Time to Send a Message

In early May, voters across the UK will get the chance to vote in local elections. It's the first chance since 2019 to show the government how strongly people feel about the state of the country, says, UNISON acting head of policy David Arnold, so let's send a strong message.

In just a few weeks, on Thursday 5 May, UNISON members across the UK will get a chance to cast their votes in elections. All in all, local elections will take place in the following:

• 21 unitary authorities in England
  
• 33 metropolitan boroughs in England
• 60 non-metropolitan districts in England
• 33 London councils
• all 32 councils in Scotland
• all 22 councils in Wales

On the same day, Northern Ireland will be holding elections for the legislative assembly. Although not everyone gets a vote in England, a significant number will - particularly those living in cities and towns.

You can find out whether you get a vote in England from the electoral commission website at bit.ly/3Dcr7A5.

Most of the council seats up for election were last contested in 2018. The political landscape of the UK has undergone huge changes in the past four years. From parliamentary gridlock around Brexit to the 2019 general election Tory landslide; from the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, this is now a different and, in many respects, more challenging world.

Send a Message

Many of the issues that can decide local elections remain the same, such as bin collections, the state of neighbourhood parks and pavements, and access to libraries and other local public services. These issues are important for UNISON because it's our members who deliver such services and who've seen up close how over a decade of Tory cuts have taken their toll on the ability of councils to deliver.

However, such elections are also a really important opportunity for voters to send a message to the prime minister and the government about how effectively they are handling the issues of the day, and how they are conducting themselves in office.

This will be the first big electoral test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson since the revelations about parties held at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic.

These gatherings took place at a time when many of our members were on the COVID frontline, and when the vast majority were faithfully following the rules that Mr Johnson himself had explained at government press conferences.

It will also be the first opportunity many will have had to respond to the government's priorities in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

As we've learned over recent days, people in the UK now face the biggest decline in their living standards since records began in the 1950s.

Who the government shields and protects in the face of this tells us much. And as we've also seen, the policy choices that the government is making are, as is always the case under the Tories, hitting the worst off the hardest.

Many charities have been quick to point out that below-inflation increases in universal credit are going to push many more families into poverty.

Furthermore, as was revealed in post-spring statement comments from the chancellor, the government's proposed pre-election 2024 cut to income tax is premised on two years of public sector discipline:

Getting Involved

There are three activities described here. Hopefully, we will all be able to do at least one thing.

First, foremost and easiest - make sure you vote and encourage friends and family to do so too. Even give people a lift to and from the polling station. Local elections are notorious for low turnout. Low participation is a bad enough thing in itself, but it also helps the Tories.

If you're going to be working a long shift or be on holiday, make sure that you have a postal vote. Your local council will have details on its website about how you can do this.

Second, talk to your friends and local community about the issues at stake. Word of mouth, or even social media posts, can be powerful.

Many are more likely to listen to and trust people they know than l official voices on political issues.

Finally, you can help out with local Labour Party campaigns. If you've not done this before, don't worry. There will always be a welcome for newcomers and a range of tasks so that everyone can help in a way that best suits them.

Your local UNISON Labour Link officer will be able to help put you in touch - and signpost the priority seats that the union is concentrating on.

NB: Members who live within the Liverpool City Council boundaries will have local elections in May 2023

Original Article from March/April 2022 UNISON Activist Magazine