I simply can’t and I won’t accept it. In my view, cancelling elections is undemocratic, unrepresentative and illiberal.
As I was preparing for the Special Council meeting, which was organised in Welwyn Hatfield on Thursday, 15 January, to discuss and vote on a possible cancellation of the local elections in Welwyn Hatfield in May 2026, I received a text message from a friend of mine, who lives in London. It said:
“I feel moved to share my recent experience with you, Yesterday, the news from Iran left my wife totally devastated. Among 12,000 shot was one of her distant relatives, a 36 year women”. I responded immediately to say that my thoughts and prayers are with my friend, his wife and her family in Iran.
Also this week, I called my mum and I asked a rather unusual question. I wanted to know whether my mum remembers how she and others were able (or not) to vote in Poland during the years of communism. “Interestingly”, she was able to vote, however voting was almost always going one way. Non participation in an election could mean imprisonment, but also other consequences e.g. like in my father’s case threats and possible removal from University.
When I was 11 or 12, I remember the excitement of the first, free and open democratic elections in Poland, when the Berlin Wall collapsed. I don’t remember it vaguely, I remember it so well, almost like they happened yesterday.
I strongly believe that an ability for residents to cast their vote at the ballot box can’t be taken for granted, as it is one of the fundamental principles of any democracy. Moreover, democracy is a huge privilege and a massive responsibility.
Today, when the public trust in politicians at the local and national level is so low, and when our relationship is so fragile, it is more important than ever to promote democracy. Equally, when the lack of political accountability, integrity and transparency is so visible, we must ensure our voters have an opportunity to scrutinise our work, as they are the ones who elected us to represent them, and their communities and neighbourhoods. We must, especially when it is difficult, bring our residents with us and continue this “democratic journey”, which so often is frail, delicate and shaky.
In spite of financial pressures, lack of resources and the Local Government reform, cancelling elections is wrong and unfair. In my view, we should have upheld these elections. We must champion democracy, civic engagement and more fulfilling voter participation. We need to ensure that the electoral voice of residents is expressed in the most tangible way, at the ballot box, where our voters will have an opportunity to judge our character and our performance.
Overall, this is bad news for residents and it is a very sad day for Welwyn Hatfield. It is such a shame that our ability to express our views at the ballot box, and to vote at the local elections in May 2026, has been taken away from us.
* Michal Siewniak is a Lib Dem activist and councillor for Handside ward, Welwyn Hatfield.
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10 Comments
Fully agree. It is often said, “justice delayed is justice denied”. I would suggest, “democracy delayed is democracy denied”.
Sadly, this applies equally in the case of Liberal Democrat controlled Cheltenham Borough Council which has also voted to postpone elections by a year.
Might the current and recent governments have a submerged policiy to restrict citizen protest through civil protest, as indicated by Palestine Action widely drafted legislation and consequent police actions plus planned restrictions at animal testing sites as well as the deliberate underfunding of democratic institutions such as local government?
These existing councils are currently working flat out to abolish and re-organise themselves.. What is the point of going through the great expense and motions of voting for organisations and members who will cease to exist in under two year’s time… AND then having to vote again?
That is why many councils in my area are in favour of the postponement..
@ Steve Trevethan “Might the current and recent governments have a submerged policy to restrict citizen protest through civil protest ?”.
Highly unlikely, Mr Trevethan, given that it is the police that have the power to arrest or not. The recent Aston Villa case and it’s outcome would suggest otherwise.
And the policy of drastically reduing trial by jury?
@ Steve Trevethan Reducing trial by jury ? As I understand it the suggestion (for that is what it is) is to legislate for cases of less serious crimes with sentences of less than three years. Steve, are you happy that :
1. Current projections have Crown Court case loads reaching 100,000 by 2028, from the current backlog of almost 78,000, which means that currently a suspect being charged with an offence today may not reach trial until 2030 ?
2. That six out of 10 victims of rape are said to be withdrawing from prosecutions because of delays ?
What is your alternative suggestion for reducing the present timescale ?
Are these local government reorganisations definitely going to take place? If they are still at the “Discussion” stage, then I would want to elect councillors who have a mandate to discuss them – up to and including objecting to the whole process. If they are going ahead, then I would want to elect councillors who have a mandate to make the best of a bad job. In either event, I would want the process to be overseen by councillors who have been elected after this particular rabbit was pulled out of Keir Starmer’s hat.
Here is information and data on the wasted capacity in our legal system which could, if wished, avoid the undemocratic reduction of trial by jury/those not in a govermnent paid capacity.
https://www.google.com/search?q=underuse+of+court+facilities&sca_esv=5e5392b94eee1b10&sxsrf=ANbL-n4TawWuL9YjUNdIg4TjHW8SWRYGlw%3A1768673556997&ei=FNFraYabO-GuhbIP5Me74Ac&iflsig=AFdpzrgAAAAAaWvfJPGFtBjWae1wJ2NaoWTt5nxiDDQo&ved=2a
hUKEwjkl-vFlpOSAxWkZ0EAHdHDLeoQ0NsOegQIAxAB&uact=5&sclient=gws-
wiz&udm=50&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3vMboekt2cKC3pTSxvmRKdBH1tOmdyHeywNECeu_1ugROczUnA3oiJ8N4-osiUwuighNZke6KUgvbIUJ23XY4VjQfutsoL-YaL6IA-1ao4bnL4zU8U2wp7d7H_SrFJepn_zW2wgz3-Q7fyxSrByID0OfQ2JvaFnOL1CRcAYll4_bclfkGw&aep=10&ntc=1&mstk=AUtExfBLVX9JEUWZtpJ1KFI-kwVPrJsI2LwWDmoxRriRvGxCCOoLvIIY
https://www.google.com/search?mstk=AUtExfBRrgQpsGM9h9sEri1lOVIF9utCdTVwlB3WOQnkXqlxELy62Xi81LnbsFmjENRQbO1Rwf26OrHb_MngpbFAaY1ZO343LFCM3EGLPSopFfyG_cG-7lagDUxHrvEvb2pyLItI6e6tRiY7kuQ2pczf5k8tV8IRU4GUCJv1wnPQjw-taxAoi1pRm6jPcq3kCSgKnddA9xpG7JpilMWDs86IzYhS1EpDWEarTACTurG-qGDN8kmQpHumN7HRU16VmDxxu3zYfkpMt2sTv43TZDZ9JCr_c9pxploiF5aztL9RjmdG3SxY7-g-C__I05xnIdVuNUvNS6abMKz4GQ&udm=50&csuir=1&aep=28&q=underuse+of+court+facilities&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDwgBECMYJxjqAhjwBRieBjIJCAAQIxgnGOoCMg8IARAjGCcY6gIY8AUYngYyCQgCECMYJxjqAjIJCAMQIxgnGOoCMgkIBBAjGCcY6gIyCQgFECMYJxjqAjIJCAYQIxgnGOoCMgkIBxAjGCcY6gLSAQkzODgyajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBZh1rtCKK0zy&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&mtid=ZdFrafvmC_aIhbIPmq_HwQQ
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/12/02/lammy-defence-jury/
@expats. So we can’t justify the cost of elections because new members may only sit for two years ? So democracy becomes a cost benefit exercise ? Is it worth having a democracy or is it too expensive ? Perhaps we should abandon all elections and spend the money on the NHS, surely a better use of our cash ? Such dangerous nonsense on a liberal site…..
@Chris Cory 18th Jan ’26 – 9:40am….
You, deliberately, misrepresent what I said …As for your ‘Perhaps we should abandon all elections and spend the money on the NHS, surely a better use of our cash”… I’m reminded of an idea that, if I suggest swatting a troublesome fly, I’m advocating wiping out all life on earth..