Local Elections 2026: Fareham Labour councillor believes national agenda has had impact on result
Fareham’s sole councillor fears national narrative impact
Fareham Borough Council has long been a Conservative stronghold but Labour’s sole councillor fears the narrative around the Prime Minister has hampered their efforts of gaining more seats.
Councillor Gemma Furnivall’s seat is not up for grabs at this election but speaking to The News at the count she believed efforts from other parties to make this about Sir Keir Starmer had a big impact.
She said: “We have been campaigning hard in my ward as I share it with a Conservative councillor at the moment and would very much like to change that.
“It is really nice in my ward, I work hard and people know that. Online it has been quite different so there is that real disconnect on the ground and the national noise on social media which is very different.”
Some parties, including Reform UK, have cited this election as a chance to oust the PM in the national media. Cllr Furnival believes this will lead to communities missing out on hard-working community driven people.
She said: “Other parties have tried to exploit people’s lack of knowledge around what people are voting for in local government. I think it is a real shame as there is an awful lot of work to do here in local communities and you need dedicated hard working people that can do that work.
“If you only vote to send a message to someone in Westminster you stand a good chance of losing out on someone locally who will do that work. It is a real risk for people.
“I think the national narrative will have [had] an impact here tonight but I am hanging in to the faith in my community that they see what I do and want more of that.”
With a high turnout in Fareham, there could be significant gains for Reform UK and others which is unprecedented for Fareham.
Cllr Furnivall said: “Our Reform colleagues are probably going to come through strong and some Green party too which is very unusual for Fareham. It has been a Conservative-held authority forever so its a very different moment.”