It’s unfortunate that local elections seem to be increasingly viewed by the ‘Westminster bubble’ as referendums on national politics, which in turn encourages the electorate to think likewise. They should be distinct, more concerned with how councillors are running your local area, with their allegiance to a particular party of secondary importance.
Which is why I’ve long been an admirer of Independent councillors and have voted for them on several occasions. Pleasingly their numbers have increased in recent years after decades of slow decline, with now than more than 2,000 in office and around 20 leading no-overall-control councils.
Hours of yawn-inducing blather extrapolating these local results to the next general election will hit the airwaves on Friday. Think I’ll go for a long walk.
Though I do rather hope Reform do well, as it will give the electorate a couple of years to watch them balls-up local government before casting their vote in the ‘big one’. Once bitten, twice shy…hopefully