Local elections in May - what are your plans?

[Lottapianos]

I'm in despair at how utterly dismal things are. I'm in a safe Tory seat but absolutely no way I am voting Tory. Labour are such an utter disgrace on women's rights, all prepared to pretend that they don't know what a woman is, and seem to just be hoping that we will shut up and go away. Other parties are no better on this issue.

I honestly don't know what to do. It's the closest I've ever come to not voting, something I never ever thought I would contemplate. How are you feeling about it all, and how are you planning to vote?

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I thought Momentum was a labour thing. Are they a political group in their own right?

[Louisianna16]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but reading some of these replies, I get the impression that a few here don't grasp that these are not constituency elections as in By-Elections or GEs, but Council level ones.?
These ppl are going to be running the Services you use locally, setting your Council Tax rates, overseeing your child's education, the cops, the maintenance of your local roads, schools, parks, bin collections, waste etc., for the next 4 years.

So surely voting for the best candidate for ones particular area in local council elections is just common sense, you do have to live with the results after all. Be careful of putting sending a broader political message, tempting though it is, ahead of efficiency.

[XDownwiththissortofthingX]

Just the 'big four' parties standing in my ward, plus Lib Dem, no independents or Alba. The excellent sitting SNP councillor is standing down, so I'll trust his replacement to continue his good work. The Green is standing again thankfully, so that will be 2nd preference, then it'll be 'vote until you boke' with the local Tory at the bottom.

[felulageller]

I'm going to vote for a woman.

I'm not happy with everything the party says/does but they are better than the rest.

[Theunamedcat]

@felulageller

I'm going to vote for a woman.

I'm not happy with everything the party says/does but they are better than the rest.

Why vote for a woman half the time they are the ones dashing to the front to sacrifice themselves

[Cyw2018]

I've been notified that I can bin my ballot paper as there is nobody contesting in my ward.

My friend who is campaigning for re-election (Tory) is fuming about the number of uncontested seats in the county I live (next to the country where she lives/represents), because it is so anti democracy. Where she is the Tory party have got someone contesting every seat (including her 80yo ex councillor/mayor MIL and some reluctant Tory party member and local hotelier who has been promised he won't win only to find out that labour isn't standing anyone against him -whoops).

[HeadNorth]

@MajorCarolDanvers

I'm in Scotland and we have STV for local elections so I'm going.

Labour 1
Lib Dem 2
Tory 3

Won't give a preference to either Green or SNP cause I'm not a nationalist.

The union is the most important issue for me.

I don't fully understand it, but apparently in STV you should 'vote until you boke' - it actually does more damage to give a party your last place votes than to not vote for them at all. Like you I care about avoiding another referendum and more division and I will vote in a similar way. It is a shame as we have an excellent and hard working local Tory councillor but I cannot vote for a party that wants to send vulnerable and desperate people to Rwanda. That is far more evil to me than clumsily attempting to reach an accord on trans issues.

[NoviceNetwork]

Voting Tory for the first time in local elections.

And will most likely vote Tory for the first time in the next general election.

I can't in good conscience not vote or spoil my ballot, as this is a marginal, previously red wall area.

I've always been a floating voter, and don't put much stock in blind tribalism.

But I personally consider myself now a one issue voter, and if the country has to have the Tory party for a few more years until the left come to their collective senses then so be it. I know if that Labour gets in, their activists would consider any woman's vote for them an agreement with their self-ID crusade.

[bestbefore]

Great if you get any choices, we have 2 candidates for local council, Tory or Lib Dem. Both women: the Tory has done a leaflet through the door and the Lib Dem nothing! Our local FB is quite strong and neither are on there. It's awful - why stand but seemingly have such a couldn't care less agenda?!

[LadyCatStark]

Labour as our councillor is excellent and I don’t even know who our Conservative one is. The cost of living crisis is the most important issue for me.

[HRTQueen]

I will vote Labour

im in a Labour safe seat. I’m disappointed with how Labour are progressing and some decisions they have made

[ihmlsnwidhks]

Snp will always get my vote in any election

[KimikosNightmare]

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

Just the 'big four' parties standing in my ward, plus Lib Dem, no independents or Alba. The excellent sitting SNP councillor is standing down, so I'll trust his replacement to continue his good work. The Green is standing again thankfully, so that will be 2nd preference, then it'll be 'vote until you boke' with the local Tory at the bottom.

"good work" and SNP?

[KimikosNightmare]

@Louisianna16

Correct me if I'm wrong, but reading some of these replies, I get the impression that a few here don't grasp that these are not constituency elections as in By-Elections or GEs, but Council level ones.?
These ppl are going to be running the Services you use locally, setting your Council Tax rates, overseeing your child's education, the cops, the maintenance of your local roads, schools, parks, bin collections, waste etc., for the next 4 years.

So surely voting for the best candidate for ones particular area in local council elections is just common sense, you do have to live with the results after all. Be careful of putting sending a broader political message, tempting though it is, ahead of efficiency.

Did you mean to be so patronising? Your point has been more than adequately addressed. And given the SNP are as useless at local level as they are at national level I will be voting for whichever combination is most likely to damage them.

[EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn]

I have two local candidates who know what a woman is & sound passionate about our sex-based rights - one Tory & one Labour. So I’m sorted.

[RainingYetAgain]

@Louisianna16

Correct me if I'm wrong, but reading some of these replies, I get the impression that a few here don't grasp that these are not constituency elections as in By-Elections or GEs, but Council level ones.?
These ppl are going to be running the Services you use locally, setting your Council Tax rates, overseeing your child's education, the cops, the maintenance of your local roads, schools, parks, bin collections, waste etc., for the next 4 years.

So surely voting for the best candidate for ones particular area in local council elections is just common sense, you do have to live with the results after all. Be careful of putting sending a broader political message, tempting though it is, ahead of efficiency.

I agree that the comments are patronising. It is clear from many newspaper articles and comments that these local elections are being regarded as a litmus test for the PM and the government. Many MP s are waiting to see how the Tories perform to decide on their "no confidence" letters to the chairman of the 1922 committee.
So despite the fact that these are local elections, and should be about local issues, they are being viewed as judgement on the Government, so many people are conflicted on how to vote.

[Blimeyherewegoagain]

I fully understand, but policies of a political party will have a direct bearing on how a council deals with certain issues. Eg same sex toilets in school, affirmation of trans in young children, encouragement of breast binding etc. These all fall within education (PSE lessons, school design and layout etc). It takes strong opposition to stand up to that and we need councillors who will challenge things. The Green Party in Scotland is very different to the Greens in England sadly.
It’s not all about potholes.

[Lovelyricepudding]

It is clear from many newspaper articles and comments that these local elections are being regarded as a litmus test for the PM and the government.

They might but they will also be bearing in mind that all governing parties do badly in mid-term local elections.