UNISON Labour Link campaigning for Labour in Kent Council elections Thursday 2 May

On Thursday I went to support Labour candidates standing in the local elections in Kent. There were no London Council elections this year. Our West Ham Labour MP, Lyn Brown (a long standing UNISON member and Shadow Finance Minister) came along with Cara, her Labour attack dog as well as the Chair of West Ham ward, Ian Mills. .

We firstly went to support Lola Oyewusi, who is my UNISON branch assistant secretary who was standing for Labour in Tonbridge and Malling to be a Councillor. She also had support from her fellow Jo Cox Leadership colleague, Olga FitzRoy.  Sadly Lola was not elected in this safe Tory ward but she was elected to her parish council as the first ever Black Female Councillor! Well done Lola!

London UNISON Labour Link had been asked to support Gravesham. Lyn, Ian, Cara and I went door knocking to "encourage" Labour voters to come out to vote.  The local Labour Party was well organised and the lists of Labour supporters who we were targeted to "knock up" and remind them to vote was very accurate. Which is let me say, not always the case.

I carried on the West Ham tradition of buying everyone an ice cream 99 chocolate flake.

Great news that that Labour took control of the Council on Thursday and in that ward, Labour won all of the seats (and the Kent Council by election). Excellent!

I had to get back to Newham for my Councillor surgery, to be a judge at our borough school public speaking competition then go to a leaving do for a much valued Council officer.

Help Labour Win Today - Unions together

You have until 10PM

Hi John - Today there are important local elections in many parts of England. Do you have a spare hour to help get the Labour vote out? Click below to find today's campaign events near you using the Labour Party's events finder: https://events.labour.org.uk/ Local government has been damaged by years of Tory cuts that have hit working people and their families hard. We can all see the impact in our local communities - crime is rising, town centres are suffering with shops closing down and decent jobs disappearing. Local councils are starved of funds, struggling to deliver the basic services that we all rely on. Under the Tories, for too many people work is insecure and pay isn’t enough to make ends meet. It’s harder than ever to get a decent home. The NHS and social care have been pushed into crisis, it’s harder to see your GP and waiting lists are growing. Schools are facing huge cuts and class sizes are rising. Only a Labour Government can rebuild Britain for the many not the few. Have you already voted Labour today? Let your friends know on Facebook by clicking the button below. https://www.facebook.com/unionstogether/ We need to put Labour in charge in Town Halls across the country, and send a message to this Government that after 9 years of cuts and decline, their time is up. Labour will rebuild our country by investing in services and communities so they can thrive once again. All the best, Helen Reproduced from an electronic communication sent by Helen Pearce on behalf of TULO, both at Southside, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QT.