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Trigger Ballots and internal party battles

Sometimes the most important elections are the ones that most people can’t vote in.

Over the next few weeks, anyone with an interest in politics will be looking at the local elections coming on May 3rd. Yet for many politicians, the results of these elections are in little doubt, with either safe seats or no hope. It’s elections that have already happened, and elections that will happen later in May, that are the really challenging ones. Behind closed doors, with an electorate numbering around 40 or 50 that can make decisions that can change lives – and the outcome of planning applications.

We can start by looking at the selection process for candidates.

Last week Rokhsana Fiaz won the internal Labour Party process in Newham to decide who will be the party’s candidate for the post of mayor of Newham, beating the incumbent Mayor, Sir Robin Wales. One unofficial, but reliable source has claimed that she won by 861 votes to Sir Robin’s 503, so the votes of 861 Labour members have all but secured the mayoralty for Fiaz.

By the way, Fiaz won support from all areas of the party – ignore the #fakenews that this was a Momentum takeover.

There’s another example of this happening at London regional level, and relates to Sadiq Khan. Later this year, possibly in July, party members will decide whether they are happy to have Sadiq Khan on the ballot paper for Labour in the London mayoral elections in 2020 or if they want Sadiq to go through a selection process alongside other candidates. It’s called the Trigger Ballot. And it is because of this process that you can expect to see Mayor Khan try to keep the Left onside over the coming weeks and months, just as we saw him standing next to Jeremy Corbyn to talk about ballots for estate regeneration projects that would need grant funding.

After the elections on May 3rd, even smaller electorates will gather to make big decisions – the elections that will be held amongst those elected to decide who leads councils, who sits on committees and who is expelled to the outer darkness of total back bench anonymity.

Consider, for example, one outer London council we know well. The council leader has been in post for a while, has done what most people would say has been a good job in difficult circumstances. His election in his ward on May 3rd is pretty much a formality. But he wants to be leader. That’s why he has spent pretty much every Friday evening since New Year either on the phone to or meeting with other councillors and candidates within his party. Because whilst most of us are relaxing on the Bank Holiday Monday that follows the election, he and the other successful councillors will be deciding who runs things for the next four years.

Competency comes into it, of course. As does friendship, favours bestowed in the past or promised in the future and a whole panoply of other considerations, many of which have less than nothing to do with politics. Indeed, considerations on whether potential leaders stand to the left or the right are secondary considerations.

So, if you’re wondering why councillors are behaving odd, or why your scheme is getting the cold shoulder from Mayor Khan at the moment, this could be one of the reasons.  Perhaps you need to speak to us?

Reader Interactions

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What people say about us…

Smooth operation

Many thanks for last night: a very smooth operation!

Message was very welcome

Was a great result – especially to receive unanimous approval! Many thanks also for you and your team’s work in the run up to the committee. Getting those messages across really helped and was evident by the feedback given by members on both sides of the political spectrum … notably on the successfully engagement with residents and how the scheme responded accordingly. Message was very welcome!

On point

Harry was on point and has been the whole way through. We are all very chuffed. We are already preparing for another rather testing application on another site and you can be certain that we will engage you

Appreciated

Thanks Richard, your help has been much appreciated. Will let you know when the next job comes up!

Big guns!

Thanks for your and the team’s help. It was good to know we had the proverbial big guns in our armoury!

You kept calm

Many thanks for that: your team did very well, and kept a lot calmer than me! Matt was a sensible wise head, as was Alex, but he also made me think succinctly for the questions and how to answer, which is a great skill to try and acquire. Especially for someone as verbose as me!

A unanimous approval

Councillors praised both officers and the developer on their work and engagement.

A unanimous approval 5-0

With your help

Really pleased to hear the news this evening

With your help, we got it through !!!!

Best Regards!

Truly excellent example

Great news that we approved 60 houses on green belt last night.

It was tremendous that the Chair said that this was a “truly excellent example of good consultation…”

Gave me more confidence

Thank you – we were both somewhat surprised given the level of objections but in fact the committee hardly discussed the scheme at all before consenting it.

Thanks to your team for preparing me well for the committee which certainly gave me more confidence.

A big relief

Thank you. A big relief. As I am sure you can appreciate, we are delighted!

Your team did a great job, especially Matt who was integral.

I look forward to catching up soon.

Unanimous

196 flats approved unanimously, thanks to all involved.

Professional and effective

I wanted to thank you and all at Thorncliffe for managing the consultation process so professionally and effectively. This, without doubt, played a crucial role in gaining the approval.

Once again, all our thanks.

Was a good result

Cant remember the last time I got anything through unanimously!

Was a good result, it’s the right scheme for the site and of course we had a great team including yourselves working on it,

First class troops

Richard. Your troops did a first class job as always. Many thanks

Praise for communityUK

Well done for the way you presented tonight’s online consultation. I thought it was an excellent format.

Great result last night

I just wanted to say thank you again for all your help with the great result last night.

You have been tremendous and it is much appreciated.

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