Politics

Electoral reform is needed now

Like many people in the vale, I’m trying to shop locally. Shopping in Shaftesbury can be a perilous experience, with the narrow streets and narrower pavements. Add a buggy or a dog into the mix (or both as I foolishly tried the other day), and you’re either forcing or being forced into a road of buses, vans and private vehicles. Most people in Shaftesbury know this – that’s why the majority support pedestrianisation. A lot of residents are also frustrated that the pedestrianisation scheme from the height of covid hasn’t returned yet, and that on market day stalls aren’t allowed to face into the road. So what’s going on? It seems after some heated arguments the Town Council took a decision on pedestrianising, but Dorset Council won’t allow them to do it. I also heard our local county councillor on Alfred stating that he believes Dorchester won’t allow the town to pedestrianise until 2026. 2026! That’s four years of bureaucratic paralysis, as we endure more near misses between busses and prams. Do you ever get the feeling that local government just doesn’t work? That the clear requests and requirements of individual towns get lost in chambers the other side of the county? I’m increasingly convinced the reason for this is the system. In Dorset, I fear we will only realistically get Conservative unitary administrations. Despite getting 40 per cent of the vote, the ‘first past the post’ system will invariably deliver them a majority. Without the risk of losing power, there is less incentive to wield power better, or more promptly. We need a system for electing local governments that gives greater power to the voters, and more risk to the politicians. Under Labour, Scotland introduced a system of proportional representation called ‘Single Transferable Vote.’ The Welsh government is heading in the same direction. With this system, single party local majorities are very rare. Rather, politicians of different tribes are forced to work together to form ‘broader tent’ administrations that reflect the wishes of a larger proportion of the electorate. Perhaps this is what we need in England too? But with the glacial pace of electoral reform in this country (exhibit A – the House of Lords), we stand more chance of seeing Shaftesbury town centre pedestrianised first.

Greg Williams, on behalf of Dorset Labour

Mike Chapman, for Liberal Democrats across the Vale

Step up, join in – find your voice

There are things that people ignore at their peril like speed limits and wearing seat belts. There are things we are uncertain about such as fluoride in drinking water or sulphites in wine. Then, there are things that I, for one, actively dislike such as Brexit and profiteering energy suppliers. Let us leave Brexit. It is what it is, imperfect and, often, impossible. We must get on with tackling non-Brexit issues and needs. Let us leave energy prices, too. The Government knows that it will be in trouble if energy prices are not affordable, if they render our economy uncompetitive and lead the nation in an upward spiral of inflation. I hope we can all be blackmorevale.net

confident that a solution is at hand. On covid, as Benjamin Franklin said: “…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”. So, when it comes to covid vaccinations, it defeats me why anyone by their own inaction would want simultaneously to increase the incidence of both certainties. In the dreary days of January, it is a challenge to know how can we find a local voice to balance up what might be called WhitehallKnows-Best (WKB) policies? For Housing, that WKB diktat comes as “Meet these algorithmic housing targets plus any the metropolises around you fail to meet.” For Agriculture: “Feed us competitively whilst maintaining welfare standards and our countryside while we throw open the doors with our trade deals”. For Social Care, the toughest call of all: “We promise to give you some more money but can’t say

when or how much because we will have to take it back from elsewhere and we haven’t found a way to do that.” There is no joke here. This is Central Government laying off achieving outcomes. This is politics in tooth and claw. Not red, but blue and cold and calculated. Listen, though, to the schools, the villages and towns, the small businesses, bigger organisations, voluntary groups, the elderly and vulnerable. The grumbling is tinged with real fear about the costs and inflation. We need a better debate about impacts and priorities. This week’s tag line is “Step Up, Join In.” Four words, not three but who’s counting? New Blackmore Vale, 21st January 2022

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