The politics of Nottingham City Council has shifted significantly to the left, following the local elections last week.
The ruling Labour Group has seen a surge in the number of left-wing councillors, Nottinghamshire Live can reveal.
On one side there are the moderates, led by the new leader, Councillor David Mellen, and on the other there is a grouping of new councillors, more left-wing members, led by Steve Battlemuch.
As a result, the Labour Group, which effectively sets the council’s policy, is now divided almost down the middle and when councillors voted for their new leader on Friday, Cllr Mellen secured a narrow victory over Cllr Battlemuch by just 29 votes to 21.
One Labour member said the division would make for a “lively” Labour Group, which may be hard to manage and tough to secure agreement on policy.
This marks a significant change in the make-up of the Labour group and the politics of the city and reflects an influx of members to the local party, who are part of, or sympathetic to, the left-wing Momentum movement.
Fifteen serving councillors stood down at this election, due to a combination of circumstances, including those pushed off the ballot paper by Momentum candidates.
The balance of power between the moderate and momentum groups will determine the policies the council adopts and how effectively they are enacted.
Momentum describes itself as a grassroots movement supportive of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. In a number of inner-city branches, membership lists have been swamped by Momentum members.
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