Wolverhampton Council leadership race: Who are the potential candidates?

Wolverhampton Council is set to have a new leader after Roger Lawrence announced his decision to step down after 15 years at the top.

On May 3, the day after local council elections which will see 20 city council seats up for grabs, the authority’s Labour group will host its annual general meeting.

It is there that leadership candidates will put themselves forward to be the party’s first new leader in the city since Mr Lawrence replaced Norman Davies in 2002 – and only the group’s third leader in more than three decades.

Today we look at some of the potential candidates for the top job.

Ian Brookfield

Ward: Fallings Park

Years on council: 19

Royal Mail worker Councillor Brookfield was first elected in 1995 and served for 12 years in the wards of Bushbury and Oxley. He was elected again in 2012.

Originally from Liverpool, he served as the city’s mayor in 2015-16, raising more than £17,000 for charity. Mr Brookfield, who is a previous Cabinet member for finance, is the current chair of the pensions committee.

He is thought to be a certainty to run for leader, having narrowly lost out in a leadership challenge last year. On that occasion Mr Lawrence triumphed by 28-20, after Mr Brookfield lost crucial support in the hours before the vote. Following his defeat he said he had been “overwhelmed” with the size of the support he had received, suggesting his performance had laid the foundations for a future bid. Last time he was stymied by a few of his supporters jumping ship.

Louise Miles

Ward: Oxley

Years on council: 18

Councillor Miles was elected to serve the Oxley ward in 2016 and is the current cabinet member for resources.

She was previously elected as a councillor for Merry Hill in 1995, winning the seat by a majority of 14. She stepped aside from that seat in 1999 and fought Graiseley, losing by 18 votes.

The following year she was elected in Bilston East, where she served until 2011 before standing down.

Ms Miles, who is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Wolverhampton, has held the cabinet position for economic development under Mr Lawrence’s leadership.

Like Mr Brookfield, she is considered a certainty to run for leader, with sources suggesting she has already built up a fair amount of backing, particularly among recently elected councillors.

Milkinder Jaspal

Ward: Heath Town

Years on council: 28

Councillor Jaspal was first elected in Heath Town in 1991. He lost his seat in 2008 for nine months, before successfully winning a by-election in 2009 following the death of Les Turner.

He has been on the council ever since.

Mr Jaspal was the city’s 155th mayor in 2013-14 and recently served as the cabinet member for governance.

He has also held senior roles in transport and economic development.

Two years ago he put himself forward to become Labour’s candidate for the role of West Midlands Mayor, but he was not selected.

Mr Jaspal is the most experienced of the likely candidates, something he is sure to trade on should he put himself forward.

It has been suggested he has already secured decent support to the east of the city.

Sandra Samuels

Ward: Ettingshall

Years on council: 13

A retired theatre sister at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Mrs Samuels was first elected to represent Park ward in 2004. She lost that seat in 2007, but returned to win Ettingshall in 2009, where she has served ever since.

Mrs Samuels is the current cabinet member for adults and is the chair of governors at Windsor Children and Family Centre. In 2016 she was presented with an OBE for political service to local government, an honour she dedicated to her local community and her husband, Karl.

She has also been Health Ambassador for the West Midlands, and played a leading role in securing Wolverhampton’s first Heritage Centre for the African and Caribbean community in Whitmore Reans.

Mrs Samuels was initially on Mr Brookfield’s ticket last year to run as his deputy, but she is believed to have changed her mind.

John Reynolds

Ward: Graiseley

Years on council: 21

Mr Reynolds has served as a councillor for Graiseley since he was first elected there in 1998. He is the current cabinet member for city economy, with responsibilities including supporting local businesses and driving economic growth.

Previous senior roles he has held include leisure, city environment, and health and wellbeing.

He has also served as chair of the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and the Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board, and is currently a governor at two city primary schools, Bantock School and Merridale School.

Mr Reynolds lectures in economics and business at the University of Wolverhampton. He is a close ally of Mr Lawrence and if elected, would be considered by many to be a continuation of the old guard.

New leader faces major challenges

Last year a leadership challenge was held, which occurred after Labour had strengthened its grip on the council (it now holds 51 of the city’s 60 seats).

It saw Mr Lawrence survive a leadership challenge from Councillor Ian Brookfield.

The bid to unseat the leader was defeated by 28-20, after Mr Brookfield had initially appeared to have the numbers required to get home.

According to Mr Lawrence, the “uncertainty and discord” among Labour councillors at the time had a major consequence in the form of the departure of the council’s managing director Keith Ireland, who quit for a similar role at Lincolnshire Council.

While no one has yet to officially put themselves forward as Mr Lawrence’s replacement, behind the scenes the battle is already hotting up, with potential candidates ringing around other councillors to try and firm up support for their bids.

Mr Lawrence’s current deputy, Councillor Pete Bilson, is not thought to be considering running, although he has already told fellow councillors that he wishes to stay on as deputy.

This could pose a problem for any candidate considering running on a leader/deputy ticket – unless they are happy to take Mr Bilson along for the ride.

With the numbers as they are, the winning candidate in a two-horse race would need 26 votes to secure leadership.

Labour are likely to continue to dominate politics in the city under its new leadership, with political opposition in the Chamber coming solely from the Conservatives, who are down to just nine seats.

But once in place, the new leader will have a series of major challenges to tackle over the coming years.

Money is still a major concern in the Civic Centre, with the authority facing the biggest financial challenge in its history and braced for millions of pounds more in cuts.

In the current financial year it is tasked with finding nearly £35 million in savings, some of which are yet to be identified. Hundreds of jobs are at risk at the council, and with uncertainty surrounding Brexit hitting local firms including Jaguar Land Rover, the city’s economic outlook is far from rosy.

Public support will also be tested with an expected council tax rise of five per cent, coming after bin collections were slashed last year. And despite improvements including the Metro extension, the markets move and the railway station redevelopment changing the face of the city for the better, concerns remain over the delayed £55m Westside project. On top of all this, the new leader will hold a senior brief with the West Midlands Combined Authority, as Mr Lawrence’s departure also means he must step down from his role as the region’s transport chief.

But perhaps one of the biggest tasks for Mr Lawrence’s successor may be more political in nature. When he announced his decision to step down in the council chamber last month, Mr Lawrence baulked at Tory leader Wendy Thompson’s claim that his group was divided. His reaction raised a few cheers – as well as a few eyebrows – among the Labour members around him.

Uniting a group that has appeared somewhat splintered in recent years will be a stern test.