In the previous council election in 2021, the Conservatives gained a majority on the council, holding 46 seats after the election with Labour holding 24 of the others, with two independent councillors.
Background
History
The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Dudley was a district of the West Midlands metropolitan county.[1] The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The West Midlands Combined Authority was created in 2016 and began electing the mayor of the West Midlands from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the former West Midlands metropolitan county.[2]
Dudley Council has variously been under Labour control, Conservative control and no overall control since it was established. The Conservatives controlled the council from the 2004 election until Labour gained control in the 2012 election. Labour lost overall control in the 2016 election but continued to lead the council until 2017, when the Conservatives led the council, still without a majority. In the most recent election in 2021, the Conservatives gained twelve seats at the expense of Labour and the UK Independence Party to hold an overall majority of seats, with 46 of the 72 total. Labour held 24 of the remaining seats, and there were two independents.[3]
Positions up for election in 2022 were last elected in 2018. In that election the Conservatives won 14 seats and Labour won 10.[4]
Council term
The Labour Party suspended the councillor Zahir Islam in March 2022.[5] The Labour Against Antisemitism campaign had submitted a complaint against him in September 2021 over social media posts.[6]
Electoral process
The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[7][8] The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards generally being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Dudley aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.
Campaign
Peter Walker, the political correspondent for The Guardian, wrote that Labour would want to "show progress" in the council.[9] The Conservative council leader Patrick Harley said he was confident that his party would gain seats in the election.[10]
^Walker, Peter (30 March 2022). "UK local elections: what is up for grabs, and what might we learn?". The Guardian.
^"Tory leaders confident of gains in May local elections". The Guardian. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
^Holder, Bev (7 February 2022). "Sadness as Dudley Council's deputy leader dies, aged 73". Dudley News.
^Storer, Rhi (30 March 2022). "Dudley Labour councillor suspended over anti-Semitic tweets". Dudley News. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx"STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED". Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxMadeley, Peter (6 May 2022). "Dudley Council election results in full as seats swap hands and one is decided by seven votes". Express and Star. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
^O'Brien, Lisa (24 March 2022). "Labour suspends Dudley councillor for six months after disciplinary investigation". Express and Star. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
^Attwood, Helen (31 December 2020). "Leader takes action against Halesowen councillor who called for people to ignore Covid rules". Halesowen News. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
^"Dudley councillor Colin Elcock breached conduct code with Islam tweets". BBC News. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2022.