The local council elections.

Many years ago, I briefly lived in Ealing. But while I was there, the council switched from Tory to Labour. I was fine with that, on board with Labour’s ethos of increased spending on schools, parks, libraries, social housing and care for the elderly. But that’s not what happened. After a huge and immediate hike in council tax, they moved into a swanky new Civic Centre and awarded themselves generous pay rises. Then the punishments started. Cameras everywhere, draconian new parking restrictions and squads of Civil Enforcement Officers to implement them. But despite demanding and squandering obscene amounts of money, there was little or no improvement in public services. So having witnessed first-hand what happens when Labour win control of a local council, I think I know why in yesterday’s elections they lost control of so many.