Local Election Turnout

The elections being held across the UK tomorrow, Thursday 7th May 2026, are important so make sure you vote.

They are not about macro issues. What involvement should we have in the present troubles in the Middle East? What is happening to waiting lists with the NHS? When will energy prices come down? Should we be strengthening our ties with the EU? Why are interest and mortgage rates looking like they may go up?

They are not, like they have in America, mid term elections or to choose a national government. They are not a referendum on who the Prime Minister should be.

What they are about is what is happening in our streets, villages, parishes, towns and counties. Is the street lighting adeqaute? Are the roadside verges being maintained? Is our rubbish being collected as we were promised by the local authority? And especially for road users, what is the local authority doing about the dangerous state of a lot of our roads?

That is what these local elections are about. The things we can see on our walk to the shops, into town or driving around that have a direct impact on us.

My own personal experience of our local representatives in Ringwood where I live has always been positive regardless of their political leanings. They are individuals who have thrown their hats into to the ring, put their heads above the parapets and laid themselves open to ridicule. All in the pursuit of making a difference in their community

And don't forget, parish councillors, town councillors, mayors and county councillors aren't in it for financial gains. They are unpaid but are still willing to sacrifice countless hours of their time dealing with constituency issues, working on doorsteps and preparing for and attending meetings of which ever authority they have been elected to.

These local elections are democracy in action at grass roots level and aren't we lucky to live in this sort of environment but judging by turnout since 2014 it appears that well over 50% of the electorate are taking this freedom for granted.

Since 2014 the best local election turnout was 44.5% and the worst was in 2024 when only 21.1% of those entitled to vote could be bothered to go to drive or walk their local polling station or to the nearest mail box to cast their votes.

Sadly, this round of local elections have been hi-jacked by some of the major political parties in Westminster. Despite them being "local" they are being used as everything I mentioned earlier that they are not meant to be. An opinion on the conflict in the Middle East, NHS waiting lists, interest rates, energy costs and a faux referendum about who should govern Britain.

The results on Friday and over the weekend will feed straight back to Whitehall and Westminster with ev eryone claiming some sort of victory and a right to bring about change in those hallowed corridors of power.

That is why these local elections are so critical at this juncture in our country's history. If you have a voting card then don't just bin it or leave it on the sideboard. Don't come up with excuses like "Oh I forgot", "I didn't have time", "I had a bad day at work" and worst of all "My vote won't make any difference". Your local representatives, not your Westminster MP's, have shown their commitment to the local community and therefore they should be given your support at the ballot box.

Just think what it would be like if you went into work, did what you thought was a good job but didn't receive any affirmation from your manager.

To close here are a couple of quotes to think about:

"The greatest threats to democracy are comfort and apathy" T Rafael Cimion

"Voter apathy is civic abdication" Charles M Blow

"One person can make a difference and everyone should try" Anon

And my enduring favourite:

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought" - John F Kennedy