This May, thousands of voters like me face a democratic void – our voices silenced as local elections are suspended under the convenient guise of “fast-track devolution” and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). While Labour and Conservative local councillors rushed to chase this programme in pursuit of the “sunlit uplands” of devolution and LGR, the truth is far more troubling. Both parties appear all too willing to dodge voter scrutiny, with the government eagerly agreeing to cancel elections in Hampshire for at least a year at their request. The result? County councillors continuing to wield power without a mandate from May onwards.
Over recent months, I’ve investigated how LGR truly affects women’s representation and political diversity. I’m about to share my findings with Elect Her and the Fawcett Society – non-partisan organisations campaigning against gender inequality in our politics. The recent Lib Dem Voice article examining LGR’s impact on younger candidates struck a chord with me, compelling me to speak out and expand on these urgent concerns.
From my investigation into the councils highlighted by the government as LGR “success stories”, it confirms what many of us have suspected: women’s representation in local government – already in a deeply troubling state – will regress under LGR. Political diversity suffers a similar fate, with smaller parties, including Liberal Democrats, bearing a disproportionate burden of this democratic retreat. The broken two-party system strikes again!
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