COPELAND’S former Labour leader is backing Mike Starkie’s mayoral re-election bid amid claims the council is in much better shape with him at the helm.

Lena Hogg, the ex-leader of the Labour Party Group, is throwing her weight behind the Independent who became the borough’s first elected mayor in 2015.

Mayor Starkie helped pilot the council through a series of mayor challenges including a devastating cyber attack, the discovery of a £13m blackhole in the finances left by previous administrations and the legacy of a crippling PFI deal.

Mrs Hogg said: “Mike has done a great job leading Copeland through an extremely challenging period and I was pleased to work with him in coalition.

“Without doubt Copeland Council is in much better shape than it was when he was elected."

Current Labour leader Coun Raymond Gill said he had no issues with Mr Starkie but branded Ms Hogg’s comments “disgraceful”, adding that “as a member of the Labour party I would be backing the Labour candidate Linda Jones-Bulman, and I would have thought she would as well.”

A third candidate for the May 2 election is the Conservative councillor Ged McGrath.

Of Mr Starkie's bid, Ms Hogg went on: "I worked very closely with Mike in his first two years and I can say with absolute certainty that not one of the many decisions made had a political slant or agenda. Every decision and every policy taken were delivered with the best interests of our Copeland residents as the only consideration.”

Mrs Hogg was elected to Copeland Council in 2011 and was selected to mayor Mike Starkie’s executive committee in May 2015.

However, she stood down as deputy mayor and Labour group leader in August 2017, citing family reasons.

Speaking this week, she described as “regrettable” the decision taken  by her own party to go into opposition rather than work in coalition for the good of Copeland.

She added: “Unfortunately the party went in the wrong direction at the behest of some members inside and outside the elected group of councillors who just could not accept the mayoral system and not having total control and went into opposition at a time when the council were implementing the type of policies we should have been embracing.

“I have been Labour all my life and I am supporting Mike because he is the best person for the job and will deliver the right outcomes for all residents of Copeland irrespective of their political leanings.

“During our often busy time working together it is fair to say we would not always agree and there were some lively debates between Mike, Conservative Leader Dave Moore and myself but none of them were political ideology and never once did I feel Mike favoured one party over another. I would certainly say that Mike and I share the same core values and I am pleased that Copeland Council has an effective Social Inclusion Policy to help the vulnerable and those in need.”

Mrs Hogg also confirmed that she would be supporting the three Labour Party candidates Mike McVeigh, Sam Pollen and Tom Higgins in her own town of Egremont, describing them as “very good ward councillors” and “among the best in Copeland”.