Local elections, 4th May 2023

[whole diary]

[Ralph Ayres]

I still struggle to see why local government is nearly always organised on party lines. The services they organise really needn't be defined by political beliefs, and it becomes doubly illogical when people vote based on how a party is governing nationally rather than on proposed local policies.

[TaplowGreen]

I still struggle to see why local government is nearly always organised on party lines. The services they organise really needn't be defined by political beliefs, and it becomes doubly illogical when people vote based on how a party is governing nationally rather than on proposed local policies.

Well said that man!

[Electric train]

I still struggle to see why local government is nearly always organised on party lines. The services they organise really needn't be defined by political beliefs, and it becomes doubly illogical when people vote based on how a party is governing nationally rather than on proposed local policies.

Well said that man!

I agree, I guess its the tribble / herd nature of us humans

In the RBWM the number of councillors of the party that was in power 7 is now less to the number of independent / small or non aligned councillors 12  so there is a place for independents

[grahame]

I still struggle to see why local government is nearly always organised on party lines. The services they organise really needn't be defined by political beliefs, and it becomes doubly illogical when people vote based on how a party is governing nationally rather than on proposed local policies.

Well said that man!

Taking a local look here at the parish I live in, in Wiltshire.   It is my view that the best service councillors can offer at our level to residents is by taking a town and independent view and looking at the good of the town in their activities, but interacting and partnering with one another as we work together with the town as our main objective.   However, standing as an independent is not the easiest way to stand, nor is it a way likely to get you elected or make for an easy time thereafter.   If you stand with an organisation and on an organisation's ticket:
* You have the marketing expertise and hype and perhaps funding of that organisation to help you
* You have a description attached to your name that makes voters think they know your policy inclinations
* You are saved the need to think for yourself, and can deflect difficult decisions and problems to your grouping
* You have others in your organisation you can turn to for advise and support rather than feeling very much alone
* You have others to pick up and carry your baton if you're ill, at work, on holiday, just need a break.
* You can choose if elected to be a lighweight (lobby fodder) councillor if you wish, and still have a good chance of re-election

Not up for election until 2025, our council was voted in with 8 "Together for Melksham", 5 "Conservative", 1 "Lib Dem" and 1 "Independent".  One of the "Together for Melksham" team left that grouping very early on and has been a really effective independent since, but has now stood down.  To quote her resignation letter which is in the public domain, "This decision comes after experiencing persistent bullying from some councillors and staff members of the Town Council, causing me significant distress.". And I know how she feels - I have experienced much the same, but there's a lack of duty-of-care from anyone (council staff or other councillors) once one has gone independent.

I note that one of our "Together for Melksham" has joined the Conservatives. He's also a Unitary Councillor and has said (published) that he believes he can be more effective for his electorate (and career) by joining the ruling group there.  I have yet to chat with the Conservative candidate he defeated in 2021, to see how she feels.  Some of the voters in his ward, certainly, voted for him on the basis of "anything but a Tory" and he is getting some local flack.

So that's why it's organised on party lines. Good for the political groups. Easy for individuals. Not best for the local area.

[ray951]

"This decision comes after experiencing persistent bullying from some councillors and staff members of the Town Council, causing me significant distress." And I know how she feels - I have experienced much the same, but there's a lack of duty-of-care from anyone (council staff or other councillors) once one has gone independent.

I wonder if this is a common problem as the independents on Didcot Town Council said the same and are no longer standing.


Edit to clarify quoting - grahame

[WSW Frome]

Frome tends to do things differently (one of our slogans?). Frome Town (parish) Council has a full complement of Independent councillors. This has been the situation for a while now with the national party affiliations/candidates being pushed aside by the electorate. Although the councillors are independent they have an affiliation as "Independents for Frome." In my limited experience, they seem to work together harmoniously and with good support from the council officials. No sign of bullying here. 

[grahame]

Frome tends to do things differently (one of our slogans?). Frome Town (parish) Council has a full complement of Independent councillors. This has been the situation for a while now with the national party affiliations/candidates being pushed aside by the electorate. Although the councillors are independent they have an affiliation as "Independents for Frome." In my limited experience, they seem to work together harmoniously and with good support from the council officials. No sign of bullying here.

Yes, there are such town.  Here, as well as the fifteen elected (just one independent), there were a further 8 candidates.   Each of the blocks ("Conservative" and "Together for Melksham") had one candidate who failed to be elected, and the other six who failed to be elected were all "independent", "independent candidate" or a blank on the affiliation.  I am under no illusions that my independent seat will be a hard one to defend in 2025 should I stand.

[GBM]

Excellent planning by someone (the ruling party?).
Date chosen two days before the Coronation.
Fridays news was all about the preparation for Saturday.
All the news on Saturday was the Coronation, no mention of election results.
Even the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website only had a few articles about them.
Today (Sunday) will mostly be able yesterday and Eurovision, so guessing nothing will be mentioned.  Looking forward to Laura's programme at 9am, as am hoping there might be more on the gains/losses/swings.

[grahame]

Excellent planning by someone (the ruling party?).
Date chosen two days before the Coronation.

Local elections were on 6 May 2021, (I think) 5th May 2022 and 4th May 2023.  I would go more for the Coronation planned around local elections to local elections planned around elections.

Fridays news was all about the preparation for Saturday.
All the news on Saturday was the Coronation, no mention of election results.
Even the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website only had a few articles about them.

Perhaps I use different feeds - I have seen coverage.  Conservative, Labour and Lib Dev leaders, some local stuff and greens.  Only UKIP an absence which (until I thought about it) I had not noticed.  True that a lot of the coverage was on Friday once the direction of the results was clear, rather than after all the final results were in. No elections in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. 

[ChrisB]

UKIP are no more - insufficient votes (only one candidate) to conginue as a party

[stuving]

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead has seen a seismic shift
Con minus - 13 seats
Lib Dem - plus 13
Independents have also increased in seats

There are still more result to come, but the Lib Dems have 20 out of the 41 seats at the time of writing.

The Conservative Leader of the Council substantially lost his seat, now "former leader"

Yes, the Tories didn't do well in Berkshire, with the most spectacular instance in Bracknell. I don't see that kind of news (the Wokingham News is really the Bracknell News, but with the pages swapped out for Wokingham content including the detailed politics), but I have now seen the explanation. It was a thorough LidDem/Labour electoral pact, with none standing against the other, though they are denying it was anything formal.

The result was that from 37 Tory councilors out of 42, the Tory group didn't get the 30 or more they told head office they expected, but only 10 (Labour got 22, and so control). The Tory ex-leader (and ex-councillor) even had the cheek to say "It's basically undemocratic. People were cheated out of their right to vote for the candidate of their choice."

The fact they were electing the whole council at once made this revolution possible; in Wokingham something similar is happening but in three acts. Last year the Tories lost 5 seats to the LibDems, and control to LibDem + Labour but only with the support (sort of) of two (very) independents. This year they only stood in 8 of the 11 wards open, lost four of them, and that leaves the LibDems with 26 out of 54, and presumably the same coalition. Next year (in fact 2025), the Tories will have 12 seats up for grabs, so unless things really do turn round we will move into LibDem sole control.

And the Tories wanted to change to a single all-seat election every four years, just before the got the boot!

[Electric train]

The amusing thing in RBWM is the former leader of the council, Andrew Johnson, and now ex councillor lost his seat to a 22 year old Lib Dem, Mr Johnson blamed the defeat on "National headwinds" in other words not my fault mate for all the excessive building and selling off land.

[TonyK]

This is a worse problem for driving licenses, which before the age of 70 last for ages.

A photocard driving licence is valid for 10 years, same as a passport. A lot of people don't know that. I used to see a fair few expired ones presented as ID, the reason usually being a change of address not being reported.

I saw one chap who didn't renew his because he didn't realise he had to. He also didn't mention moving house, which is why the speeding fine went to his old address, as did the subsequent summons. One of the police ANPR camera patrol flagged him up as wanted, and he was arrested for failure to attend court, spending the weekend in the cells at the police station. When the court opened again, he was dealt with for speeding, and also fined for not notifying his address, failing to surrender the out-of-date licence when required, and driving without insurance because not having the current licence invalidated his policy. He was banned for 6 months on the totting up procedure, so had to get the bus home, and get someone else to collect the car from the pound. A pretty penny in all, with worse to come when the ban ended and he needed insurance again, and a lot more than the £20 renewal fee.

The expiry date is field 4b on the front of the card. Check it now.

[TaplowGreen]

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead has seen a seismic shift
Con minus - 13 seats
Lib Dem - plus 13
Independents have also increased in seats

There are still more result to come, but the Lib Dems have 20 out of the 41 seats at the time of writing.

The Conservative Leader of the Council substantially lost his seat, now "former leader"

Yes, the Tories didn't do well in Berkshire

The good people of (almost bankrupt) Slough  in Berkshire would like a word with you! 

https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/tories-make-gains-as-labour-loses-control-in-slough-05-05-2023/

[ellendune]

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead has seen a seismic shift
Con minus - 13 seats
Lib Dem - plus 13
Independents have also increased in seats

There are still more result to come, but the Lib Dems have 20 out of the 41 seats at the time of writing.

The Conservative Leader of the Council substantially lost his seat, now "former leader"

Yes, the Tories didn't do well in Berkshire

The good people of (almost bankrupt) Slough  in Berkshire would like a word with you! 

https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/tories-make-gains-as-labour-loses-control-in-slough-05-05-2023/

Good point though in my mind Slough is still in Buckinghamshire, in the same way that I was born in Berkshire even if that town is now in Oxfordshire.