London elections 2022: Labour holds Redbridge with 55 seats

Londoners went to the polls in the local elections on May 5. Josh Salisbury has the lowdown on the vote in Redbridge
Goodmayes Park
ES Composite
Josh Salisbury6 May 2022

Labour has held Redbridge with 55 seats, while the Conservatives won 5.

It won four more seats than in 2018 at the expense of the Tories.

Labour leader Jas Athwal said in his victory speech: “Today is a historic day for Labour, because we have equalled the highest number of seats won by any party ever in the history of Redbridge.

“I do have to say, we have been entrusted by residents, they have shown faith in us, in you all. Now begins the work… Make sure that you stay true to Labour values, to our values, to the promises you made today and that you do not forget them over the next four years,” according to the Ilford Recorder.

Find our coverage leading up to the election results below.

Key issues

Among the key pledges from the Labour party if it wins re-election is to build 500 council homes over the next four years, to make progress on bringing a university campus to the borough, and to build five new community hubs.

It has also said it wants to target fly-tipping and littering with LED CCTV cameras.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have vowed to freeze council tax if elected, scrap the borough’s current leadership model, and offer greater consultations with residents on issues such as traffic schemes.

It has also promised to bring in a 24-hour anti-social behaviour helpline if its councillors are successful in Thursday’s vote.

Among the pledges made by Liberal Democrat candidates standing in the election are to lobby for a new wing at the King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

Details

Going into Thursday’s election, Redbridge Council is Labour controlled with a Conservative opposition. In 2018, Labour won 51 seats out of the council’s 63 seats, with the remaining 12 going to the Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats lost the three seats they had previously held.

However, ahead of the 2022 vote, there is one Independent councillor, a former member of the Labour group, and one Reform UK councillor who defected from the Conservatives.

The current leader of the council is Jas Athwal, having served since 2014, while the leader of the opposition Conservatives is Cllr  Linda Huggett.

Voters will be electing 63 councillors, as the number of positions has not changed since 2018.

Demographics

According to a mid-2019 estimate, the population of Redbridge is 305,222 of which 38,852 are aged 65 and over.

As at the 2011 census, the average age of residents was 36, while Redbridge  also had the 4th highest BAME population of all the boroughs in London, making it one of the most ethnically diverse local authorities in the UK.

According to the Trust for London, on most of the metrics used for the London Poverty Profile Redbridge is close to the London average.

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