Anger at the government could see Bracknell elect its first-ever Labour MP, a senior local party figure has said.

Roy Bailey – a Bracknell Forest councillor and chairman of Bracknell Labour – said he was “buoyed” by shock council election results earlier this year. A wave of mostly new Labour councillors swept into office – unseating Conservatives who had dominated the council since 1997.

Now, the Electoral Calculus website – which uses polls to guess the outcome of the next general election – predicts that, under new boundaries, Labour would win in Bracknell.

READ MORE: James Sunderland defends record ahead of elections next year

But councillor Bailey said: “We believe we can win across the whole of the constituency. What was clear from our local election campaign is vast swathes of people who voted Conservative voted for us. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Councillor Bailey added that even people in more “prosperous” areas such as Bracknell were feeling the effects of a cost-of-living crisis that he says the government is responsible for.

He said: “Bracknell has always been seen as a fairly prosperous place, but that conceals more than it reveals.

“The demand for foodbanks has got to a place where they don’t have enough donations – and these are people in full-time work. People have just had enough.”

Councillor Bailey’s comments come after Bracknell’s current Conservative MP James Sunderland insisted he had “always been there for Bracknell,” in a recent interview with Bracknell News.

But councillor Bailey said the Conservative MP had been “rarely seen” in the constituency. He said: “People want someone who will be a powerful advocate. I don’t think James has a reputation for doing that.

“He’s a likeable person, but I don’t think he’s impressing the local electorate. The reality is we've rarely seen him.”

Councillor Bailey also argued that spending on public services was vital to ending the cost of living crisis – after Mr Sunderland said the government couldn’t afford to give councils more money.

He said: “The public sector has been decimated, it’s not fit for purpose. We have to grow the economy. When you put money into the economy you get a multiplication effect.

He urged his national party leaders to get on with the process of allowing them to select a candidate. He said: “We’re going to start our campaign, we’re going to be knocking on doors. But we need the official okay to select a candidate.

“James Sunderland is worried – he’s out canvassing all the time. I get that – if I were him I’d do the same thing.”