More action needed to encourage local voting
IAM writing this two days after the local elections. Obviously, I am glad that Labour gained six seats and the Conservatives lost their majority. But yet again the turnout was disappointing, with only just over 22 per cent bothering to vote. Sadly, there are still those who seem almost proud of the fact that they don’t go to the polls.
This incidentally reminds me of when I was canvassing as Park Ward candidate in 2011 with Linda McDougall, wife of the late Austin Mitchell.
Linda didn’t merely walk away from the abstainer, but challenged them as to why they were not voting. Not something recommended in the canvassing manual of today, but perhaps an understandable point of view given the efforts of chartist, suffragettes and suffragists to widen the franchise.
How come though the situation has arisen when barely a fifth vote in council elections? I believe it is the erosion of local government powers, which really started when councils such as that in Greater London and other metropolitan areas were abolished.
Putting a local perspective on the changes, when I moved back to Grimsby in the early 1990s schools were still run by the local authority, we had council housing while the buses were jointly operated by Grimsby and Cleethorpes councils. Today though all secondary schools in the borough have Academy status, as do many primary establishments. Council houses were transferred to the ownership of first Shoreline, and then LHP. Incidentally, there is no longer any council representation on the board of this organisation. Finally the bus company was sold off to Stagecoach PLC, who are now under German ownership.
The reduction of such important functions means that people don’t relate to our council the way they used to, perhaps only engaging with the authority through refuge collection.
What’s more those who want to vote have been discouraged from doing so by the introduction of photo ID, which discriminates against those who don’t have automatic identification such as a passport, driving licence or senior citizens’ bus pass.
I believe that changing this system is the first step needed to help restore local democracy.
Then I’d like to see a genuine devolution which gives more powers to existing democratically elected bodies. This would go along with NELC’s old tag line, “better because we’re closer to the people”.
Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.