In the third of a series on local elections, we visit an electorate stuck between local issues and national crisis

“I think everyone has just lost the plot.” Judith Judge was standing on her York doorstep in the sunshine, a Lib Dem leaflet in her hand. “In this country, it’s almost impossible to work out what is going on at all.”

Judge’s sense of frustration is a trend that runs through York like the River Ouse. The Lib Dem voter lives in the battleground ward of Rawcliffe and Clifton Without. She said it was Brexit that had cemented her vote for the party, having occasionally tactically voted Labour.

All three seats in the ward are held by the Conservatives, but the Lib Dems have hopes of winning all of them, perhaps even pushing the Tories into third place behind Labour.

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York is an unusual three-way marginal, run by a Tory-led coalition with the Lib Dems, though Labour are the largest party, and there are a smattering of Greens and independents. All three main parties have some chance of winning the council.

The ancient city is an electoral doughnut, with inner wards mostly solidly Labour in general elections, and a mixture of Tory and Lib Dem support on the outskirts of the city. If Labour can nab some of these wards, they will win control, but if the Lib Dems can capitalise on the city’s remain tendencies, they could win enough Tory seats to take the council.

Daryl Smalley, who is in his third year of university, is one of the Lib Dem candidates in the ward. He said while conversations on the doorstep mentioned speed bumps and congestion, they often came back to Brexit.

“There are a group of people who thought they would never ever vote Lib Dem after the coalition,” he said. “And actually, Brexit has changed that.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Conservative candidate Stuart Rawling canvassing in the Rawcliffe and Clifton Without ward. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

Councillor Stuart Rawlings is fighting the same ward for the Conservatives and was most keen to talk about the local record – including investment in potholes, litter bins and gritting.

“This is one of a small number of wards that is really going to make the difference to York,” he said. “As with every other party, it’s about getting them out to vote. Everyone is disillusioned with politics in general. The big sell for all of us is we understand the frustration but if you want democracy to work, this is about your council.”

On the campaign trail for the Lib Dems, among the mix of bungalows and new-build estates, was Emilie Knight, the co-chair of York for Europe. “There is a general fed-upness. But some remainers have become more vocal and active,” she said.

That has led to a big increase in new activists, including Knight, who was never a political campaigner before the referendum.

Labour believes it can capitalise on the council’s record and that Brexit is a background issue, though sometimes unavoidable. In the afternoon, the Labour councillor Jonny Crawshaw was doing his rounds on Bishopthorpe Road, an affluent parade of independent shops that was once named the best high street in Britain. He estimated 40% of his conversations on the doorstep started with Brexit.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Labour candidate Sandi Redpath canvassing in Micklegate ward. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

“There is a lot of frustration about the national picture … but also about how Brexit is dominating everything when there is so much going on in the world,” he said.

His ward has a Green councillor and an independent, and Labour will need to win both seats. They also need to win the blue seats in the doughnut’s outer ring. “The Tory vote looks like it is going to collapse, and for us it’s about whether they all stay at home or do they go out and vote Lib Dems,” he said.

In January, the Centre for Cities estimated that York had experienced the largest drop in wages of any UK city. It also has the biggest gap between the lowest and highest 10% of households in terms of income of anywhere in the north of England, plus high house prices and scarce affordable housing.

Quick guide Local elections 2019 Show Hide Which seats are up for grabs? More than 8,200 seats are up for grabs – and half of them are Conservative seats – so the elections will be a key test for Theresa May. Candidates are contesting 248 English local councils and all 11 local councils in Northern Ireland.



There are also elections for six directly elected mayors – in Bedford, Copeland, Leicester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough and North of Tyne. No elections are taking place in London, Scotland or Wales.



More than half the councils – 134 – are controlled by the Tories, 67 by Labour. Seven are held by the Lib Dems and 35 have no overall control. The remaining five are new councils, owing to local authority mergers. When will we get the results? About half of councils’ votes are being counted overnight, with results expected from midnight. The other half will start being counted on Friday morning. Turnout is expected to be low – multiple party sources have said there is a general feeling of apathy and anger with politicians from across the spectrum. What are the key battlegrounds for the Tories? The Tories have quietly briefed that they are expecting a drubbing, which could mean council gains for both Labour and the Lib Dems. The Tories are hoping to make some gains in places where they are just a few seats from winning control – just one seat is needed to gain Scarborough or two to gain Thurrock. Dudley and Walsall are also councils that will be a narrow fight between Labour and the Tories. What are the key battlegrounds for Labour? Key targets for Labour are Calderdale, Redcar and Cleveland and Trafford, all Labour minority councils, as well as Stoke-on-Trent and Derby, two councils controlled by a coalition of Tories, independents and smaller parties. Ukip is putting up a big fight in Derby, however. Labour could also snatch Peterborough back from the Tories by forming a coalition with the Lib Dems if both parties have a good night. They also have high hopes of increasing their narrow majority in Plymouth. Jessica Elgot, chief political correspondent Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Europe

Deprivation in the city motivated Sandi Redpath to stand in Micklegate ward. Her day job is casework for the city’s Labour MP, Rachael Maskell. “I didn’t realise the extent of the deprivation until I worked for Rachel” she said.

Tom Jackson, sitting on his front porch by Rowntree Park, was similarly frustrated by the lack of focus on national issues. “Being a Labour supporter is pretty infuriating sometimes. But to be honest, the most important thing is not having the Tories in power,” he said. “Homelessness in the city centre is just appalling, that so many people have to live rough.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Micklegate ward resident Tom Jackson and his dog, Ralph. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

Tourism and congestion are also key issues on voters’ minds. David Shannon, a floating Labour or Green voter, was convinced Labour should be doing more on the environment. Fiona Smith, accompanying him up the street, said she wanted to see the city better maintained and hoped a tourist levy could be permitted.

However, both were deeply committed remainers and said they worried how their vote on local issues would be viewed in the national picture. “What I would be really unhappy about is if there was a great success for one party at the local elections and the national parties claim it as an endorsement of their position on the big issue,” Smith said.

Shannon insisted he would not vote Labour as an endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn’s position on Brexit. “I can see that I should vote here in a way that can change the council and get rid of the Conservatives,” he said.

“But what frightens me, big time, is that if there is a big swing to Labour nationally, Corbyn will say people believe my policies on Brexit. I am petrified about that.”

York at a glance

A three-way marginal council, the Conservatives and Lib Dems have 12 councillors, Labour has 13.

Run by a Conservative-led coalition with the Lib Dems since 2015, but has been both Labour- and Lib Dem-led over the past 20 years.

York voted to remain by a margin of 58%, one of the few places in Yorkshire to opt to stay in the EU, along with Leeds and Harrogate.

Its MPs are Rachel Maskell in the safe Labour seat of York Central, who has a majority of more than 18,000; and Julian Sturdy, who has held the York Outer constituency for the Conservatives since its creation in 2010. His majority is 8,000.

• This article was amended on 2 May 2019 to correct information about the York Outer seat held by Julian Sturdy.