PRIME minister Sir Keir Starmer has responded to criticism of the Labour government and allegations that his party is 'running scared' by saying decisions to cancel local elections - including those in Thurrock - were made by local councillors.

As reported yesterday (Thursday, 22 January), local government minister Steve Reed took to the floor in the House of Commons to deliver his decisions on which council elections in May would be going ahead, and which would not.  

The preamble to those decisions started with an invitation from another minister, Alison McGovern, for councils to submit their opinions on whether they had capacity to run elections at the same time as preparing for local government reorganisation (LGR).

Thurrock was among a number of councils which said they believed capacity would be hindered if asked to do both - with Thurrock Council leader Lynn Worrall said that it was not a decision that could be made by councils and Cllr Worrall repeatedly stated she and her labour colleagues were not asking for the cancellation of elections.

That was slightly undermined when, at an extraordinary meeting of the full Thurrock council, a vote was forced by opposition councillors calling for elections to be held in the borough, but it was defeated by 20 votes to 19, with the winning 20 consisting entirely of Labour members.

And in a broadcast on ITV News last night, Sir Keir said the decision was entirely in the hands of local councillors.

He said: "The government is not taking the decision here. 

"We said to each council 'what do you want to do?' To go ahead or to delay? 

"This is locally-led. There have been Labour councils that have said it is better to delay and Tory councillors that have said it is better to delay - and in fact Lib Dem councils.

"So it's a mixture of common sense, but locally led."

Despite Sir Keir's statement Cllr Worrall appears to maintain it was a government decision , backing up a statement she made on 6 January when she said: "Whether the elections go ahead in Thurrock is a decision for Government" - a view she has repeatedly reiterated.

This afternoon, responding to Mr Reed's declaration, Cllr Worrall said: "It is good to have clarity now about the postponement of elections from the Government, and I welcome their obvious commitment to local government reorganisation in Greater Essex, and the benefits it will bring for Thurrock residents.

"This is a crucial year for Thurrock as we continue to drive forward with the improvements expected by the Government's intervention, and prepare for LGR and devolution. 

"We welcome any capacity that can be released to deliver this.

"Even though there is a mixed picture across Essex, this decision clearly releases some capacity to keep things moving across Essex, and we'll continue to work with all of our neighbours as best we can, acknowledging the impact that elections in some areas might create."

Yesterday Cllr Alex Anderson, leader of Thurrock Reform, said: "These clowns quite literally promise one thing, then do the complete opposite.

"It would seem for the foreseeable future Thurrock will continue to be run by a Labour Party too scared to face the electorate." 

Cllr George Coxshall, Thurrock Conservative Group leader said: "The Labour Government's decision is a frank dismissal of the concerns raised by the Electoral Commission, an independent body established by statute to oversee elections, which stated that capacity concerns were not a legitimate basis for postponing local elections.

"There is no consistency across Essex: Thurrock is the only upper-tier authority to have its elections postponed, while lower-tier authorities have taken a pick-and-mix approach to whether their elections go ahead.

"The Labour Government's decision creates confusion across the county and is unacceptable."