Why all local councils should be elected with proportional representation If you live in England, you might be casting a vote for a councillor in a local election this May – and with your vote, expressing your desire for how you’d like your local services... Posted 08 Apr 2025
First Past the Post again set to produce random results at English local elections With four weeks to go before English local authority elections, which will be held on 1 May 2025, this week saw the announcement of candidates for each of the divisions or wards where local councillors... Posted 03 Apr 2025
Liberal Democrats sense growing opportunities on proportional representation as they assemble for 2025 Spring Conference The Liberal Democrats assembled in the picturesque Yorkshire town of Harrogate this weekend for their spring conference, where they discussed how to build on their success in the general election and maximise the impact of... Posted 24 Mar 2025
What are the different types of local government in England? Understanding how the different levels of government in the UK can sometimes feel like piecing together a tricky puzzle. At the centre is Westminster, with the Prime Minister leading from the House of Commons. But... Posted 27 Feb 2025
English devolution and local government reorganisation highlight need for PR at local level Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, has announced the latest stage of the UK government’s plans for devolution and local government re-organisation within England. Six... Posted 11 Feb 2025
Positive statements on restoring the electoral system for Mayors and PCCs There have been positive noises from government ministers on repairing one part of the damage done to our democracy by the previous government. At the Local Government Association conference this week, government minister Jim McMahon... Posted 24 Oct 2024
Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayor The local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a... Posted 08 May 2024
England’s local elections show the warped world of First Past the Post Local people are best placed to decide the priorities of their local government. But as we say today, voters in England and Wales have very little impact on who sits in their local council chambers.... Posted 03 May 2024
Voters are being treated as guinea pigs in this year’s local elections Today, the 2nd May, millions of voters will head to the polls to elect more than 2,500 councillors, 37 police and crime commissioners, 10 metro mayors, 1 MP (by-election in Blackpool South) and London Assembly... Posted 02 May 2024
Big changes to Welsh Police and Crime Commissioner elections Today, voters across Wales will have to show ID to vote for the first time as they head to the polls to elect four Police and Crime Commissioners, covering North Wales, Dyfed Powys, Gwent and... Posted 02 May 2024