The battle for Liverpool Council has begun after Aigburth by-election

David Humphreys analyses the Green Party's win in Aigburth and what it means for next year's all-out ballots

Liverpool Town Hall's make up could look a lot different next year

By-elections tend not to be the most exciting events. You can usually tell by the turn out.

To all intents and purposes, a mid-term election in Aigburth for a city council seat isn’t a hotbed of political action either. However, last night’s victory for the Greens, a gain from the Liberal Democrats, may have just fired the starting gun on next year’s all out Liverpool Council elections.

In 2023, amid the fall-out from the Caller Report, the city moved to full member elections, as opposed to thirds at a time. It also reverted the council to the leader and cabinet model, moving away from the Mayoralty.

Three years ago, Labour extended its tenure as the ruling party on the local authority, with 2027 representing 17 years in control for the group. It will also be the first set of local elections with Labour in power in Westminster and Liverpool for almost 30 years.

This poses an interesting challenge for the party with voters likely to have the performance of Keir Starmer and his government in the back of their minds when it comes to casting their ballot for a city councillor. It has been interesting to see Liverpool Labour out on the defensive early on........

© Liverpool Echo