Letter: Local Democracy Is On Its Knees

Published on: 16 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 16 Mar, 2026

From David Roberts

In response to: Local Elections Explainer

This whole election cycle is pretty disillusioning.

The issue is not so much that various local elections have been postponed. Or that the local government reorganisation was never subject to public consultation.

Or that two unitary councils are the least popular solution, according to opinion polls. Or that this is a transparent stitch-up by Labour and the Tories to outmanoeuvre everyone else.

Or that the historical Tory majority continue to squat with their allowances in Redhill as a zombie council long beyond the four years they were elected for.

Or that it’s going to be first-past-the-post again. Or that each new councillor will have to cover multiple old wards, for five rather than four years, with the loss of touch that implies.

Or that all this is the diametric opposite of the “devolution” promised.

No; the issue is that hardly anybody has noticed, and most of those that have don’t care.

British local democracy really is on its knees.

Responses to Letter: Local Democracy Is On Its Knees

John Murray Reply

March 17, 2026 at 1:54 pm

Poor David Roberts. With at least five parties standing in the forthcoming county council elections he thinks democracy is somehow on its knees.

And the alleged Labour-Tory “transparent stitch-up” is most intriguing. My dictionary defines a “stitch -up” as “something arranged in a clandestine manner”, so “transparent stitch-up” sounds like an oxymoron. Still, if he has evidence of Labour and the Tories colluding over local government reorganisation perhaps we could hear about it.

The decision to have two authorities rather that three in Surrey was taken by the government which does not need the support of any other party, least of all the Tories.

And he doesn’t like the first-past-the-post system which allows residents to connect to their elected member. Perhaps he prefers PR, whereby there is no connection and minority parties can exercise disproportionate influence (the tyranny of the minority) as we often see in EU countries.

No system is perfect but at lest we have a democracy. If some people prefer not to take advantage of it that is a matter for them.