Crewe and Nantwich Conservatives are celebrating this evening, as Candidate Roger Morris beat Labour in Crewe Central, a traditional Labour heartland Ward that went to a by-election following the sudden resignation of the previous incumbent, Anthony Critchley last October.
Roger is a local businessman in the Crewe Central Ward where his family have worked for generations. Roger has run the family-owned motorcycle dealership for 35 years and during the Covid pandemic opened his showroom up as a vaccination centre, enabling thousands of residents from across the constituency to receive vital protection from the virus.
After the result was announced, Roger explained;
“My aim is to get Crewe back to what it should be. There is much to be done, not least the planning issues on the Coppenhall Estate, issues on Meredith Street and of course the continuing problems of highway potholes, litter and fly-tipping”.
Crewe Central has been Labour-held for as long as anyone can remember so this is a result which very much bucks the national trend in politics at the moment.
Interestingly, it is the Ward that lies next door to Crewe St Barnabas that Cllr James Pratt won for the Conservatives last May - another ward in the heart of Crewe that had been traditionally ‘red’.
It is perhaps too early to say, but after five years of a Labour-led Cheshire East Council where council taxes have risen at the highest available rates but services have been slashed, the notion of Crewe as a Labour stronghold is being challenged by voters, who are less interested in national politics and more concerned, quite rightly, about what their local council is doing (or not doing) for them at local level.
Before leaving the Count at Crewe’s Municipal Buildings, Roger thanked Dr Kieran Mullan MP for his continued support, Cllr James Pratt for supporting the campaign logistics, the Crewe & Nantwich Conservative Association Team both as agent and supporters and all local Conservative Cheshire East Councillors who visited the ward and campaigned alongside Roger.
