County elections – and our votes – are essential

THIS week, the prime minister Theresa May triggered Brexit negotiations, the first formal step in a process of leaving the EU as a result of the June 23 referendum last year.

Regardless of which side of the EU argument you were on – or are on now, if polls are to be believed – we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact the referendum was democracy in action.

It was a potent issue which attracted far more people to local ballot boxes than any other election in recent history.

Oddly, however, in the next round of elections – the county council elections in April – far fewer people may vote for politicians whose decisions may have a greater short-term bearing on our lives than the negotiations over exiting the EU will have.

Sometimes, as few as 30 per cent of the local population turn out to vote in elections. The reasons why are many – being too busy, simply forgetting or simply not appreciating the difference it will make.

Lancashire county council has continued to operate despite deep budget cuts. It now faces the very real prospect of going out of business in the next two years if more funding isn’t found, or even deeper cuts implemented. That makes May’s elections and our votes crucial. Debate has raged for months on whether they are the right cuts, whether the council is being well run and who is to blame for the cuts.

Hopefully, last year’s Brexit turnout will result in more people voting this time too. For that to happen, those standing need to fight for every last vote and seek to engage with every voter. Regardless of your view on Brexit, there can be no denying that’s exactly what happened last summer – and it led to more people going to the ballot box as a result.

The difference, of course, is that those on each side of the Brexit campaign had the funding to get their message across whereas our council candidates essentially have to fund themselves. Given the scale of the decisions they are expected to take, that hardly seems fair.