30 – 40 percent. That is the average local election turnout in the UK.
I get it. Local elections are not flashy. They require people to get into hyper-localised issues, often sprinkled with competitive party politics.
Accessibility to our schools, hospitals and local businesses continues to be a major issue and yet it would appear the old guard at County Hall is content with the status quo.
Well, I’m not and I know many others aren’t either. So, let’s do something about it.
I care a great deal about Summertown and Walton Manor (and I know others do too) and on May 1st I hope for a far greater turnout than 40%, not due to any shortage of recent elections, but out of a real desire for transparency, accountability and change.
Taking each in turn, one of the things with which the City and County councils struggle is transparency. I went shop to shop in Summertown to notify people of the Council’s proposals to remove their parking. I wanted to make sure that they had their say in the Council’s consultation. To my shock, many of them hadn’t even heard of the plans – we only had a week left of the consultation period! The Council’s notice board in Summertown made no mention of the public consultation! Poor governance, incompetence or a lack of transparency – you decide.
Regarding accountability, on my social media channels, I have recently been sharing some examples of Council ineffectiveness and systemic misspending habits (trust me when I say there is more to come). We aren’t talking about low sums here either. We’re talking about tens of millions of pounds, all taken from our council tax, which is one of the highest in the country.
A few days ago, I picked up a flyer for the Labour Party candidate and longstanding City councillor who is running in Summertown and Walton Manor, James Fry.
He promises a new health centre, reviewing street safety and reducing rush hour traffic without using traffic filters. These could have been lifted from my own wish list! Don’t they sound great?
However, that health centre (as part of the Diamond Place regeneration project) has been promised for over a decade – and Labour Councillor Fry has been on the City Council the whole time. Why has there been so little progress? The same applies for his anti-traffic filter stance, when Labour, Lib Dems and Greens all supported the LTNs in East Oxford.
Here is a video from earlier this month of a Labour Party councillor openly supporting both traffic filters and LTN expansions alongside colleagues.
Perhaps this helps to explain the low voter turnout for local elections. How can we ever trust candidates who must always answer to their party whip?
Candidates running for the Independent Oxford Alliance like myself are free from any of these political handcuffs.
We see the same candidates on the ballot paper again and again. And the same tired and trite promises designed to win your trust and votes, only for the candidate to stand in obedience to their party’s mantra and fail to deliver on their manifesto promises.
Isn’t it time we held politicians to account? And ask them for their track record in delivery of their promises. As the saying goes, dreams without delivery are hallucinations.
My message for residents not only of Summertown and Walton Manor, but also of wider Oxfordshire is clear: Do not be fooled by campaign pledges that sound too good to be true on candidates’ flyers. These will be coming at you thick and fast in the coming weeks.
The reality is that as an independent candidate I cannot compete with the vast resources of the main parties. They throw everything at local elections and yet consistently fail to uphold their campaign promises. I encourage you to question candidates hard on their pledges, and see if they truly understand local issues. And, if they have been in power for a while, ask them what they have actually delivered for our area.
I come from an environment where delivery matters. Where promises had to be kept and where the community was put first. I want to introduce simple, but effective changes which will directly involve and benefit residents.
Whoever you vote for, it is imperative that we exercise our democratic right.
May 1st is our chance to vote for accountability, for transparency and for good governance.
I know which box I will be crossing.
