Martin Tod: Elections should go ahead
The Liberal Democrat leader of Winchester City Council, Martin Tod, has said that May's elections should go ahead.
Martin says:
"It’s such a mess.
"Two weeks after the Mayoral elections were put back by two years, the Labour government is now asking councils if we want to delay county, district and unitary elections as well.
"In practice, this means they will be cancelled. County elections have already been delayed by one year and if they don’t go ahead in 2026, I don’t see how they ever will. County Councillors would end up serving seven-year terms without facing the voters: an absolute democratic disgrace.
"I and my Lib Dem colleagues oppose any cancellation or delay to elections anywhere in Hampshire and the Solent – and I certainly won’t be asking the government to cancel or delay elections in the Winchester City Council area. I want them to go ahead.
"Regular elections are one of the most important ways that the public can hold councils and councillors to account. If people don’t like what we’re doing, they can vote us out – and quite right too: that’s democracy.
"Winchester City Council has only ever suspended elections in the event of war or pandemic – and I see no reason to change this now.”