Labour wins seats in historic BCP election

On 3 May, the Labour Party across the conurbation was successful in winning three seats in Bournemouth on the new BCP council. Despite many members and supporters working tirelessly for nearly two years, we were sadly not able to take any seats in our target wards of Poole Town, Newtown and Heatherlands and Hamworthy. Above you can see us after the results had been announced - determined to keep going.

After a few days reflection, we have been able to see the many positives in our local election campaign.

Although we did not win our target seats, Labour has made huge gains; beating the Conservatives in two of our target wards. This stands us in good stead for the next General Election, Labour remains the alternative to the Conservatives within Poole and we will be ready to campaign and win a seat in Westminster when the moment arises.

We are also hugely proud of our members, activists and candidates. The work that was put into winning this local election was unprecedented in recent years. Two factors out of our control have played a huge part in the results: Brexit and the merging of the three councils. These factors gave rise to "independents", councillors who hold political views but did not have the level of honesty to declare them to the public.

We will spend the next four years holding these people to account, we will ensure that a strong Labour voice still attends council meetings for Poole, we will not be sitting back and watching as our town suffers from the Conservative's policy of austerity.

Labour provided a clear and open manifesto for change, so we will continue to campaign on our values and ensure that we win the next elections, both local and national. We need to engage the 70% of the electorate who did not turn out to vote.

We cannot do that without you.

Help out in any way you can. Poole Labour began afresh in 2017, so

this is not the end of our upward trend, merely the end of our beginning. The work carries on and we will continue the fight for a more fair, equal and just society in Poole; truly for the many, not the few.