Labour sources have told The i Paper they believe Reform will win the race comfortably, pointing to the fact that the party gained MPs in Lincolnshire in last year’s election and saying they would expect it to pick up a lot of Tory votes.
But disillusionment and indifference towards the democratic process threaten to diminish the impact of this historic moment in British politics.
Examples of areas where the introduction of mayors over the past decade have seen a rise in the profile of an area include Manchester, Birmingham and Teesside – among others.
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, with their candidate for mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, have support in areas like Grimsby and Scunthorpe (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
Andrew Macdonald is one of the owners of The Pot Shop, a small handmade pottery studio and shop on Steep Hill, a Roman street connecting the modern town with the ancient centre, where the cathedral and castle lie.
He said he was frustrated over a lack of action on issues like homelessness, the climate and declining high streets.
“It’s like politicians can’t do anything to change things, even if they try,” he said. “What they say and promise and what they do are two different things. And the amount of money we pay in taxes and the money you see in return is poor.”
Voter Andrew Macdonald in The Pot Shop, a small handmade pottery studio (Photo: The i Paper)Another resident, a former police officer and now a football coach, echoed the lack of enthusiasm over the new post and general apathy towards politicians.
Read Next
square LOCAL ELECTIONS 2025 DispatchRead More
“My gut feeling is, do we need one [a new mayor], can we manage without one, and what will it bring that we don’t already have?”
He said he was formerly a Tory supporter but had lost faith in the party over the past few years and is concerned about the “woke” culture war issues that appear to be dominating modern politics.
Mr Macdonald’s shop is on Steep Hill, a Roman street connecting the modern town with the ancient centre (Photo: The i Paper)
Reform hammers its message home to gain disillusioned voters
Reform’s candidate, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, is currently the favourite to win. While there was not overwhelming enthusiasm for her party in Lincoln, areas outside the centre, such as Scunthorpe and Grimsby, are expected to back her.And the lack of enthusiasm for any other party in Lincoln indicates there are no serious other contenders in this race.
Labour’s Jason Stockwood is polling third, at 15 per cent, followed by Sally Horscroft, for the Green Party (8 per cent), Independent candidate Marianne Overton (7 per cent) and Lib Dem Trevor Young (5 per cent).
Reform have been focusing on council spending in their leaflets (Photo: Getty Images)
A resident who chatted to The i Paper in a local bookshop said Reform leaflets had highlighted council spending above everything else.
“Two key points on the front of the leaflets are that the county council is in debt, money they are claiming is being spent on things that are not needed and, of course, potholes.”
square MAYORAL ELECTIONS Big ReadInside the divided town where Reform is channelling Thatcher to win big
Read More
A retiree from Cleethorpes, next to Grimsby, said they would expect Reform to continue capitalising on the national government intervention over Scunthorpe steelworks.
“There will be a price to pay in the end, by the taxpayer,” the resident said. “But Scunthorpe is not a place with massive employment, so they had to do something about it – the steelworks in Scunthorpe. They did what they had to do, but they left it to the very last minute to do so.”
“We are working hard for every vote across the area and are taking votes from Labour in their heartlands. What’s clear now, though, is that if you vote Reform, you get Reform,” a spokesman said.
Andrea Jenkyns speaks during Reform’s local elections campaign launch at Utilita Arena Birmingham (Photo: Reuters)Mr Macdonald, said he was not a Reform supporter but noted the party was “tuning into this discontentment with people paying taxes while public services are in decline”, adding: “I am getting more and more politically disengaged.”
New mayors must be seen to be believed
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta, said new directly elected mayors have been considered successful and are welcomed by voters.
“I think if you had asked people in Greater Manchester what they thought of the idea before it happened, they probably would have shrugged their shoulders too, but now I don’t think they would be without one,” he said.
Hopkins said that, since the establishment of combined authority mayors elsewhere in the past decade or so, they had become “hotly fought” political contests, with the results playing a significant part in the electoral cycle.
“Ultimately, devolution is quite high on Labour’s agenda, so maybe these new mayoral positions will end up with a lot of independence,” Hopkins said, regardless of the party they represent.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The city about to elect its first mayor – but it doesn’t want one )
Also on site :