Liverpool Community Independents | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Alan Gibbons |
| Registered | 9 February 2023 |
| Split from | Labour Party |
| Ideology | Anti-austerity |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Liverpool City Council | 3 / 85 |
The Liverpool Community Independents are a British political party based in Liverpool, formed in 2022 by former Labour councillors.
In April 2022 it was reported that five former Labour councillors (Councillors Alan Gibbons, Alfie Hincks, Alison Clarke, Joanne Calvert and Rona Heron) who had been suspended for voting against Labour's budget plans and three already suspended members of the Labour Party (Councillors Sam Gorst, Anna Rothery and Sarah Morton) were forming an independent party. [1] [2]
In May 2022, the former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Anna Rothery, was chosen as the group's leader, councillor Alan Gibbons was chosen as its deputy leader and Sam Gorst was chosen as its treasurer. [3] By this time the party was formed of 8 former members of Liverpool City Council, who were among the group that had objected to what they called the Labour-led administration's "brutal" cuts to services. [4] [5]
In 2023, Liverpool Community Independents' executive suspended Anna Rothery as leader due to her involvement in the city council parking scandal. Councillor Alan Gibbons was voted party leader and Sam Gorst his deputy. [6]
At the 2023 Liverpool City council election, the party won 3 seats, with Alan Gibbons getting almost 77% of the vote in his ward and Sam Gorst and Lucy Williams taking the Garston seat with almost 50% of the vote share after Labour holding it for almost 20 years. [7] [8]
The party released a manifesto based around 5 core principles: [9]
Between its formation in May 2022, and the 2023 City Council elections, 8 out of 90 council seats were occupied by Community Independent councillors.
| Name | Ward |
|---|---|
| Joanne Calvert | Old Swan |
| Alison Clarke | Knotty Ash |
| Alan Gibbons | Warbreck |
| Sam Gorst | Cressington |
| Rona Heron | Old Swan |
| Alfie Hincks | Everton |
| Sarah Morton | Clubmoor |
| Anna Rothery | Prince's Park |
Alan Gibbons was the Secretary of the Liverpool Walton Constituency Labour Party between 2016 and 2020. [10] Sam Gorst is the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Liverpool Garston constituency at the next general election. [11]
| Name | Ward |
|---|---|
| Alan Gibbons | Orrell Park |
| Sam Gorst | Garston |
| Lucy Williams | Garston |
| Election | Votes | Seats | Position | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | ± | No. | ± | |||
| Formation | 8 / 90 |  | 3rd | Labour | |||
| 2023 | 5,520 | 4.6 | 3 / 85 |  5 | 5th | Labour | |
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