Chatting to a resident who lives on Richmond Green the other evening she was saying how distressed she was at the desolation of the area and the fact that she can often not park outside her house because of cars and vans parked there by people working on the building site adding a rather plaintive comment.
“But what can you do?”
That is right up there with comments like “What’s the point?” when you ask if someone voted in an election. It is a very simple point – the more people who vote, the less the politicians like it.
Remember the Referendum – a record turnout and the result none of the politicians or pundits expected. They may talk about proportional representation, but the politicians, especially the radical left or right, love low turnouts.
Consider the ward of Beddington North – blighted by an incinerator, endless issues in Beddington Lane, blighted by a Local Plan that will destroy Green Spaces (Sheen Way Playing Fields and Metropolitan Open Land) and by the destruction of a settled, elderly community in Richmond Green. For the Local Election on May 3rd, there are 8,011 registered voters in the ward – at the last election there was a 42.4% turnout down by a massive 28.8% on the previous election.
So, put the difference between those two turnouts into the context of May 3rd this year – at 42.4% 3,396 people will cast their votes – the higher number represents a 59.55% turnout or 4,770 people – an additional 1,374 voters each of whom have 3 votes. In the 2014 vote that elected the current Councillors, the top three polled respectively 1,299,1,290 and 1,048 votes – those 1,374 people could have and probably would have made a big difference.
“But what can you do?” – PLEASE VOTE – whatever your ward, whomsoever you support, your vote makes a difference for today, tomorrow and future generations.
And of course, if you live in Beddington North, there are three Independent candidates who will make a huge difference in Council:
Tim Foster – Jillian Green – Nick Mattey.
#LOCALANDVOCAL #INDEPENDENTSDAY3RDMAY