Last week’s council elections saw York Labour Group increase by four councillors to seventeen. Unfortunately Labour were unable to gain enough seats to take overall control of the council, with the Lib-Dems becoming the largest party with twenty-one seats. The Greens stay on four, and the Tories support collapsed to the extent that they were only able to secure two seats. The remaining three seats are held by independents, two of them former Tories. This makes the arithmetic difficult when deciding which parties are able to take control, and there are exploratory talks taking place between parties to see if there are any grounds for co-operation.
The new Labour Group has held its first meeting and elected officers. Councillor Danny Myers will be the group leader, with Anna Perrett as deputy. Former leader Janet Looker has stood down in order to serve as Lord Mayor.
Cllr Myers said: “I’m incredibly humbled to be chosen by my colleagues to lead the group going forward in what is an exciting time for Labour in the city.
“I’ve been very clear with the group about how I intend to lead. Labour will provide a strong voice on the council that speaks up for protecting services and against austerity, at the same time as developing how we engage with residents right across the city who want to see our policies pushed through on the council.
“There is a lot we can achieve whether in control or in opposition on the council.”
As a result the Labour Group Officers now comprise:
- Danny Myers – Clifton Ward – Group Leader
- Anna Perrett – Heworth Ward – Deputy Leader
- Katie Lomas – Acomb Ward – Group Chair
- Bob Ward – Heworth Ward – Secretary
- Michael Pavlovic – Hull Road Ward – Treasurer
- Kallum Taylor – Holgate Ward – Chief Whip
- Janet Looker – Guildhall Ward – Lord Mayor Designate
The remaining members of the Labour Group comprise:
- George Norman – Hull Road Ward
- Aisling Musson – Hull Road Ward
- Margaret Wells – Clifton Ward
- Claire Douglas – Heworth Ward
- Stuart Barnes – Acomb Ward
- David Heaton – Holgate Ward
- Rachel Melly – Holgate Ward
- Jonny Crawshaw – Micklegate Ward
- Pete Kilbane – Micklegate Ward
- Fiona Fitzpatrick – Guildhall Ward