What can a plastic Christmas tree tell us about politics?
A disappointing Christmas display led to the downfall of Boston’s Conservative council. It’s just one example of how independent candidates across the country are giving the big parties a run for their money by keeping their campaigns local, writes Adam Hawksbee
Boston is best known as the Brexit capital of Britain. This corner of Lincolnshire voted 75 per cent Leave in 2016, and last year was revealed to be the only parliamentary constituency to believe that leaving the EU wasn’t a mistake. But it wasn’t immigration or even the cost of living that led to the recent clear out of Conservative councillors and the rise of the Boston Independent Group. It was a Christmas tree – and an episode that gives an insight into how independent councillors are securing stronger footholds in some of the poorest parts of the country.
In 2022 Boston’s Conservative-led council opted to install a £20,000 plastic Christmas tree in the historic market square instead of a real one. The decorations became a laughing stock. Anne Dorian, a former PE teacher, decided she’d had enough and formed a new political party, the Boston Independent Group, committed to restoring her town’s pride – starting with a better Christmas display. In the May 2023 local elections the Conservatives went from a narrow majority to a mere five council seats out of 30. The Boston Independents went from zero to 24. The new administration installed a real tree for Christmas that year and 7,000 people gathered to see the lights switched on. Anne, now leader of the council, got to work immediately on a broader strategy to regenerate her town.
Across the country the rise in independent councillors reflects a frustration with business as usual. In the last four months I’ve visited 36 of the most deprived towns across the UK as part of my role advising the Department for Levelling Up. It’s striking how many are represented by independents. The Nottingham Independents have a foothold in Clifton, a town to the south of the city. Farnworth and Kearsley First hold half the seats in Farnworth, a town to the south of Bolton. Every single councillor in the town of Canvey is from the Canvey Island Independent Party, and the broader borough of Castle Point in Essex is the only part of the country without a single representative from any major party.
Independent councillors are not especially new – from 2006 to 2022 the share of non-affiliated representatives nearly doubled. Leafier parts of the South have often seen candidates standing on behalf of residents’ associations, who mainly seem to focus their efforts on blocking new housing. In some areas single-issue candidates cut through amid low turnout, arguing against the closure of a hospital or protesting an infrastructure project. More recently, a number of councillors have broken away from the Labour party in protest at their position in Gaza – including 20 newly independent councillors in Pendle and 10 in Burnley.
What’s different about this wave of insurgents in Britain’s most deprived places is their common priorities. All of these independent parties focus on the basics: cleaner streets, better lighting, safer town centres and more regular bin collections. If independents pick single issues then they are closely tied to a sense of pride in the community, whether that’s a lacklustre Christmas display or a shut-down bingo hall. Residents don’t deny that the problems with their towns run deeper than these issues, but they still have basic expectations to live in a place with dignity and security.
Councils are in an invidious position. In the face of reduced budgets and rising demand, many are reprioritising scant resources away from what may appear to be cosmetic interventions. And there’s no doubt that campaigns taking place mainly on social media, with low turnout and against an anti-politics backdrop, favour insurgents. But the rise of the independents offers a warning from the public that politicians of all parties would do well to hear: get the basics right, or we’ll get rid of you.
Adam Hawksbee is deputy director of Onward