SWU National Organiser & Union Contact Manager Jessie Hoskin reflects on the importance of voting in local elections.
As council election signs spring up in gardens across my neighbourhood, I’m reminded that so much of the politics affecting our daily lives happens locally.
It’s local councils that decide if our streets are clean, our children have places to play, and how much funding our social services get.
These local budgets come partly from council tax, but also from central government – which over the last 15 years has faced austerity budget cuts averaging 40%. The effects were immediate: youth clubs were among the first things to go in 2010, leaving communities without important services, and more broadly effecting communities; where youth services are lost, ‘anti-social behaviour’ tends to go up.
Well-funded councils and proper funding allocation is ultimately a matter of early intervention and directly affects the health of our communities more broadly. When we invest in local services, we prevent larger problems before they develop, saving both financial resources and community wellbeing in the long run.
Despite challenges, local councils still control much of what makes communities work well and which party runs your council shapes these decisions just as much as national government shapes national policy.
Local government is a Trade Union issue
Take for example, the Birmingham residents dealing with bin strikes as a result of the locally authority making huge cuts to wages of the striking workers, the outsourcing that local authorities now have to do as a result of cuts to staffing budgets, and the reliance this then creates on zero hours contracts, and not least the cuts to social work budgets that have a direct impact on workloads and conditions.
The trend toward outsourcing has further weakened job security and working conditions. As councils contract private companies to deliver formerly in-house services, permanent positions with decent benefits are increasingly replaced by precarious employment. Workers often find themselves on contracts without sick pay, holiday entitlements, or pension contributions. This race to the bottom in employment standards directly stems from funding decisions made both locally and nationally.
Social workers provide another stark example, with many now managing huge caseloads due to staffing cuts. This not only creates unsustainable pressure on dedicated professionals but compromises the quality of support available to community members. School support staff, library workers, care providers, and countless other public service employees face similar challenges, making local government funding a critical trade union concern that affects thousands of workers and the communities they serve.
As election season continues, remember that while national politics fills our news feeds, local government determines everything from the buses we take to the parks our children play in and the wages and conditions of the people employed to provide vital services.
Information about local elections and polling stations can be found on the Electoral Commission and Electoral Office for Northern Ireland websites.
Voters in England and Northern Ireland need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in all elections. Voters in Scotland and Wales need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections. However, you do not need photo ID to vote by post.
If you don’t have an accepted form of photo ID and are in England, Scotland, or Wales then you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate to vote at a polling station. Voter Authority Certificates do not have an expiration date.
If you are in Northern Ireland you can apply online for an Electoral Identity Card. In Northern Ireland expired photo ID is accepted to vote at polling stations however the photo must be of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm your identity.
You can also register to vote without appearing on the electoral register if this would be a risk for you.
And you can register to vote if you don’t have a home address.
For more information about anything mentioned above you can go to the Electoral Commission website for England, Scotland, and Wales: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk
If you are in Northern Ireland, for more information about anything mentioned above you can go to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website: https://www.eoni.org.uk