A new chapter for Norwich Labour Norwich is the best place to live in the country. Not by accident, but because over many years this city has chosen fairness, ambition and community over decline and division. Labour has been proud to lead much of that journey. From building affordable homes and protecting public services, to investing in neighbourhoods and backing some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, Labour values have helped shape modern Norwich into the city people are proud to call home. That is why, despite the disappointment of the recent local election results, I remain optimistic about Norwich and about Labour’s future here. I am honoured to have been elected Leader of the Norwich Labour Group. But it’s no easy task to be following the outstanding leadership of Mike Stonard. Mike’s ambitious, principled and determined leadership helped guide the city through enormous challenges, from financial pressures in local government to the cost-of-living crisis and the long-term regeneration of our city. Under Labour, Norwich continued moving forward. After decades of delay and broken promises, Labour finally got Anglia Square moving again in one of the most significant regeneration opportunities Norwich has seen in a generation. We secured East Norwich into public ownership, ensuring the city itself has a meaningful say over the future of one of the largest development sites in the region. We improved council housing services to achieve a C1 consumer grading from the Regulator of Social Housing, something the new administration will have to work incredibly hard to maintain. Through our Warm Homes programme, we helped lift thousands of residents out of fuel poverty at a time when energy costs were soaring. And through the £40 million Pride in Place programme, Labour secured transformational investment into some of the most deprived communities in our city. None of that happened by accident. It happened because Labour councillors believed local government should improve people’s lives in practical ways. During the election campaign, we heard something important repeatedly on the doorstep: many residents did not feel let down by Norwich City Council itself. Their frustration was with the national political picture.
That distinction matters. The Greens therefore do not have a blank cheque. Voters wanted change, but they also expect delivery. And delivery is hard. It is easy to oppose projects. It is harder to deliver them. It is easy to speak in slogans. It is harder to govern with detailed plans, financial discipline and serious leadership. Labour will now hold the new administration to account for delivering the projects and programmes already underway — including Anglia Square, East Norwich regeneration, housing improvements and investment into our communities. Residents will rightly expect clarity, competence and urgency from an inexperienced administration that still lacks detailed and timed plans in several key areas. Norwich cannot afford dithering or drift at such an important moment for our city. At the same time, Labour must also recognise that politics cannot stand still. One of the clearest lessons from this election is that people want politics to feel closer to them again. They want representatives who are visible, approachable and rooted in their communities. No longer constrained by the day-to-day responsibilities of running the council, Labour councillors will now spend even more time out in our neighbourhoods — listening, campaigning, supporting residents and standing up for the issues people tell us matter most. We will be both a serious opposition and an administration in waiting. Constructive where we can be. Challenging where we need to be. Because Norwich still needs a Labour movement that believes deeply in public service, good housing, economic opportunity, strong communities and climate action that works alongside growth. The coming years will shape Norwich profoundly. Local government reorganisation, devolution and a future regional mayoralty will fundamentally reshape how decisions are made across Norfolk. Norwich must enter that future with confidence and ambition. At its best, this city has never waited for others to shape its destiny. We have always believed Norwich can lead. As Labour begins this new chapter, my priority is simple: to reconnect, renew and rebuild trust so we can once again earn the confidence of the people of Norwich.
Because Norwich became the best place to live in the country because people here believed in fairness, opportunity and community. Those are Labour values. And they remain Norwich values too
