We've long been a supporter of the simple act of voting for our town council. We've written quite a lot on the subject of co-opted councillors, whose democratic credentials are based upon how their fellow councillors have acted on their behalves rather than how residents actually feel.
And so it was that sufficient electors fed up with this in house cabal approach forced an election for the two vacant seats on the town council. The next hurdle was to see if there would be more than two candidates for the two seats. Well, it turns out that we have *six*. Having three times the number of candidates than seats available is a refreshing change and it's probably unprecedented at a local level.
Another is that there appears to be a view among the candidates that they can somehow change the world. This isn't a Bae Caerdydd or Westiminster general election and nor yet a local election for the county council. The town council has no powers beyond hanging baskets and benches. In any case, do they not realise that they only have a year before they're all forced into another election (if there are more than 15 candidates)? Is this sufficient time to make a difference, anyway?
I doubt we'll receive the usual printed material through our doors thanks, of course, to the health emergency. We have instead to rely on social media.
Reading some of the online material and you get the impression first and foremost how seriously those candidates who have thus far declared their hand are taking this election
In spite of a few town councillors who've pinned colours to their names, it's reassuringly apolitical (usually, anyway).
On the less serious side, as my younger son put it so humorously, the town council is the PCSO of the elected council system: they look good in uniform but have no real power whatsoever. And, one of the candidates grins like David Brent!
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Town Council