Election campaign under way for council facing axe

Planned local government reorganisation might make this the final county council election

Voters in Leicestershire are being asked to go to the polls in just over a month to elect county councillors - possibly for the very last time.

Under nationwide plans, the government aims to streamline local government in a move that could see Leicestershire County Council abolished and replaced.

The authority had asked to postpone the upcoming election on 1 May while it drew up a potential new political map for the county, but Whitehall had other ideas and now the campaign is well under way.

So, with little certainty over the future, representatives of the five major political parties have set out why they want voters to back them at the ballot box.

Conservative Craig Smith is a current Leicestershire county councillor

The Conservatives have controlled Leicestershire County Council since 2001 and have waged a long-running campaign to secure better funding from the government for the authority.

At the last election in 2021 they gained two seats, securing 42 of the 55 available.

One of their number - Peter Bedford - became an MP in 2024, winning the newly-formed seat of Mid Leicestershire.

He will be stepping down from his county council seat after 1 May.

Conservative councillor Craig Smith told the BBC that this year voters "want to know who's going to look after the schools, the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) education".

"They want to know who's going to look after grandma when she needs that extra care," he added.

"They're not interested in the bigger Westminster political picture and that's very much what we're selling on the doorstep.

"We're talking to people that want local people to represent them locally and also to make sure that they get the best possible services that they're paying for."

Labour's Max Hunt said social care was a big issue on the campaign trail

Labour reached a new low in terms of representation at County Hall in 2021, winning just four seats.

But one of their group - Amanda Hack - also became an MP in 2024, winning the North West Leicestershire seat from the Conservatives.

She will also stand down from County Hall after these elections.

The council's Labour group leader Max Hunt said voting for his party this time would get "a Labour-run council working with a Labour government".

"We've got a very strong list of candidates with experience often at district level so they know how local government works - that's important," he added.

"We are determined to get special needs back on track. Social care is a big issue for us and we must get that right.

"We're going to set in train a number of things including training for care workers."

Liberal Democrat Michael Mullaney leads the opposition group on Leicestershire County Council

The Liberal Democrats has been the biggest opposition at County Hall since 2009, although it lost four seats in 2021.

Its group leader Michael Mullaney said votes for the Lib Dems would secure "local campaigners, fighting for the local areas and getting the basic things that affect people's everyday life sorted out".

He added: "You'll get a team of leadership at the county council which is committed to ensuring that those basic things are being delivered that haven't been delivered - the repairs to the roads, getting bus services sorted, getting special educational needs services sorted."

Laurie Needham leads the Green group on Charnwood Borough Council

The Greens saw a surge in representation across Leicestershire's district and borough local elections in 2023 - returning councillors in Blaby, Charnwood and Harborough.

Green Charnwood councillor Laurie Needham said environmental issues were very important, adding: "The place I represent has been heavily impacted by flooding in the last couple of years.

"People are very upset about transport links, roads and educational provision.

"The Greens are in a unique position - we're not beholden to the whims of Westminster.

"We can speak up for local people.

"For us, it's less about party politics, it's much more about service [and] that's what people see when they elect a Green."

Joseph Boam, chairman of North West Leicestershire Reform UK, said he hoped the party would make an impact on 1 May

Reform UK came third in every parliamentary seat in Leicestershire in last year's general election.

That may be a reason party leader Nigel Farage chose to host his first regional party event of 2025 in Leicester.

One former Conservative county councillor has since defected to the party. Could there be more?

The party is quietly confident it will make its first inroads at County Hall in May.

Chairman of North West Leicestershire Reform UK, Joseph Boam, said: "You should vote Reform on 1 May for a more efficiently run Leicestershire County Council - and to get all the generic problems you face in your local area sorted for once."

He added: "On the doorstep, the main issues are the generic stuff really, which you'd think would be sorted by now. There's stuff like potholes, fly-tipping and then the grass verges which seemed to not be cut on time."

Whether all parties can deliver a "full slate" - in other words provide a candidate in all 55 seats on the council - will only be known once nominations close on 2 April.