May 2025 - Social Justice Party

On Friday 2^nd May, Social Justice Party Councillor Tony Randerson announced that he would be standing down as a representative on North Yorkshire Council:

“This notification will come as a surprise to most if not all in the Eastfield community, with immediate effect Friday 2 May 2025 I have “stood down” as your North Yorkshire Councillor, the reasons for this are very personal and certainly not political in any form.”

Tony was elected to represent Eastfield at a by-election in 2013. Ten years later, Tony Resigned from the Labour Party citing disgust at the party’s adoption of a right-wing policy platform and in protest of Labour blocking a local left-wing councillor from applying to become their parliamentary candidate in Scarborough & Whitby. Tony stood at the subsequent by-election for the newly formed Social Justice Party and won – with turnout even higher than at the regular election the previous year.

“Practically, this victory isn’t just for myself, it’s a victory for all those on the left who are sick to the back teeth of one-party politics. Starmer has stated ‘Labour are the new conservatives’ which confirms what we all already knew. I had no idea what support I would attain when I decided to stand again. The fact that I had 10 years under my belt most certainly will have had a massive effect ultimately on the votes I received.”

– Tony after his by-election victory

Given his astonishing victory only two years ago, Tony’s decision to stand down came as a sad shock to local SJP members when it was announced. But given the incredible commitment Tony gave the role (something that sadly can’t be said of so many councillors), we understood that this was not a decision he had made easily.

NCC Chair Eric Barnes and Scarborough & Whitby Branch Chair Rob Cruse thanked Tony for his commitment to Eastfield and the cause of socialism in a joint statement:

Time for the next generation

What this all means is, there will be another by-election in Eastfield in the next month or so. Following this year’s local elections, it is reasonable to expect that the Reform Party will be salivating over the chance to get their hands on this proud but disadvantaged working-class community. The Lib Dems too – if they can be bothered to stand someone – will want to build on their second place position they achieved 2 years ago. What is certain is that Labour and the Conservatives wont have any chance in Eastfield this time.

The job of ensuring that Eastfield continues to be represented by someone who is committed, contactable and will work tirelessly to make the community a better place is left to the Social Justice Party.

Working class places like Eastfield, residential Scarborough and the suburbs of Whitby suffer as a result of the indifference and austerity of Tory-controlled North Yorkshire Council. It is crucial that there continues to be a voice in Northallerton who is on the side of Workers, who believes in a vision of community investment instead of expensive, outside contracting and believes in the sanctity of democracy.

Following the solid result achieved by Eric’s energetic campaign in Northstead, the Social Justice Party has never been in a better position to run a barnstorming campaign led by a youthful and dedicated candidate.

Watch this space…