You may have already read the news that Crawley Borough Council in a free vote of councillors has agreed to send a letter to the Government requesting postponement of the borough elections, by 17 votes to 14 with two abstentions.
Despite a majority of the Labour councillors present supporting elections to proceed, including myself, it is to my great disappointment that the overall result was flipped by the Conservative opposition who voted heavily in favour of postponement. These things can make all the difference in a close vote. Indeed, the Conservatives moved and seconded the letter of postponement that would be voted on at the end of the debate.
I do not agree with the conclusion, but it would be inconsistent for me to say we want to be democratic but then to ignore the outcome of a vote.
I wasn’t convinced there was sufficient justification to delay elections, but we do not make the final choice, that is still down to the Government to confirm.
It is important, however, to dispel some myths that there is going to be some kind of long term democratic deficit.
In 2027 there will be all-out elections to the new unitary council that will replace this one, not just one thirds. If the consultation remains positive, we will also have elections to the new Crawley Town Council we may well also be bringing into existence. The following year, 2028, is likely to be the election for the Mayor of Sussex.
There is going to be no shortage of opportunities to vote and it is a fairly extraordinary state of affairs that people out there have been able to get the impression otherwise. Those in Government need to reflect how this public perception has been allowed to take hold.
There is a common misconception that the Borough Council delayed elections last year. That is untrue, there were no Borough elections scheduled for 2025, it was the county council who postponed their elections – and they are now asking for a second postponement.
Even after May, two thirds of the councillors on the Borough still retain their mandate because we have elections in thirds, as opposed to the county councillors whose original terms of office have all now expired. Our decision, unlike the county council’s, was done in public with a democratic vote of all councillors.
This isn’t about trying to avoid elections as far as I’m concerned. I believe that most residents recognise that CBC are performing well. We have a successful record of delivery and a strong vision for the future that I am more than prepared to submit to the electorate, with confidence, when the time comes.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council