By Andrew Tromans, Stourbridge Young Labour Campaigns Coordinator
Friday 6th May 2016 was a trying day for the Labour Party in the Dudley Borough. The results of the local elections in England and Wales revealed a patchy performance for Labour, and the party lost its majority on Dudley Council. One of three wards Labour lost that night was Wollaston and Stourbridge Town, which the Tories snapped up by just three votes. Worse still, the Conservative and UKIP groups on the council formed a grubby ‘BluKIP’ pact the following May to take control.
Over the next three months, Stourbridge Young Labour (SYL) will be doing its utmost to make a positive case for the return of a Labour Council in Dudley. We have already made a strong start by holding our first Dialogue session in early February. In just over an hour, five volunteers made hundreds of phone calls and held meaningful conversations with at least 20 people each. Dialogue is the new Labour Party software that allows party activists to make phone calls to voters from anywhere. All you need is a computer or tablet, an internet connection and a mobile phone. Dialogue calls voters for you at no cost to the user. SYL will be holding regular Dialogue sessions to canvass voters over the phone, as well as supporting our local election candidates by attending door-knocking sessions, running street stalls and organising leaflet deliveries.
It is down to Labour activists, not least those in Young Labour, to make sure that we get a positive set of results this May. Crucially, by campaigning hard to help Labour take back control of councils like Dudley, we can demonstrate both our impact as young activists and the value of energetic Young Labour groups. This in turn will assist in making our voices stronger when we call on Labour councillors to protect the local services that young people and others rely on.
For more: @StourbridgeYL on Facebook and Twitter.
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