Archive for Local government
The other elections coming up in the spring
With so much political attention on the next general election, it’s easy to forget that there are a large number of council seats up for election on the first Thursday in May. Many of those wielding power after the local votes are counted will have far more power than MPs or even junior ministers.
What’s up [...]
Clause 81 of the New Roads and Street Act 1991 is your friend
You may have been following some of my travails trying to get repairs made to some of those telephone, broadband, traffic light etc boxes which appear on many pavements.
Although my own local council (Islington) is very good at dealing with them either directly themselves or passing on to the relevant company and ensuring the work [...]
Councillor movements: Conservatives lose majority on Southend Council
Stockport’s Mayor, Colin MacAlister has switched to the Liberal Democrats from Labour (via Independent), whilst the Conservative deputy leader also recently switched to Independent.
That’s not the only bad news for the Conservatives though. In Aberconwy the local Conservative president (and councillor) Dennis Tew has also quit the party, switching to Plaid. Meanwhile in Southend, Jason Luty’s [...]
It’s better by blog: why councils should embrace blogging
The January edition of Total Politics had the third in a series from me on councils and communicating. The first part, Yes, council websites can, looked at lessons from the Obama campaign for local council use of the internet. The second part, Adding some colour to council emails, looked at ways to make better use [...]
So, what do you make of this graph about gender and politics?
Here’s the proportion of local election candidates of the three main parties who were female over the last twenty-five years. As you can see, proportions for all three parties grew in the late ’80s and since then have stalled (Lib Dems, Conservatives) or only crept up (Labour), all remaining under 40%.
The dips every four years [...]
‘Hyndburngate’ spying allegations
Strange goings on in Lancashire:
‘Hyndburngate’ spying allegations
EXTRA CCTV is being installed at the borough council officers amid claims of a ‘Hyndburngate’ involving bosses being spied on.
At Hyndburn’s full council meeting leader Coun Peter Britcliffe accused the Labour group of behaving ‘like the Richard Nixon administration’, claiming documents were being searched during ‘internal break-ins’.
However the Labour [...]
Liberal Democrat Mayor suspended over benefits investigation
From the Camden New Journal:
THE Mayor of Camden, Councillor Omar Faruque Ansari, has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group tonight (Monday) after he was questioned by benefit investigators.
Council leader Keith Moffitt said he would remain suspended until “a serious investigation” was complete. It is understood Cllr Ansari was questioned by investigators from the Department of [...]
Third Conservative councillor switches in Cannock Chase
Following on from the switch of Keith and Diane Bennett from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, a third Conservative councillor in Cannock Chase has now also joined the party:
Councillor Mark Green has resigned from the Council’s Conservative Group and has been accepted as a Member of the Council’s Liberal Democrat Group. Mark represents the [...]
Tackling crime: talking to and involving the public works
The Home Office has recently published a review of the research into how to improve public confidence in the police. One of their conclusions? The very community politics idea, expressed in very New Labour vocabulary, that
The strategies most likely to be effective in improving confidence are initiatives aimed at increasing community engagement. Three out of [...]
Two Conservative councillors switch; new Norfolk candidate selected
Welcome to Canncok Councillors Keith and Diane Bennett, who have switched from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, and congratulations to Dan Roper who has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Broadland. Nich Starling says of him:
I am so pleased that my local Lib Dem candidate is genuinely the sort of person I [...]
