Yet another commentary piece about the local election results you say? I promise to make this one useful. I may even try and make it interesting. 

We all know the results by now – a stunning display of voter enthusiasm for the unexpected. Reform surged ahead, with the Lib Dems close behind, leaving the Tories and Labour to thoughtfully reflect on their shared talent for underperformance. 

In our webinar this week, we unpacked what the results could mean for development. 

Short term 

Plenty of rookies (or are they…) 

Lots of newly elected officials means lots of local authority time and resource redirected to getting them up to speed. LAs aren’t exactly brimming with spare time so let’s consider their stretched resource, stretched even further. Important to also note that many of these newly elected officials are actually fairly long in the tooth when it comes to politics. Whether it was a different tier of government, or for a different party, don’t assume you’ll be dealing with a rookie. 

Local politics for locals, right? 

Where it is customary for the major parties to leave their locally elected colleagues to figure out leadership and other key positions at a local level, Reform is taking a different approach. Party HQ is feeling somewhat protective of its success and as such will very much be pulling the strings to ensure the ‘right’ people are given the ‘right’ roles. Keep a close eye on those AGMs. 

Uncertainty, defections, et al 

It wouldn’t be unreasonable for people on the fringes of their parties to start jumping ship. 

Medium term 

Two diametrically opposed views on development from Reform 

It’s vitally important that we don’t just view Reform as a party of the right. They are a populist party for populists. Lots of people are wondering what their likely stance on new development will be and our answer is – it depends where you look for it. In the ‘red’ Reform heartlands of Wales, the North of England and in coastal towns we could see a pro-development rhetoric. Whereas as in the ‘blue’ Reform heartlands of Kent and Lincolnshire, it will likely be straight out of the NIMBY playbook. 

Engage wider, engage earlier 

On specific development plans but also in campaigning for development more generally, it will be more important than ever to engage beyond the district level. County councillors as well as MPs will likely lean into local politics as the pressure builds from party HQs in the constant battle for support. This is especially pertinent in light of the proposed devolution plans coming down the track. 

If we are to assume that this protest-vote trend continues, it will also be important to start engaging with opposition leaders ahead of next year’s elections. Now is a great time to start building relationships and understand how best to work together. 

Long term 

PIVOT, PIVOT 

A reference for the millennials in the room. We may see Labour’s party politics pivot in an attempt to cling on to voters leaning towards Reform and/or the Lib Dems. They could abandon their pro-development, pro-green initiatives rhetoric, or of course they could double-down on it. Keir currently claiming they’ll be doing the latter but the cynic in me isn’t so sure. 

Don’t alienate them 

It’s critically important that we don’t ‘other’ members of third parties. In our webinar someone asked the question ‘Should we even bother engaging with Reform and Lib Dem members? Might it be a waste of time and money?’ The answers are very clearly: YES, and NO. Let’s learn from our dear friends across the pond and not be so quick to alienate people. On a human-level we are all striving for the same outcomes and it’s our job to find that common ground.  

Take a leaf out of the populist playbook 

There are myriad lessons to be learnt from the comms teams of both the Lib Dems and Reform when it comes to reaching supportive audiences. Expect to see a shift in methods and means of communication for party politics – and a shift therefore in how we communicate with people on development matters.