The slogan of Sheffield City Council is “where everyone matters”, but when it comes to elections and the representation of the voters on the council: Does everyone matter? In this post I will be pointing out some of the flaws I believe there are in the way Councillors are elected.
Sheffield is one of the largest cities in the UK and is divided into 28 Wards, each of which elects 3 Councillors to fill the 84 Seats on the City Council. Elections happen in 4 year cycles with 1 election each year for 3 years and none in the 4th, except when there are by-elections being held. One seat in each ward comes up for election at a time with councillors being elected by the First Past The Post electoral system (also known as “plurality voting” or “winner takes all”). The last election in May 2011 resulted in the Labour Party replacing the Liberal Democrat/Green Party coalition as the ruling party on the council. The graph above illustrates the share of the vote at the last election in May 2011 and the number of council seats held (voting figures available online at the council website).
Please watch this excellent video by C G P Grey from his Politics in the Animal Kingdom series of explanatory videos about elections and politics. This gives a good summary of the main problems with FPTP and why we are campaigning for reform of our political system.
Have you heard about the plans to remove the legal obligation to register, with the Government saying quite explicitly that it should be voluntary? The MPs on the Select Committee which heard from experts a few days ago (including the Electoral Commission) about the likely consequences, were appalled. It is thought that up to 10m (yes 10m!) voters could fall off the register.
You can use the link below to ask your MP to sign the Early Day motoin that Unlock Democracy is supporting. We need thousands of people to do this.
There was a successful stall and fringe meeting “Can the Greens sustain success without electoral change?” held by the Electoral Reform Society, with local supporters Arran, Richard, Liz and Jane featuring. Thanks to Arran for speaking at the fringe, as well as other high profile speakers. Check our previous post for photos. The Green Party locally were very supportive in the Yes Campaign and for that we are very appreciative.
Constituency Boundary changes
Proposals were published yesterday, 13 Sept. Consultation period is open until 3rd Dec with view to revised recommendations Spring 2012. All due to be in place by October 2013 ready for next General Election. The South Yorkshire seats are reduced from 14 to 13. See below for detailed proposals. Do you share my opinion that parts of the proposals seem bizarre?
In Sheffield, we are pressing Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to come off the fence and support a fully elected second chamber. Please download the attached letter, sign it and if possible get your friends and contacts to sign it and then send it to us c/o 39B Westbourne Road Sheffield S10 2QT. Thank you.
There are a variety ways that you can contribute to the national consultation process. Try these:
A question was asked about this at the Sheffield City Council meeting last week when Councillor Mick Rooney, who has responsibility for this area of work, said he would first be consulting the Labour Group. We have urged Councillor Rooney to prioritise a consultation with the people of Sheffield on any proposed changes and also asked whether he would address a public meeting hosted by ourselves on the Council’s proposals. He has agreed to this, at some point in the future. The continuing uncertainty is likely to have an effect; one view is that at the moment, the influence of Community Assemblies is being eroded by default. So we are keen that this issue is progressed without delay and does not become a political football between the two main parties in the Council..
Sheffield for Democracy Steering Group
Next meeting is at 4pm this coming Sunday 18th September. Let us know if you would like to come.
ERS Chief Exec Katie Ghose joins local campaigners at the ERS stall
The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) along with volunteers from Sheffield for Democracy ran a stall at last weekend’s Green Party Conference, held at Sheffield Hallam University. Visitors to the stall were invited to sign our petition to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for a 100% elected House of Lords and also to attend our fringe meeting on Saturday afternoon: “Can the Greens sustain success without electoral change?”.
Arran Cottom, Caroline Lucas MP, Katie Ghose and Jean Lambert MEP at the ERS fringe meeting
At the fringe meeting over 60 people joined us to hear Katie Ghose (Chief Executive, ERS), Caroline Lucas MP (Leader, Green Party), Jean Lambert MEP and local Sheffield for Democracy campaigner Arran Cottam talk about the priorities for reformers, including Lords Reform and educating young people about politics, and what impact change or lack of change might have on the Green Party. The audience was also invited to contribute to the discussion, offering their feedback and suggestions. During the meeting it was revealed that the ERS is to produce a practical handbook for electoral reform campaigners, “to bottle the experiences of the last year” as Katie Ghose put it, in order to help make any future campaigns more effective.
Free Membership of ERS
The Electoral Reform Society is currently offering 1 years FREE membership of the society, an offer which is not to be missed by anyone interested in improving the representation of the public in local and national government. Please visit the ERS website for further information.
Does everyone matter? The problems with how we elect Councillors
Posted: September 25, 2011 | Author: Richard | Filed under: Comment | 2 Comments »The slogan of Sheffield City Council is “where everyone matters”, but when it comes to elections and the representation of the voters on the council: Does everyone matter? In this post I will be pointing out some of the flaws I believe there are in the way Councillors are elected.
Sheffield is one of the largest cities in the UK and is divided into 28 Wards, each of which elects 3 Councillors to fill the 84 Seats on the City Council. Elections happen in 4 year cycles with 1 election each year for 3 years and none in the 4th, except when there are by-elections being held. One seat in each ward comes up for election at a time with councillors being elected by the First Past The Post electoral system (also known as “plurality voting” or “winner takes all”). The last election in May 2011 resulted in the Labour Party replacing the Liberal Democrat/Green Party coalition as the ruling party on the council. The graph above illustrates the share of the vote at the last election in May 2011 and the number of council seats held (voting figures available online at the council website).
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