Campaigners are calling on the incoming North Yorkshire Council to become the first local authority in England to reject the first-past-the-post electoral system as part of its ambition to become more responsive to and representative of residents across the country’s largest county.
Executive members of the unitary council’s forerunner, North Yorkshire County Council, will next month consider a notice of motion proposed by High Harrogate councillor Chris Aldred to press the government to enable proportional representation to be used for general, local and mayoral elections.
The move comes two months after Richmondshire District Council resolved to lobby the government to “end minority rule” after members highlighted how proportional representation systems were already being used to elect the parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
North Yorkshire-based campaign groups, including Compass, say while the first-past-the-post system originated when land-owning aristocrats dominated parliament and voting was restricted to property-owning men, proportional representation would ensures all votes count, have equal value, and those seats won match votes cast.
They say with MPs and councillors better reflecting their communities, there would be improved decision-making, wider participation and increased levels of ownership of decisions taken.
Electoral campaigners say given the volume of votes which have effectively been ignored at County Hall, the “relatively weak electoral accountability” of the authority has an impact on public procurement, as, without sufficient critical oversight, costs can spiral out of control.
Campaigners admit while there was a crushing defeat for proportional representation at a national referendum in 2011, following canvassing views on doorsteps and in market squares across the county it had become apparent there was a groundswell of opinion backing change in the electoral system.
They said at the last general election while just 41 per cent of the votes in North Yorkshire constituencies were for Conservative candidates, under the first-past-the-post system the Tories secured all seven seats.
Campaigner Georgie Sale said while numerous councils were considering the issue, North Yorkshire’s council should show leadership and embrace a fair and modern voting system.
She said: “People are looking for their politicians to do things that are honest, right and fair and we have got a new unitary council and the opportunity to do something different.
“The bigger the variety of people you have got thinking about a problem, the better the solution you come to. People from different perspectives can bring a fresh set of eyes and new ideas to the table, so it has got to be for the good of us all.
“You could have knocked me down with a feather when it was approved by Richmondshire council and I am optimistic we might get this through at North Yorkshire, but even if we don’t this time, I feel that door is now ready to be pushed.
“In the past Yorkshire has led a lot of political movements, such as to do with factories and working conditions. How proud would we be that it was us that it was Yorkshire making a move to make sure the future is fairer? I would be very proud to be called a Yorkshirewoman after that.”
I hope to make a statement at the County Executive meeting on 7th February. The value of Proportional Representation to our democracy for local and national elections needs to be appreciated. We do have a major problem in getting Conservatives to vote for a new system that will generally give them fewer election successes.
GOOD LUCK it’s the sensible thing to do.
It’s Partly the System
Many are angry and depressed by the dishonesty, corruption, incompetence, and hypocrisy of our national government. Many, including apologists, state that the focus should be on rising hunger, poverty, inequality of opportunity and crises in the NHS and care services. Many are, rightly, concerned by external crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine and the fall-out from Brexit. The behaviour of some MPs is appalling, destructive and frequently useless or self-serving; for example, Owen Patterson and the ex-PM’s attempt to force a rule change. The worst stems from a sense of entitlement and the narcissistic sociopathy of some; however, it is wrong and defeatist to believe that “they are all the same” or that nothing can be done. There are many excellent MPs and candidates who would be excellent given the opportunity. It is significant that MPs representing marginal constituencies are more attentive to the needs and views of their constituents than those with safe seats.
Our First Past The Post (FPTP) voting system rewards the worst. Leaders of winning parties overestimate their righteousness as Blair did with Iraq, Thatcher with Poll Tax. FPTP encourages divisiveness, discreditation of others and discourages cooperation. Essential, potentially unpopular decisions like Social Care or energy policy get deferred – a gross abdication of responsibility. FPTP drives ideological swings such as that between nationalisation and privatisation or endless NHS reorganisations. A small number of swing voters in marginal constituencies determine the government. Had only 533 people voted differently in 2017, we would have had a majority government instead of a hung parliament.
FPTP is inherently unfair. The Brexit Party had 600,000 votes but no MP. Labour needed over 50,000 votes for an MP, but the Conservatives only 38,000. The SNP only needed 26,000 votes but the Green Party, with 800,000 votes, has only one MP. Many believe their votes do not count. The turnout for elections in which every vote counts, Proportional Representation (PR), is typically 5-8% higher than where FPTP is used.
The Conservative’s 80 seat majority is based on only 43.6% of the votes. In 2019 they gained an extra 48 seats with only a 1.2% increase in votes.
The most stable states in the world (Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Finland and Denmark all use PR; the only other European country which uses FPTP is a dictatorship: Belarus. We need PR to improve our lives. Support Make Votes Matter, a UK pressure group.
Thank you Richmondshire Echo for at last printing how undemocratic the UK’s ancient voting system is. Nationally, First Past the Post way of counting votes caused Con & Lab MPs to be elected with around 36,000 to 51,000 votes each respectively. However 866,000 votes for the Greens elected only one MP. Each Lib Dem MP received 336,000 votes.
This crushing unfairness has got to stop.
As a detail, the 2011 referendum was around the Alternative Vote, which another version of FPTP; it does not use the proportion of all votes expressed.
If UK used PR or local and national elections, then people could vote honestly for who they want to win. Political decisions would be a lot more likely to represent the needs of the community.
Thank you Richmondshire Echo for printing how undemocratic the UK’s ancient voting system is. Nationally, First Past the Post way of counting votes caused Con & Lab MPs to be elected with around 36,000 to 51,000 votes each respectively. However 866,000 votes for the Greens elected only one MP. Each Lib Dem MP received 336,000 votes.
This crushing unfairness has got to stop.
As a detail, the 2011 referendum was around the Alternative Vote, which another version of FPTP; it does not use the proportion of all votes expressed.
If UK used PR or local and national elections, then people could vote honestly for who they want to win. Political decisions would be a lot more likely to represent the needs of the community.