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
