What are the different types of local government in England?Understanding how the different levels of government in the UK can sometimes feel like piecing together a tricky puzzle. At the centre is Westminster, with the Prime Minister leading from the House of Commons. But...Posted 27 Feb 2025
English devolution and local government reorganisation highlight need for PR at local levelAngela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, has announced the latest stage of the UK government’s plans for devolution and local government re-organisation within England. Six...Posted 11 Feb 2025
Positive statements on restoring the electoral system for Mayors and PCCsThere have been positive noises from government ministers on repairing one part of the damage done to our democracy by the previous government. At the Local Government Association conference this week, government minister Jim McMahon...Posted 24 Oct 2024
Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayorThe local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a...Posted 08 May 2024
England’s local elections show the warped world of First Past the PostLocal people are best placed to decide the priorities of their local government. But as we say today, voters in England and Wales have very little impact on who sits in their local council chambers....Posted 03 May 2024
Voters are being treated as guinea pigs in this year’s local electionsToday, the 2nd May, millions of voters will head to the polls to elect more than 2,500 councillors, 37 police and crime commissioners, 10 metro mayors, 1 MP (by-election in Blackpool South) and London Assembly...Posted 02 May 2024
Big changes to Welsh Police and Crime Commissioner electionsToday, voters across Wales will have to show ID to vote for the first time as they head to the polls to elect four Police and Crime Commissioners, covering North Wales, Dyfed Powys, Gwent and...Posted 02 May 2024
Victory as Ceredigion joins Powys and Gwynedd with STV consultationThere was fantastic news for voters coming out of Ceredigion last week, as their County Council voted YES to a public consultation on scrapping First Past the Post for their elections and bringing in the...Posted 25 Mar 2024
Vote splitting trick won’t work with Scotland’s Single Transferable VoteOn March 7th voters in Hillhead in Glasgow will be heading to the polls for a council by-election. Among those standing are candidates from the Scottish Greens and Independent Green Voice (IGV) – plenty of...Posted 04 Mar 2024
Change to London mayoral elections complicates thinking for independent candidatesOver the weekend The Sun reported on rumours that Paul Scully MP, the former Conservative Minister for London, was considering running as an independent candidate for London mayor. We can’t comment on whether these Tory...Posted 05 Feb 2024