• IN 2018 I became the first Labour councillor for West End ward. It’s been an enormous privilege to represent the area.

Getting Labour councillors elected makes a real difference. For years the West End was effectively a one-party state. Conservatives took the West End for granted, putting property developers before the community.

As a result of Labour representation, the city council has made some changes. Residents can now have more of a say in planning.

We also successfully lobbied the council to protect the West End’s character, and new measures, like the Soho “Special Policy Area” to protect Soho’s character, have been introduced.

But far too many issues remain, and trust in the council is in very short supply. The voices of residents are often routinely ignored.

There are questions about the long-term future of Mayfair library. Meanwhile, Westminster Tories wasted £6million of your money on the failed Marble Arch Mound.

But the biggest threat to the West End is not one single issue. It is a return to the politics of the past, a return to Conservative one-party politics.

If this were to happen, community concerns would drop to the very bottom of the council’s list of priorities once again.

No representatives would be there to hold the council accountable. Let’s stop this happening. I urge residents to support Labour candidates. I know they will put the community first.

There is cross-party support for this position. Former West End Tory councillor Glenys Roberts, who served for nearly 20 years, is urging residents who normally back the Tories to vote Labour in these elections.

It’s a two-horse race. The West End will either go red or blue. Please back Labour.

CLLR PANCHO LEWIS
Labour, West End ward