Yahoo News Cheltenham Green Party calls for 'fairer voting system' echoed by Lib Dems who took 90 per cent of seats at local elections
Green Party calls to change the first-past-the-post voting system which has hugely benefitted the Liberal Democrats in Cheltenham have been welcomed by Borough Council leader Rowena Hay (LD, Oakley). The Lib Dems secured 36 out of the 40 the seats on Cheltenham Borough Council during the recent elections.
And former Tory group leader Tim Harman, who lost his seat on the authority, raised concerns over one group having all but four seats on the authority. This sentiment was echoed by the Green Party who say it is not good for democracy for one party to dominate a council in such a way.
They said the Lib Dems now have 90 per cent of the councillors on the Borough Council and did this with 52 per cent of the vote. While the Conservatives who polled 25 per cent and have no councillors and the Greens polled a record 16 per cent of the vote and have less than eight per cent of the seats.
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“The Liberal Democrats have long championed proportional representation for general elections and I call upon the Cheltenham Lib Dems to finally support the change when it comes to local government,” A Green Party spokesperson said.
“It is not good for democracy to have one party dominate the chamber in this way. If it hadn’t been for the Green Party and People Against Bureaucracy we really would have a one party town – and I cannot believe even the Lib Dems would support that?
“36 of the 40 councillors across the town are from one party. Leaving St Paul’s and Prestbury as the only areas with representatives from other parties on the council.”
The Greens said they were also concerned over the drop in voter participation with only 35 per cent of the town taking part. In some areas, this was as low as 19 per cent.
Borough Council leader Rowena Hay (LD, Oakley) said her group welcomed the Green Party’s calls for what they see as a better voting system. “As Liberal Democrats, who have been championing the cause of proportional representation for over 100 years, we welcome the Green Party joining us in these calls," she said.
“It may not be in the best interests of the two big parties set to form a government in Westminster - Labour and the Conservatives - but it is in the best interests of this country.”
“Local government is in dire need of a new deal, with more powers being devolved to communities, and out of Whitehall. Now more than ever it seems like communities will play a vital role in finding the answers to the challenges ahead of us, from housing to climate change.”
Proportional representation is an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them. The electoral system used for council elections in England is first-past-the-post. In this system voters cast a vote for a single candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins the election.
When asked if Mr Harman had changed his views on the first-past-the-post system given the Tory presence on Cheltenham Borough Council has been wiped out, he said: “You can argue which system is better forever.
“I don’t think it’s something I would necessarily change. If we had a proportional representation system you’d have a different outcome.
“But I do think first-past-the-post is a better system on the whole. I wouldn’t change the system - I’d change the Liberal Democrats.”
