Northampton Mayor and longstanding Labour councillor quits group
Northampton’s Mayor has announced his decision to step back from the West Northants Labour Group, after he revealed that he was not chosen by his party to stand again in the upcoming local elections.
Cllr Paul Joyce is now sitting as a non-aligned independent in his position covering the Headlands ward in West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and in his stint as Mayor for Northampton Town Council (NTC). He became the town’s 784th Mayor in May this year and says he will see both his roles through to the 2025 elections.
The local Labour group said Cllr Joyce was an “active and dedicated member of the group” and that they will be sad to see him go.
The former Labour councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he has worked hard to serve his community in Northampton for almost eight years but fell foul of the group’s candidate selection process for his ward. He said he has not yet made a decision on whether he will be running again in the May elections as an independent councillor.
Cllr Joyce added: “Unfortunately, I didn’t get selected for my own ward. I’ve had a range of emotions- I felt angry about it, upset about it and I feel that I’ve done a lot of good work in Eastfield and Headlands. To suddenly be deselected by a process, I felt, was very unfair.
“This year, I was a Labour Mayor and I worked really hard and obviously in a way that promotes the local Labour party. I really thought maybe as the Mayor I should’ve been protected really, but the process is the process and I can’t change it. Obviously, when other people were selected I shook their hands and I wished them all the best for the upcoming election.
“I’ve had time to reflect about it, and at this moment in time, I felt my best position was to be independent. There’s no hard feelings here, there’s no malice or anything towards anybody else.
“I will just sit and I’ll vote accordingly as my heart dictates. It’s not going to stop me from working alongside my fellow councillors and we’ll work for the best interests of the ward.”
A WNC Labour group spokesperson said: “The Labour Group can confirm the sad news that Cllr Paul Joyce has decided to leave the group and Labour Party.
“Paul has been an active and dedicated member of the group on both West Northants and Northampton Borough councils for many years, especially on his passions of the environment and worker’s rights.
“We are sad to see Paul go and wish him all the best representing residents in his beloved Headlands as an independent councillor.”
A spokesperson for Northampton Town Council said: “The Mayor of Northampton is a non–political role, so this decision has no impact on Cllr Joyce’s role as Mayor for the remainder of his term in office.”