I for one am hopeful that we can make gains not least because the last cycle of these particular elections coincided with the last General Election and we all know how that turned out.
So what are the critical messages that Liberal Democrats must attempt to get across between now and next May?
Well, firstly the obvious one is to emphasise our commitment to community politics particularly in wards and districts where we are trying to build up support for the first time.
The slogan ‘Working all Year round not just at Election Time’ is one that sums up our approach and needs to feature prominently in our campaigns in 2019.
Our message to residents is that if they vote for a Liberal Democrat councillor, they will get a representative devoted to doing what is best for them and their area. A familiar message but one that only we as Liberals can say with conviction.
Secondly, we need to focus on local services. That will vary from area to area, but there are some generic ones. I have moved from a large urban borough to a rural district in the last few months, but the issues are similar.
High Streets are in decline whether you live in a large town or a small village. Shops are closing, and premises are standing open for months. Banks and Post Offices, in particular, are moving out leaving many communities isolated. Bus services already inadequate are being cut, GP surgeries, if you have one, are overstretched. People are being forced to travel further and further to access key services inevitably means an increase in car use with a negative impact on our environment. Bin collections are another thing that causes consternation amongst many given the inability of some local authorities to collect our rubbish on a regular basis.
Our Liberal Democrat campaigns need to focus on these issues whether it’s in town or country.
Thirdly we need to use these elections to campaign for our long-held policy of getting PR for all local authority elections.
So many councils have effectively been one-party states for decades simply due to the unfairness of the First Past The Post voting system.
This occurs even in areas where the ‘winning’ party doesn’t get 50 percent of the vote borough or district-wide but maintains control by just winning a majority of wards. The result is profoundly undemocratic, and the losers are the people. I realise success in these local elections doesn’t mean that we can change the voting system, but it should feature in our campaign.
So the three key messages are:
- Working For You All Year Round not Just At Election Time
- Protecting and Enhancing Local Services
- Fighting For Reform To Our Broken Voting System
I am looking forward to the campaign and look forward to playing my part.
* David Warren worked in Royal Mail for more than 25 years. He is now a freelance business consultant specialising in this area and a liberal.