Attention is being drawn to examples such as the city council of Stoke on Trent in the West Midlands where 22 independent councillors were elected last night outside traditional party politics. Independents also won enough seats in Wyre Forest and Elmbridge to run the councils, bringing the number of councils controlled by groupings that aren’t from the main parties, to 17.
One of the big secrets in British politics is that there are over 1700 independent local councillors in the UK. Although not widely reported in the national press, 1,575 independent candidates stood in yesterday’s election. According to the Local Government Association there is usually a significantly higher turnout of voters in seats where independent candidates stand.
For those who do not want to stand for election, the ongoing Faithworks tour is also inspiring and equipping Christians across the UK to engage with recent changes to local government including the establishment of Local Strategic Partnerships. These Partnerships mean that the views of churches and other groups will be taken more seriously by local authorities and enable ordinary people to determine the priority needs of their local area throughout the year - and not only at election time.
Speaking from the Faithworks nation-wide tour which arrives in the West Midlands on 10th May, Steve Chalke said; “The election result in Stoke is highly significant. Along with recent changes to the way local government works, it shows the huge range and variety of opportunities for Christians to make a difference in their communities both with or without the political parties.”
Research published by MORI after the 2001 general election showed that the lack of participation in politics was not due to a lack of interest in political issues. 24% of those aged 18-24 who said they did not vote had been politically active in the sense of either writing to their MP or taking part in a protest march. Although 41% failed to vote, only 11% said they are ‘not at all interested in politics’.
Such findings have also been supported by Christian sources. Whilst the membership of political parties is declining and currently stands at under 800,000, membership of many campaigning organisations is increasing. The four largest UK development charities, Oxfam, Save the Children, Action Aid and Christian Aid have over 2.7 million supporters between them.
Steve Chalke commented; “Many Christians across the country put their faith into practice by standing as candidates for all of the main parties. But for those who are put off by party-politics standing as an independent or joining a local strategic partnership are exciting ways of rediscovering our role at the heart of the community. In a context of falling turnout, it is more important than ever that the Church is ready and equipped to engage with local government wherever the opportunities exist.”
