Lib Dems St George’s candidate, Julian Gregory. Image: Julian Gregory.

Additional reporting by Simon Bajkowski

Local elections rarely capture the public’s imagination, but they used to at least keep candidates entertained. This year even the council-hopefuls in the Junction Ward by-election have given up.

In a series of candid interviews, several candidates standing in this month’s election admitted Labour had it in the bag, giving the main parties an excuse to focus on nearby St George’s, where a second council seat is up for grabs.

Mick Holloway, the Green party representative for Junction, said the election was not being fought because the outcome is a forgone conclusion. “We’re confident in coming a very good second, Labour are fairly solid,” he said, adding that for the environmental party Junction was a launchpad to bigger and better things.

“We haven’t seen other candidates about in Junction. I’ve seen councillors from the Lib Dems, but no activists and the odd labour group on a Saturday, twice. They are both focussing on St George’s rather than Junction because they think Junction is so Labour it’s not worth fighting.”

The Junction by-election, the third in as many years, was called after Lib Dem-turned-Independent Arthur Greaves retired to Australia, leaving one Labour and one Liberal councillor. The election is expected to give Labour candidate Kaya Makarau-Schwartz the seat despite finishing below the Lib Dem candidate in 2010.

However, in nearby St George’s, where a second by-election was called after Jessica Asato resigned to seek a seat in parliament, the battle lines have been drawn.

Labour candidate Kat Fletcher confirmed that her party is putting maximum effort into her campaign. “I’ve been out today speaking to residents and I’m out again tonight – double gloves and I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s what you have to do; Monday to Thursday when you can and then Saturday and Sunday. I can only speak for what we’ve been doing, whatever the other parties choose to do is up to them.”

Labour candidate Kat Fletcher. Image: Kat Fletcher.

Ms Fletcher added that it was “totally possible” to win the election, but she faces an uphill battle.

The ward has traditionally had strong Lib Dem support and a win for her rival, Julian Gregory, would make St George’s the second all-Lib Dem area in the borough, a prospect that would give credence to a Lib Dem resurgence in 2014 and may explain Labour’s focus on the election next Thursday.

In contrast, Bill Martin, the Socialist party candidate in Junction, highlighted their lack of focus on his election. “My colleagues out and about have run into someone from the Labour party, but it has been a very low key,” he said.

“I haven’t had any leaflets through my door, put it that way. I haven’t seen anything that looks overtly Liberal or Labour in the area, which you do get in other campaigns. I think it’s treading water. I’ve only seen one or two election posters in windows; one was Green and was I think the other was maybe Labour, but that could have been from five years ago.”

In response, Ms Makarau-Scwartz, the Labour candidate who has been called a ‘councillor-in-waiting’, rejected accusations that her party is allocating resources to the more contentious St George’s.

“It’s going well, we’ve been campaigning most night and doing six sessions over weekend,” she said. “We’ve been really overwhelmed by how many campaigners have come out. I think we’re taking both wards very seriously.

“There has been a few more campaigners in her ward [St George's] to catch up a little, but last weekend we had 30 plus people out.” She added that she was yet to cross paths with the Lib Dem candidate, former mayor Stefan Antoni Kasprzyk, while campaigning.

Current Labour councillor Janet Burgess echoed her observation. “I haven’t seen them once,” she said. “I think it could be the case that they are focussing on St George’s, it’s certainly a possibility. I haven’t seen the candidate or the councillor out and about, but obviously even I can’t be on every street in a ward at once.”

Mr Antoni Kasprzyk was unavailable for comment, but Islington Liberal Democrat leader, councillor Terry Stacy, said: “This by-election is a straight fight between Labour and the Lib-Dems.

“With Labour running the council with such a large majority, local residents need a councillor who has already proven he is committed to them and the local area – someone who won’t disappear after just two years to further their own political career.”

The Lib Dems St George’s candidate, Julian Gregory, added that Labour have a poor understanding of resident’s concerns.

“We’re committed to asking people what they want and listening to their answers,” he said. “Labour politicians start off with good intentions but fall into the trap of assuming that they know what people want and so don’t consult properly before making changes.”