HYPER-LOCAL parties have been making their mark on the region’s political landscape in recent years. Local Democracy Reporter JOSEPH TIMAN asks why these new groups have been so successful.

NEW hyper-local parties have been popping up across the region over the past two years and enjoying immediate success.

Here in Bury, Radcliffe First won its second seat at the council when it beat the ruling group in a traditionally Labour stronghold.

The new party beat Labour at a by-election for the former council leader’s seat in Radcliffe West, making it the first time Labour loss in the ward’s history.

This came less than four months after the ruling group lost two seats in other parts of Radcliffe at the local elections, when it narrowly held onto a seat in Radcliffe West.

Their success, and Labour’s losses, come after hyper-local party councillors over the border in Bolton were key players in striking a deal which put the Conservatives in charge of the town hall for the first time in four decades this year.

The Radcliffe West by-election in August was the first time the party, which formed less than six months earlier, appeared on a ballot – but the group already had one councillor before the vote.

Cllr James Mason stood as an independent candidate in May before the group was formally recognised by the Electoral Commission.

Newly-elected Radcliffe West councillor Mike Smith, a former paper mill worker, told the Bury Times that the success of hyper-local parties is a response to partisan politics damaging “local regions”.

He said: “The incumbent parties seem to have lost sight of the reasons they were elected in the first place, people are feeling ignored and abandoned by the main parties.

“Local politics should be about local issues, concentrate on the things that affect the everyday existence of your voters. Clean the streets, empty the bins, fix the roads and make people feel safe in their environment. These are the issues that impact people’s lives and mental health on a daily basis.

“For too long the main parties have taken areas for granted, putting up candidates who have little knowledge of the areas they are standing in.

“People are waking up and voting locally for local people standing on local issues.

“If party councillors continue to follow the party line and refuse to develop local plans, then this trend will grow and spread.”

Former Radcliffe North councillor Jamie Walker, who lost his seat in May, missed out on a chance to return to the council chambers back in August, losing to Cllr Smith by 116 votes.

On the night, senior Labour councillor Tamoor Tariq told the Bury Times that there are no more “safe seats” in the borough.

Now, the newly-appointed council leader David Jones, who took over from Rishi Shori in July is working to make sure his party does not suffer any further losses.

He said: “My understanding of the rise in new local groups is all around the electorate’s disconnect with the policies of the main political parties. This is the fault of the politicians.

“Local issues and concerns are being transferred into political groups or parties. Clearly they are not founded on a broad manifesto of issues but more often a single issue of say house building or regeneration.

“It is for me as the leader of the Bury Labour Group to explain why Labour values and principles will outperform these one-trick parties in the longer term.”

But Conservative leader James Daly takes a different view.

His party have also won seats in Radcliffe, where councillors Paul Cropper and Sam Hurst have won votes in the North ward of the town.

There is now only one Labour councillor left in Radcliffe North – Cllr Sharon Briggs – and two in Radcliffe West and East respectively.

Cllr Daly believes that the success of hyper-local parties comes from the voters falling out of favour with Labour.

He said: “The success of these parties stem from traditional Labour voters’ disenchantment with how their areas have been run by Labour. Labour rule in Radcliffe has clearly been a disaster for the area and its residents and many voters now want change but are attracted to parties directly associated with the area where they live rather than parties that are active in every ward.

“The Conservative vote remains strong in Radcliffe with two councillors in Radcliffe North, where Labour previously held all three seats. This is again symptomatic of a desire for fresh policies, ideas and investment which Labour have failed to deliver over so many years.”

Lib Dem leader Tim Pickstone said: “Liberal Democrat councillors always put the areas that we represent first on every occasion, as the residents in the wards we represent in the Prestwich area will know.

“But we also stand for more – for the environment and fighting climate change, for a fair society where everyone can do well in life, and to defend vital public services, no matter which part of Bury they are in.”