After the Breakthrough: Lessons from the Frontline in Aylesbury
After making history in July 2024 by electing Laura Kyrke-Smith as Aylesbury’s first-ever female Labour MP, our CLP faced a monumental 10-month challenge: turning that breakthrough into local wins on Buckinghamshire Council. With a shiny new MP beside us, the rest of the Aylesbury CLP and I rolled up our sleeves.
The truth is, we lost because our contact rate was low, and because we were up against a deeply entrenched Tory and Liberal Democrat machines in Aylesbury. The political landscape was turbulent, unpredictable, and at times, brutal. This was also the first election where the Conservatives lost overall control of Buckinghamshire Council, a seismic shift that shows how volatile and competitive local politics has become. Breaking through in that environment was never going to be easy, but it gave us a rather intensive course in tactics that we will embed in our campaigning, and advice I hope will be useful for other CLPs preparing for 2026.
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Momentum is precious - don’t waste it.
Winning a parliamentary seat gave us visibility, but visibility doesn’t automatically translate into council votes. Don’t get complacent. We had to re-earn people’s confidence, week after week, with consistent presence. That’s why, every single week after the General Election, Aylesbury Labour and Laura were out on the doorstep - listening, speaking to constituents, and showing that we were here to stay. This rhythm gave us not only a real feel for the issues people cared about, but also the stories, energy and ammunition to drive our campaign forward.
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Targeting matters more than ever. It’s tempting to spread yourself thin, but data and focus are your best friends. We had to be ruthless about which wards we could realistically win, and then throw everything at them. A smaller, smarter campaign almost always beats a scattered one.
Given the low contact rate in our constituency, our first priority was to gather data quickly so we knew where to focus resources. And moving forward, building that contact rate has to remain a priority. Don’t despair if it feels slow, High Wycombe CLP is proof that it can be done. They spent around four years steadily building their contact rate, and it paid off. Consistency here really is the key.
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Campaigning is a team sport – train, localise, socialise and repeat
From first-time canvassers to seasoned organisers, people give their best when they feel supported. Training sessions, pairing up new volunteers with experienced ones, and celebrating small wins all kept morale high. The better your team feels, the more resilient your campaign becomes. In Aylesbury, we were lucky to have a fantastic organiser in Rachel Grimer-James, alongside seasoned campaigners like Eris Robertson and Finley Harnett, who helped us every step of the way and to master the tools, whether it was Contact Creator, Insight, or the Doorstep app. Their guidance turned technical know-how into confidence, and that confidence turned into results on the ground.
For me personally, the turning point was attending the Labour Southeast regional conference in Maidstone (November 2024). I got to meet other CLPs, swap strategies, connect with Labour HQ staff, and build a proper understanding of the technology we were using. That experience made me feel part of something bigger than our local fight, and reminded me that no organiser ever campaigns alone. It completely changed my confidence, so much so, that I volunteered to be the Campaigns Manager in the May 2025 elections.
These lessons are simple, but they’re hard work, and that’s why they matter. Because in 2026, dozens of councils across England, Scotland and Wales will be won or lost not on the drama of Westminster, but on the ability of local organisers who can meticulously focus, plan, and build resilient teams on the ground. Too often, I’ve heard the national drowns out the local. Actually, it’s how we, as local CLPs and activists respond to that, that makes all the difference.
I couldn’t be prouder of the Aylesbury CLP and the brilliant candidates we put forward. They worked tirelessly, often in the toughest of conditions, and showed exactly what commitment to Labour values looks like in practice. We may not have secured council seats this time, but we built the foundations for the future. The fight is just beginning, and with what we’ve learned, I’m confident that next time, we’ll go even further.
So if you’re already knee-deep in CLP work, take heart: every conversation brings us closer to power. Every bit of work is a brick in the foundation of trust.
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Usman is a Public Affairs, Policy and Campaigns professional with experience across the Civil Service, national campaigns, and local politics. He serves as Policy Officer and Political Education & Training Officer for Aylesbury Labour CLP, and currently works on skills policy and employer-led workforce development. His focus is on tackling inequality and driving meaningful change.
