Who should I vote for in local elections?

. If you win both, can you get both
Yes it costs you twice as much in expenses that you never quite get back. Also you are left with no freetime.

Yes. It's quite common.

It's called being a "dual-hatted" or "double-hatted" councillor.

I live in Tory central for general elections, there’s never been anything except a Tory MP. Our three ward councillors are LibDem and they do a decent job so I’ll vote for them again. I’ve never voted Tory in my life but would definitely hold my nose if it was the only way to keep Reform out.

@PrincessOfPreschool you just have to choose whether your personal priority is to vote to defeat your least-preferred party or to signal support for your most-preferred party.

Personally I consider voting tactically to be a principled choice because it's about prevention of harm and protecting what matters most (whatever 'harm' means to you politically, obviously across the political spectrum everyone views harm differently).

And what does this have to do with a religious cult being raided ?

As a matter of interest, who do you think OP should vote for ?

You dont think British Jewish people live in local areas? Anyone voting Green is voting for an antisemitic party that has whipped up hatred for Jews in Britain.

Not the greens and not reform. They are two cheeks of the same unpleasant populist arse.

I am in Wales and voting Labour as we now have proportional representation...

Then that was a waste of money as well.

Doesn't excuse Notingham County Council Reform's spent.

This was just one of them - £50k

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/17/hounslow-council-london-rainbow-junction/

Do tell

I’m voting for the guy who works his arse off to make our little town a better place. I’ve seen him litter picking, scrubbing graffiti, repainting road name signs, filling grit bins in winter and chopping loose branches off trees in the park. He has a big social media presence and a good relationship with the council (despite them being opposing sides) so stuff gets done.

On a personal level he’s not my cup of tea and neither is his party, but I will vote for him anyway because this is not really about politics.

My politics are similar to yours OP.

I think anyone who votes for Reform is a naive fool. It’s identity politics - none of their policies stack up fiscally and the small victories they have had have turned into a shambles. It’s not as if they’re a well-organised party with clearly thought-out policies that are just different to my values - they haven’t got a clue and are relying on the usual crowd voting for them “because immigrants”.

For that reason I would vote in any which way I had to in order to keep Reform out.

And just for balance I’d say the Greens are just as bad with their abhorrent leader Zack Hypnotits Polanski.

The Greens and Reform are both just different cheeks of the same arse. Both are inept and potentially could do real harm if given any real power.

Although local elections are not the same as nationals, I’d still be extremely keen to keep Reform out at all costs, and to a lesser degree the Greens too. That means unless the voting system changes, it’s a tactical vote.

Have you seen how much your average rainbow crossing costs?

I doubt very much that those cost £75,000

Money well spent for Nothingham CC?

Have you not seen the Pride flags that Labour, SNP, Lib Dem, PC and Green Party councils have flown over the last decade?

Racists will vote for Reform, that is a given

Just hope that your Reform council will not waste money on flags

Your local council is very much involved in the immigration issue.

If the Home Office decides that a migrant hotel will be opening in your area, it'll be the council that has to decide whether to take legal action to block this.

For the migrants that are there, the council provides care, accommodation and support for child migrants and all asylum seekers with specific needs, housing, integration support, English lessons etc for people granted refugee status, education, health access, language support and community cohesion work for all migrants, and will decide whether refugees get council housing.

It's really not that surprising that Reform are mentioning this in their election literature given that it's voters' number one issue (or second to the economy).

Road surfaces, potholes are a danger to motorbikes and cycles. Does your Council fix what they can?
Traffic Management, LTNs, Buses, Can you get to hospital by bus.
Which party helps you? Which doesn't. I am not in favour of 'tactical voting'.

I'm in an area that has traditionally been Tory with a few Lib dems and one or two independents. There is a swing to the right with Reform growing in popularity. I'd like to vote Lib Dem but fear this would be a wasted vote.
Our local councillor is Tory but has always been very effective and proactive so I might vote for him as an individual.

It isn't an easy one.

I think PAT is saying 'vote Reform'

Ofcourse one only has to look at Kent to see how well that is working out.

Also, it is usually quite obvious who is doing it largely to give back to their community primarily and get involved vs those who are standing primarily as a stepping stone into central government politics later on. Obviously, if there are lots of Reform style ones in that camp, avoid at all cost.

My friend who is already a Councillor is still a Consultant on the NHS. And is standing Tory, but is not a full on Tory style MP. A lot of Councillors do it as a semi voluntary thing to give back to their community, doing 20 hours as so a week, with small salary and little real prestige. It is completely different from central government stuff.