Tomorrow’s local elections in England promise to be the most interesting in a generation. Not since the 1980s have the issues in national and local politics been so inseparable.
Reductions in local government funding are an explicit part of the government’s national economic strategy. The direct, and often immediate, effects of this policy are being seen in local communities as services are withdrawn and capital investment dries up, in the short term at least.
However, the government’s localism agenda is also a key part of the coalition’s national work, with power being shifted from Whitehall to localities. Councils are being given more freedom and the third sector is being encouraged to play a bigger role in service provision.
As voting takes place on tomorrow, people’s views about the efficiency and effectiveness of their local council are sure to be firmly set in the context of national policies. Consequently the local elections are more likely to be a judgement on the government’s localism and Big Society ideas than on the competence of political parties and candidates locally.
It will also be interesting to see how local voting patterns are affected by the performance of the two coalition parties in managing national issues. And, of course, there is the mayoral contest in Leicester – the latest major UK city to follow the elected mayor model.
The local elections will be a very interesting test of how many hearts and minds the government’s combination of austerity mixed with localism and a drive for Big Society has won so far in local communities.
Iain Hasdell is partner and UK head of local government at KPMG
