parker

By Nancy Parker,

The council of the London Borough of Barnet has long been dominated by the Conservative party, so how did a candidate in May's by-election become the first Labour party councillor elected in ten years? What concerns could have led residents to vote for Labour candidate Andreas Ioannidis over the Conservative candidate Shaheen Kauser Mahmood?


1. First – The concerns of many residents over the closure of local libraries may have been significant in Ioannidis’s victory. Ioannidis has not only pledged to fight for libraries threatened with closure, but to launch an effort to reopen the Friern Barnet Library, which was shut down by Conservative cuts earlier this year despite campaigns to save it.

2. Second – Parking charges are another significant concern to Brunswick Park locals. Huge increases handed down from the Conservative council have led to a great deal of dissatisfaction among residents as detailed by the Barnet Eye: http://barneteye.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/barnet-council-getting-it-wrong-on.html

3. Third – Locals have also expressed their unhappiness with the One Barnet programme instituted by the council, which involves outsourcing work to private corporations. While the council called it a “transformation” and presented it as a necessary budget-tightening measure, the programme includes large reductions to the local workforce. Ioannidis stood against the programme.

4. Fourth – In addition, Brunswick Park residents faced Conservative-led cuts to the police force. The ward no longer has its own police sergeant but has been forced to share its sergeant with another ward. Ioannidis positioned himself in opposition to this policy, pledging to fight these cuts.

5. Fifth – Finally, many people throughout Barnet and other boroughs are concerned about a proposed waste treatment plant at Pinkham Way. Residents feel they were left out of the planning process, and many expressed concern about health risks and noise pollution. Ioannidis campaigned against the construction of the facility.

Conservative seats in Barnet have long been considered reasonably "safe." The victory of Andreas Ioannidis in the ward of Brunswick Park has now shaken that way of thinking. Whether the election of a Labour candidate is merely an anomaly, however, or indicates a real shift in Barnet politics and thought remains to be seen.

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Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. CLICK HERE TO EMAIL NANCY.

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