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Labour to face army of 'grey guerrillas' Council tax increases have mobilised a legion of pensioners to contest the local elections writes Sam Coates ALTHOUGH it has no name, no prominent leader and very little money, a new political force is vying to fill a gap which many believe the mainstream parties have overlooked. It is focussing on grey power. Super Thursday will be the first time the "grey guerrillas" are put to the test since the pensioner movement thrust itself into the public arena earlier this year. In Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria, six pensioners and a 49 year -old former industrial worker are standing for election to the Labour-controlled council. They are registered as independents, but are united by a common cause: opposition to the inflation-busting council tax rises. They have the backing of Is It Fair? The pensioner pressure group which has been co-ordinating council tax protests across the country. 'I'm not going into deep politics. I just get angry about things. I want things done fairly," said Margie Arts, 62, a former lollipop lady who is co-ordinating the group. With just under a week of campaigning to go in this all-postal region, their prospects are good. There are 12 seats up for election and Labour will lose overall control if they cede just two, potentially giving the group the balance of power. Most of their candidates are well known in the local community: Mrs. Arts is involved in dozens of local projects together with her 73-year old husband, a former RAF man, who is also standing. The group knows that even if its members are voted in, it will have little influence on council tax, which is decided at county council level. However, there is much to be done on the borough council, and the fledgling political movement looks likely to expand quickly, with pensioners in other parts of the country set to follow its lead. Steve Atkinson, the former industrial worker who is standing as a result of his involvement with Is It Fair?' said that the pensioners had proved themselves effective political campaigners. "They are regarded as people in the know, rational people and they have the time to do something about it while everyone else is at work," she said. Paul Ogden, of the Local Government Association, said that this year there were 1,500 independent candidates, about 800 of them in Wales. Many were motivated by allegations of fraud, council tax waste and the unpopularity of individual politicians. "In England we've noticed a significant increase in some of the more urban areas which have predominantly been Labour-controlled," Mr. Ogden said. There were 40 candidates standing in Barnsley, 25 in Doncaster, 50 in Wigan and 27 in Wakefield, he said. Many were persuaded to stand by the success of the independents last year in Mansfield, formerly a Labour heartland. On that occasion, 33 candidates stood for the council, which had never seen an independent in power before, and 25 were elected. This gave them overall power of the Nottinghamshire council pushing our Labour for the first time in 30 years. One of the keys to their success was selecting individuals with a high profile locally, including a pub landlord, a rugby referee and a newsagent. "People are shifting from party allegiances towards personalities," Mr. Ogden said. A number of fringe parties, including that perennial feature of British elections, the Monster Raving Loony Party, are also attracting attention. Their candidates include a potter from Derby who "doesn't know anything about politics" and would introduce mandatory monthly Morris dancing at all licensed establishments. Independents are currently enjoying record successes across Britain, with some 2,000 councillors. A total of 18 authorities are controlled by independents or residents' associations.
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