Many of you in this constituency have close links to Hull. Perhaps you work there. Maybe you have family that lives in the city. You may even have business interests or simply enjoy what the city offers during your free time. You could have multiple reasons why you want this former city of culture to thrive and succeed.

Hull – a close neighbour with a rich history – has gone through many changes over the past few years. There are signs that this will continue at it’s all for the better.

On 5 May, 19 of the 21 wards in Hull will be seeing council elections. It’s a tight contest between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, but the latter have a history of failure in the city and are not fit to lead. However, Labour is the party of achievement and shows just what Labour councillors are capable of.

Taking back control

Obviously, the people who live there play a huge part – there’s no doubt about that. However, there is something else that’s very important. For this, we need to travel back to 2011.

At this point, the Liberal Democrats were in control. In Hull, this was a party who were famous at one point for only being able to gain control due t one rebel voter – hardly a sign of widespread support.

In the time leading up to the 2011 elections, the Liberal Democrat-led council had gained national press attention for the wrong reasons. They worked with a company that sent a letter to a blind resident – calling him ‘Mr Blindman’. They pursued a man for a parking ticket for 14 months, despite admitting it had been issued in error. Road surfaces were famously poor – with one short stretch having over 300 potholes. Highly paid jobs continued to be advertised during the credit crunch – all while numerous public sector workers were made redundant. This stretched public services to their limit.

These are just a few examples though.

The people of Hull had had enough. They saw Labour as the only option to rejuvenate the city, boost morale and improve the reputation of it’s local authority.

In 2011, they gained 12 more seats and regained control. They continued to gain popularity over the next few years – with a peak of 40 seats in 2015. This sustained period of electoral success allowed for real investment and regeneration in the city.

Success? All I see is traffic!

If you spend any time on the Hull related pages and groups that can be found on social media, you’ll see a selection of people complaining about traffic and roadworks. It’s true – there has been plenty. Think of it this way though – this work is an investment in the future. It’s ensuring that infrastructure remains fit for purpose. Also, if much of it is done at the same time, there’s less disruption in the long term.

In addition to that, just look at all the other achievements from this Labour run council:

• Before the pandemic, Hull had it’s highest ever visitor numbers and the fastest growing economy in region
• Internationally recognised for flood resilience.
• Getting awarded ‘City of Culture’ status, which created a long lasting legacy and attracted investment
• Siemens deal due to out investment in infrastructure.
• Award winning work in urban forestry
• Praised by the government for raising standards in private housing
• Continued support for the UK’s largest original local music festival – ‘The Sesh’
• The impressive transformation/regeneration of Humber Street using a combination of public and private funding
• Investment in parks, swimming baths and leisure centres, which has ensured the people of the city have great value leisure services
• Second highest youth spender in the UK at a time when many cities many cities lose youth provision
• Libraries have been maintained during a time when we see cuts to provision across the country
• Fines used to help kids get cheaper transport for college and work
• Supported thousands of elderly and vulnerable during the pandemic
• Hull’s music school is now expanding across the region at the behest of the Department for Education
• Bring out your rubbish days improved so they are back to the levels before the Liberal Democrats had control
• Free bulky item collections, which help so many people across the city
• The first city to adopt a net zero target for 2030

So, there’s been achievements across so many areas – environment, education, youth services, social care, leisure and more. It’s a record to be proud of.

What you can do

It’s going to be a close one and if you’re a Labour supporter, you can’t be complacent.

For the continued success of our close neighbour, a Labour controlled council is absolutely crucial. If you’re reading this and you live there, please vote for the Labour candidate in your ward. If you have family and friends there who are undecided, just remind them of all the good that Labour has done.

Spread the word and help keep Hull City Council a Labour Council.