And with more contenders in this year’s race, the area could see another change come May 1
The town is steeped in heritage and culture, being the birthplace of internationally-renowned novelist DH Lawrence and possessing rich mining history.
It was held by the Liberal Democrats from 2013 to 2017 then turned Conservative blue in 2017.
It remained Conservative in the 2021 election and then turned Independent in a 2022 by-election.
The last county council election saw four party candidates run, but this time round there are six.
Milan Radulovic (Broxtowe Alliance) is the current leader of Broxtowe Council and of the new Broxtowe Alliance Party which was formed when a group of former Labour councillors quit the party earlier this year, unhappy at the direction it was taking nationally under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
He said: “It’s probably the most important election in my lifetime with the local government review and the fears many people have, including myself, about being put into the city and its financial problems which will strip all of the assets from places like Broxtowe and Eastwood.
“The needs of working class areas and working class people have far too long been ignored.
"Protecting the establishment, propping up that establishment and civil service at the expense of ordinary people’s lives and that is morally wrong.
“Eastwood suffers from a low skill base – there isn’t a single education or college provider in the entirety of Broxtowe.
"Two training providers in Eastwood have both been withdrawn and pulled out and young people have been denied the opportunity to access training and employment and work.
"Many people feel the infrastructure is crumbling, the state of our roads, pavements, footpaths, continued 14 years of austerity and underinvestment and a lack of provision for healthcare.
“We’re trying to end that, we’ve already attracted a further £100,000 from health care providers for the Cedars project in Eastwood helping to support people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
"We also need more jobs, more skills, more employment, we need more opportunities especially for our young people.”
“Eastwood has great heritage, of coal industry, heavy work, of hard industrial background and of people dedicated and committed to work and provide for families.
"We have a close-knit community which is very vibrant, strong links with people like DH Lawrence and very strong sporting heritage as well.
"We aim continually to promote our tourism, our heritage, our culture within the area and that’s one of our great strengths that we are a community and we need to stick together to fight not just the previous Government, but also the current Government’s lack of investment in places like Eastwood.”
Not long ago, Will Mee and Milan Radulovic were on the same politicial side at Broxtowe Council before the big Labour split.
Mee opted to stay under the Labour umbrella and is their candidate for this election.
He said: “I want to make change for Eastwood, I’m sick and tired of just seeing a lack of investment, opportunities, infrastructures, a lack of opportunities for young people.
"I think Eastwood has been left behind.
"A lot of money is spent in Beeston – that’s not a bad thing – but we need some of that spent in Eastwood.
“One of the big problems is potholes, broken roads, broken pavements, something people deal with every day.
"The amount of pot holes that are reported and been filled to some extent have been good, some bad, but it’s often better than it was.
"I’m keen to change that – I don’t think it’s right nothing gets done about it.
"Also, public transport, there’s a lack of integrated ticketing, a lack of services to certain areas, that’s something I’m keen to deal with.
“Also we need to use the DH Lawrence heritage.
"You look at the blue line around the town and it’s been absolutely decimated – Eastwood’s USP is DH Lawrence, the mining heritage and it’s about time we used it.”
“It’s not being used properly to bring in money to the town and I think that’s completely wrong.
“Eastwood’s in a good geography, you’re near Langley Mill Train Station, the beautiful parts of Derbyshire and north Nottinghamshire, you’re also relatively close to Nottingham so it’s easy to commute to there if you want to.”
Standing for the Conservatives in Eastwood is Kieran Phelan.
He said: “I’m a new voice for Eastwood and I’m getting into politics because I think Eastwood deserves better.
"The community has so much to be proud of, and so much potential, but for too long Eastwood’s been overlooked.
"I want to offer a new voice for change – one that will put Eastwood first and I won’t stop working until the community gets the investment and attention it deserves.
"Eastwood’s success will always be my top priority and together we can build a better Eastwood for us all.
“What’s coming up time after time is that Eastwood has been overlooked and there’s so much potential here for a better high street, better roads and a better Eastwood generally.
"The Conservatives have been in power and delivering for Nottinghamshire.
“When people talk about Eastwood they talk about DH Lawrence and its proud history and heritage and less so talking about its future.
"A lot of people talk about Eastwood being overlooked, where the money goes tends to go to Kimberley or Beeston and Eastwood doesn’t get a look in.
"I think for a long time they’ve voted for Independent candidates and Labour candidates who just haven’t delivered on their priorities and I want to be that proud community champion to put Eastwood first in all that I can do.
"I’m very new to politics but I do feel I have skills to give back to the community and the people’s priorities will be my priorities.”
“Eastwood’s got such a proud community where people band together and look out for each other.
"I think it’s got so much potential on its high street, I think if we back local businesses I think the community will thrive.
"There’s so many volunteer groups and community groups that are doing so much amazing work – I want to be that community champion for them.”
Liberal Democrat candidate Josie Marsters was unavailable for interview, but in a statement, her party said: “Josie has a long commitment to serving the residents of Eastwood, which she has demonstrated with more than 30 years as a volunteer in the community.
“She was a volunteer at Eastwood Volunteer Bureau before going on to spend 25 years as a trustee of the Colin Dyson Centre.
"She helped set up and now runs Eastwood Neighbourhood Watch, previously worked for the Royal British Legion and is a fundraiser for two cancer charities.
“Josie is a previous borough councillor and would now like to bring the experience that she gained in that role to the county council.
"Her priorities if elected will be to protect the green belt, fix the potholes and be an effective voice for the people of Eastwood.
“There will be many challenges for the council over the next few years as the Government tries to force through its local government reforms, and it’s crucial that communities like Eastwood have representatives who will put them first and not just blindly follow the party whip.”
James Walker-Gurley (Reform) and Rose Woods (Green) were both unable to attend an interview and did not provide statements.