Comment: Who Will You Vote For and Why?

Published on: 3 May, 2026
Updated on: 3 May, 2026

By Martin Giles

“The unitary authority scheme truly marks the end of local politics and representation. Central government has really taken control of every arm of politics now. Very sad.”

So wrote a friend of mine who, like me, had attended the Onslow Village-organised hustings on Tuesday evening (April 28).

Understandably and reasonably, he had wanted to hear what exactly did the candidates (from the Conservative Party, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Reform UK) intend to do for South-West Guildford, the ward in which they are standing?

Surrey is being divided into two unitary authorities.

Some made specific commitments. The Conservatives said they intend to scrap charges for the first hour of parking in Guildford car parks and introduce free garden waste collections, the Lib Dems that they will fix the roads. But all were circumspect.

This is not surprising. A massive £4 billion debt issue hangs over West Surrey Council before a single councillor is elected.

How can any candidate truthfully promise anything until the financial position of the new council is known? And how can any of us decide which candidate to vote for when they cannot realistically set out their stall, their commitments, underpinned (hopefully) by viable spending plans?

That the Government has allowed us to hold an election before the debt issue was resolved is unforgivable.

Howard Smith, Labour candidate

Howard Smith, the Labour candidate standing in Guildford West, has told me in our interview that we should relax: the Government will bail out the new council. Let’s hope he is right. It is hard to imagine the new council being able to function at all with a £4 billion debt hanging around its neck. The interest payments alone are eye-watering.

But even if the legacy debt issue is resolved, the bigger question remains: is our local democracy being irrevocably damaged?

It has not been in a healthy state for years. Normally fewer than half of us bother to vote.

Why is this? Many decisions close to our hearts, such as road maintenance, are made at local level.

One major problem is the influence of the national parties. Under the Conservatives and Labour, powers have been centralised, restrictions imposed and funding cut.

Their involvement confuses the issues. Voters vote on a party’s stance on national or even international issues rather than what is going on in their county or ward.

And one only has to read stories about how the local elections might decide the Prime Minister’s future to confirm that this election will be viewed as a large-scale opinion poll on the national parties rather than any local problem.

But “we are where we are” as the saying goes. The pace at which this radical and complicated reorganisation is taking place might be ridiculous, it might be reckless, but you have a choice to make next Thursday. Unfortunately, no one can tell you clearly what that choice is because no one can even say if West Surrey Council will be solvent.

Good luck!

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