18 April 2013

Any decent democracy requires a viable opposition. But the 21 million living in local One Party States don’t have that luxury. These authorities enjoy power without real accountability – and council taxpayers deserve better.

The Electoral Reform Society

There’s something very wrong with local democracy in England and Wales.

In just over fortnight, millions of us will vote in local elections. Most of our votes won’t count. Our voices won’t be heard. And we will have to live with the decisions being made for us.

We need to win the argument for fair votes in local government. But we need your help. We need to show how people in communities around the country are being failed by local democracy.  

Can you share your story with us today?

Our broken First Past the Post system means over 1 in 3 of us effectively live in One Party States – without the viable opposition any decent democracy needs. [1]

What we get is unresponsive and unaccountable local government.  And if you’ve been let down by this broken system we need to hear from you.

We campaigned hard to win fair votes for local elections in Scotland. And it’s transformed the way local democracy works. Now most Scots are getting something for their trouble on Election Day. And the old One Party fiefdoms have been consigned to history.

Let’s shine a light in the dark corners of local democracy and make these Rotten Boroughs a thing of the past.

Just click here and tell us your experiences from your community. Your story can make a difference.  Help us show that local democracy can and MUST be better.

Best,

Darren Hughes
Director of Campaigns and Research
Electoral Reform Society