IN years to come, historians will ponder over the meaning of Labour's shocking defeats in last year's mayoral elections in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool - towns which traditionally have been so supportive of Labour that they would even have elected a monkey if it wore a red rosette.

Historians will ask why these towns turned so spectacularly against Labour and elected independents with absolutely no local government experience to run their town halls: Ray Mallon in Middlesbrough and Stuart Drummond - the monkey mascot - in Hartlepool.

There were a variety of reasons: there was no effective Tory opposition in either town and, with Tony Blair's national honeymoon over, there was no inspiration for anyone to turn out and vote Labour in any town anywhere in the country. Indeed, by 2002 people had become so disillusioned by politicians of all hues and at all levels that they would rather vote for a man in a monkey suit than a candidate with a connection to a political party.

Most important of all, though, was the state of the local Labour party in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool - and The Northern Echo reveals today that Middlesbrough's Labour party was in such a state that two of its "strategists" were actually working for Mr Mallon against Labour's own candidate, Sylvia Connolly.

Against such treachery and hurtling towards electoral humiliation, it is difficult not to feel a little sorry for Mrs Connolly.

The main reason for her party's defeats was that in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool it had been in power so long - it lost control of Hartlepool council in 1999 for the first time in 22 years - it had grown tired and flabby.

Instead of directly addressing the people's concerns - and in Middlesbrough the mess that was Lancet was clearly top of the people's list but was wafted aside by Labour - the local parties fell to bickering amongst themselves: Hartlepool Labour group ran through three leaders in three years and Middlesbrough Labour group had a couple of members actively helping the enemy.

These mayoral elections were not about the success of the independent candidates. They were about the failure of the local Labour parties over a number of years to engage with their communities.

This is not just a discussion for historians: it has relevance today. The Tories under Iain Duncan Smith may look unelectable - but it is still highly dangerous if Labour refuses to listen to, and act upon, the concerns of ordinary people. With May's local elections approaching, it should be studying the list of outside candidates very closely and not taking any towns, however strong their traditional support, for granted.