Labour plans to delay local elections illegitimate, says Electoral Commission
Postponing ballots in 63 areas risks ‘damaging public confidence’, says watchdog chief
ROBERT WHITE, GENEVIEVE HOLL-ALLEN
Labour’s proposal to delay local elections is illegitimate, the head of the Electoral Commission has said.
Vijay Rangarajan, the commission’s chief executive, said it did not think the Government’s justification was a “legitimate reason” for postponing ballots in 63 areas.
The Government has been accused of trying to subvert democracy after announcing that ministers were considering delaying elections as part of sweeping plans to reorganise local government.
Of 63 councils involved, 26 are Labour-run, 12 are Conservative and 10 are Liberal Democrat. One local authority is run by independents, while no party is in overall control in the remaining 14.
On Thursday, Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, condemned the postponements, claiming they were designed to prevent his party from winning a string of elections next May and spare Labour the humiliation of losing.
The most recent polling on voting intention shows that Reform is on 28 per cent, while Labour and the Conservatives are on 18 and 17 per cent respectively, according to YouGov.
In a statement, Mr Rangarajan said the delaying of elections risked “damaging public confidence”.
He said: “As a matter of principle, we do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections. Extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision-making and damaging public confidence.
“There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters.”
Alison McGovern, the local government minister, wrote to council leaders across the country asking whether they wanted their elections to be delayed.
Ms McGovern told them: “If you voice genuine concerns about your capacity, then we will take these concerns seriously. To that end, the Secretary of State is only minded to make an order to postpone elections for one year for those councils who raise capacity concerns.”
She also requested that authorities respond to her by Jan 15 if they wanted to see their elections postponed until 2027.
‘This uncertainty is unprecedented’
However, Mr Rangarajan said the timeframe would mean those involved in local elections would have only three months notice before the scheduled May elections were expected to begin.
He added: “This uncertainty is unprecedented, and will not help campaigners and administrators who need time to prepare for their important roles. We very much recognise the pressures on local government, but these late changes do not help administrators.
“Parties and candidates have already been preparing for some time, and will be understandably concerned.”
The Electoral Commission provides advice and guidance to the Government, political parties and candidates about running elections. It examines the efficacy of election administration, as well as publishing information about political donations and spending. The watchdog has no powers to stop the delays.
Earlier, Sir Chris Bryant, the trade minister, defended the Government’s plans, suggesting that critics were conspiracy theorists.
The Telegraph: continue reading
Featured image: The Telegraph
Leave a Reply