Comment: Somes ideas for creating truly independent local government

Posted: June 16, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Comment | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

Richard ShawThe consultation on the proposals for codifying the relationship between Councils and central government in Westminster is well under way and registration for our latest public event, “Renaissance of Local Government?” is now open for registration. Entry is free, however book in advance as places are limited! In this post, Sheffield for Democracy activist Richard Shaw offers some thoughts on how to create strong, independent local government, which is controlled not by central government, but by local people.

I think that this consultation is very important and that all people interested in local democracy should consider responding to it. It is important because currently we don’t actually have a right to have a council or any local government, as they are not constitutional bodies, they are merely statutory. This means that Parliament could radically change or abolish any or all councils should it be minded to do so, centralising power and making decision making even further removed from the people those decisions affect. We should respond to this opportunity to safeguard and strengthen our existing councils and to seek to bring decision making even closer to the people where practicable and so I have decided to write about my thoughts on how local government and representation should look and operate. I hope to comment on the individual proposals within the draft code itself in a future post.

The Sustainable Communities Act 2010 and Localism Act 2011 have both tried to make decision making more local, offering a bit more power and responsibility to local government and communities. This is to be welcomed, however any genuine re-invigoration of democracy must begin with all current arrangements and institutions being available for reform, abolition or replacement. The default position must not be with one person or body making all decisions but with all decisions being made by every person directly. What institutions we build and their powers must be derived from thereon, with the express consent of the people. What follows are my suggestions for a new democratic settlement between government, be it local or national, communities and individuals.

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FPTP delivers an enlarged majority for Labour in Sheffield… at the cost of voter representation

Posted: May 7, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Comment, Letters | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Is this really democracy? This comparison of vote cast with the number of seats held shows how our electoral system is failing voters.

Last year I wrote about the problems with how we currently elect councillors and England & Wales, about how First Past The Post allows parties with a minority of support to get a majority of seats, undermines accountability and contributes to lower voter turnout. I suggested how we could fix all these problems, by electing our councillors using the same system used in Scotland and Northern Ireland: The Single Transferable Vote (STV). Well after another round of local elections we have a yet another set of results which show how our democracy is being undermined by our “winner takes all” electoral system. Read the rest of this entry »

Link: Electoral Reform Society hits out at democracy deserts in the UK

Posted: April 27, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Link | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment »

Over at the Electoral Reform Society blog, Stephen Brooks (Director ERS Wales) attacks the undemocratic nature of our local elections, which allow people to be elected uncontested and for parties to win all the seats in some areas with only a minority share of the vote.

Next week voters across 21 of Wales’ 22 unitary authorities will head to the polls to decide the political make-up of their local councils.  Voters will express a view on where they want to see their council head for the next five years.  The direction of travel on a range of critical issues like council tax, social services, schools, transport and economic development will all be set.

But for nearly 140,000 the opportunity to express a view has been stolen from them by an unfair and outdated electoral system.  For them, next Thursday won’t be Election Day.

Across Wales, 95 individuals have already been elected unopposed.  The simple task of submitting nomination forms was all it took.  No need especially to phone canvass, knock a single door, or attend a hustings.   In one ward, no one submitted nomination forms.  Residents there will go unrepresented until a by-election is organised.

Electoral Reform Society Wales research shows that across the country, 12 of the 21 councils up for election contain uncontested seats.  The worst, Powys is home to an estimated 32,132 residents denied a vote.  Gwynedd has approximately 22,861 residents robbed a voice; and in Pembrokeshire its 20,038.

This is not just a problem for rural Wales. Voting won’t interrupt the daily routine of 7,085 residents in Bridgend county borough next Thursday.  Nor the 7,524 taxpayers who live in local government minister Carl Sargeant’s own constituency.

Is this a sign of a declining interest in politics?  A sign that fewer and fewer people are interested in standing?  Or is it an illustration of how our ‘winner takes it all’ First Past The Post system is crowding out competition, particularly in single-member wards?

Read the full post: 140,000 reasons for reform.