Local Elections 2023

[hilts]

Spoil your ballot. It counts for more than just not turning up.

My ward had a turnout of 30% which is mediocre but the ward next door got about 50%. Turnout this year seems to be up in some places and down in others. Pretty random and largely based on local sentiment.

Does it though? The last debate on spoilt ballots? What action has been taken.

The system is brilliant for those who make a living out of it. They have no desire to fuck with their meal ticket.

 

[A57 the snake]

That is beyond pathetic really but not surprising. My wife voted but I didn't. Only 3 candidates a Tory who won(shit) Labour(not voting for that lot) and an independent with less social media coverage than a technophobe from a lost amazon tribe.

I mean what do you do when you have 3 shitty options?

I’m seriously thinking about standing as a independent next time, I’m beyond belief at that turn out , left ,right or centre when it’s local politics people need to engage.The light and fight has gone out, people must think whoever is in local or central government we get fed the same sh*t. As an example we’ve been promised a local train station for the last 40 years …. Nothing, mottram bypass going on for 40 years yet still nothing. Every election here it goes lab to con to lab to con still the same . People have genuinely given up .
It’s a crying shame politics in this country.
It needs a total revamp. Starting with the House of Lords and so on ….

 

[bluethrunthru]

Reform UK fielded 500 candidates - elected? Zero
UKIP went into these elections with 6 councillors - results? Zero re-relected.

That little brain fart is now over - the Tories should read the room ditch Braverman and her fascist policies as its a bust a dead end and electoral fantasy ( like Brexit ) and their way back it to radically change tack. Tonight they want to double down on it all and go harder - not learning at all

 

[hilts]

Spoil your ballot. It counts for more than just not turning up.

My ward had a turnout of 30% which is mediocre but the ward next door got about 50%. Turnout this year seems to be up in some places and down in others. Pretty random and largely based on local sentiment.

Does it though? The last debate on spoilt ballots? What action has been taken.

The system is brilliant for those who make a living out of it. They have no desire to fuck with their meal ticket

 

[hilts]

I’m seriously thinking about standing as a independent next time, I’m beyond belief at that turn out , left ,right or centre when it’s local politics people need to engage.The light and fight has gone out, people must think whoever is in local or central government we get fed the same sh*t. As an example we’ve been promised a local train station for the last 40 years …. Nothing, mottram bypass going on for 40 years yet still nothing. Every election here it goes lab to con to lab to con still the same . People have genuinely given up .
It’s a crying shame politics in this country.
It needs a total revamp. Starting with the House of Lords and so on ….

My old man lived in your neck of the woods in the 60s . They were promising a bypass then:-)

 

[NPBlue]

Split the papers into those who've voted across party lines, and count them. Where people haven't voted for all 3 in one party (either for fewer than 3 or across parties) the papers are put on a big sheet where the crosses can be seen and totalled for each candidate. Relatively easy (and easy to check in a recount).

Councils can choose whether to elect all councillors every 4 years (perhaps with different size wards with different numbers of councillors) or by thirds (one each year). If the latter, the electoral commission insists on all wards being roughly the same size each with three councillors (leading to some strange ward boundaries) otherwise the council could change hands with some people not having an election that year.

OK. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Vic]

I’m seriously thinking about standing as a independent next time, I’m beyond belief at that turn out , left ,right or centre when it’s local politics people need to engage.The light and fight has gone out, people must think whoever is in local or central government we get fed the same sh*t. As an example we’ve been promised a local train station for the last 40 years …. Nothing, mottram bypass going on for 40 years yet still nothing. Every election here it goes lab to con to lab to con still the same . People have genuinely given up .
It’s a crying shame politics in this country.
It needs a total revamp. Starting with the House of Lords and so on ….

And would you as an independent councillor promise a new station? What could you do as an independent that local party groups with the ear of government couldn't do? What would you honestly say to people who oppose new roads about the bypass? Having finally got the green light, the bypass is now held up by legal challenges about the environment (and any delay now puts up construction costs). Are you going to be the one councillor who beats "the system" and finds a source of funds other than central government?

Also see under "new stations" where the local council pays half the cost of the station then finds the privatised railway companies saying there isn't space in the timetable for trains to stop.

And it has got worse since Brexit as EU regional funding based on need and deprivation has been replaced by less funding and based on which authorities can spend the most on beauty contest bids (usually the more affluent areas) and that's without Tory ministers who get to approve projects in each other's constituency.

If you're not the only "independent" would you join the "independent" group (if not, you're not entitled to sit on any committees) and would you get together with other "independents" to agree common policies (and if you disagree you'd still go along with the majority)? Bear in mind a lot of the other independents will be Tories at heart (or real Tories who know the brand is toxic) or former Labour councillors who were deselected or just people who like shouting at the moon.

(I do generalise - but one local council near us has three independents, and they often vote differently. Two seem OK but the other has never spoken in a council or committee meeting and their partner nominated a Tory candidate in another ward.)

You can't beat the system, you have to play it.

 

[jim tolmies perm]

? The Boro voted in a Labour mayor - Labour gains and Tory losses in Hartlepool, Darlo and other places around here

Was there a particular local reason for what happened in Stockton?

 

[Bluemoon dan]

Just seen that in my ward the Labour candidate beat the Tory by just 7 votes!

 

[Gundoggin]

Reform UK fielded 500 candidates - elected? Zero
UKIP went into these elections with 6 councillors - results? Zero re-relected.

That little brain fart is now over - the Tories should read the room ditch Braverman and her fascist policies as its a bust a dead end and electoral fantasy ( like Brexit ) and their way back it to radically change tack. Tonight they want to double down on it all and go harder - not learning at all

Good point made there . The Tories have totally lost their way and fielding an unelected leader with no mandate pushing racist far right rhetoric day in day out even the most die hard conservative voter has had enough .