Party Politics in Local Government

As a local Conservative councillor I was interested to read of recent comments relating to the problems faced by Independent candidates when they decide to put themselves forward for election.

In broad terms I would agree that it is not an easy option to take. Within my own party I am known to be independently minded, and certainly do not always tow the party line, much to the angst of my fellow councillors at times. 

There have been occasions when I have considered standing as an Independent councillor but have decided against doing so because, for better or worse, my political leanings are firmly in the Conservative camp. The view I have taken is that if I quit the party it will never change. If I can hang in there, despite my personal views on some of our individual policies, then the change I seek is more likely to come about. It is always easier to bring about change and influence others from within.

Whilst I would agree that it is more difficult for Independent candidates to make an impact on the electorate, if for no other reason than that they do not always have the financial support or the resources so readily available to those with formal party backing, it is not impossible.

In my own case I tend to shun formal support anyway, firmly believing that it is not about turning up at someone's door uninvited once every four years asking them to vote for a nameless person who has hitherto shown no interest in them or their lives. It is about engaging with them in real terms, day in, day out.

This is where, with a bit of time and effort, an Independent candidate can often come up trumps.

Lack of spending capacity should not necessarily be a barrier to becoming elected. There are many, many ways in which to engage with the community; it is not all about the money. By and large the British public are a parochial lot and are more concerned with the minutiae of our individual daily lives, pot holes, traffic congestion, bus services (or lack of them), A&E waiting times, finding gainful employment, earning more than a pittance, keeping a roof over our heads and such like.  

As for the distribution of leaflets and what I consider to be ‘political propaganda’, most of us are fed up to the teeth with receiving copious quantities of unsolicited material that either ‘knocks the other side’ or extols the virtues of party policies that have little or no impact on our own lives; all of it cluttering up our re-cycling boxes.

One leaflet, with a clear, concise message setting out how you plan to improve the lives of those you wish to represent should be sufficient.

When I hear tell of political parties employing people, often at some expense, with a specific aim of gaining control of their local authority from the evil opposition my heart sinks. This is not what local politics should be about.