09 July 1999
An all-party alliance has thrown its weight behind the association to end low turnouts and one-party states in local government.
The Blairite New Local Government Network, the lobbying group Make Votes Count and the Electoral Reform Society, along with the LGA, are seeking to persuade the three main political parties to commit to electoral reform in local government.
David Williams, Lib Dem leader of the London Borough of Richmond, said: 'The crisis in local democracy has become so profound that we cannot afford to ignore the failings of the current system any longer.'
Graham Leicester of the Scottish Council Foundation said: 'New systems have already been shown to work well for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections, and will be used for the new London authority.'
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