MP Theresa Villiers said today better local services, lower council tax bills and serious concern about antisemitism in the Labour Party were three important factors that prompted a Conservative victory in Barnet in the local elections last week.
The MP for Chipping Barnet and former Northern Ireland Secretary thanked voters for turning the council from No Overall Control (with the two main parties almost exactly level pegging with one another) to a Conservative majority of thirteen. Labour had been widely predicted as likely to take control of the council for the first time ever.
“When I knocked on doors across Barnet, I received a positive reception from many residents about the Conservative message on keeping our weekly bin collections, keeping council tax down, and opposing overdevelopment. Conservative councils give you better services and lower council tax,” said Theresa.
“The result shows that residents in Barnet do not trust Labour with local public services or council tax. I hope it also strongly reinforces the message that Labour must not tolerate antisemitism in their party.
“It is not only the Jewish community who are worried about antisemitism in Labour. We are proud to be a highly diverse borough in Barnet with excellent community cohesion between different ethnic and faith groups. During the election, people from a range of different faith and cultural backgrounds expressed concern to me on the doorstep about Labour’s failure to root out antisemitism.
“I have campaigned against antisemitism in all its forms for more than 20 years and will continue to do so."
“I congratulate all the Conservative councillors who have been re-elected or elected for the first time. I look forward to working with them to defend the interests of my constituents and campaign on the issues that matter to local people.”