By James T

On May 7^th, many local councils across the UK are holding elections to elect new councillors. Gordon’s School is located in the Surrey Heath area, in the Lightwater, West End, and Bisley Ward, which is in the soon-to-be-created West Surrey Unitary Authority. Its sounds very complicated, and that’s because it is. Local government across the UK is hard to understand, and that is why the government has tried to simplify things by merging councils together and combining authorities.

Local councils are the authorities who are in charge of local matters and have no control over national issues. They are in charge of:

• Child and Adult Social care
• Schools and Education
• Rubbish collection / Recycling
• Housing and Planning Permissions
• Libraries and Museum upkeep
• Roads and Pavements – This includes POTHOLES
• Sports facilities and Public parks

Local Elections are used for voting who should represent the area you live in and how the local council should be run. These elections are important, not just because they impact how our new council will operate, but because they also are a sign of how well the current government is, well, governing. If the populace believe the current government are running the country well, then they will get voted for and will control many councils, but if not, they will control very few. It is expected this year, according to most political analysts, that Labour (the current government) will perform terribly in these elections due to the unpopularity of Keir Starmer and the general frustration aimed at the government.

Those who are 18 and older can register to vote in the UK by applying to add themselves to the electoral register, however they will not be eligible to vote on May 7^th if they have not done so because the deadline for registering was the 20^th of April. However, I would still encourage anyone who has not yet done so to register to vote, as it means that you can vote at the next General Election in 2029. The Electoral Register is not automatic; do not make that mistake, you must register yourself. It only takes 5 minutes to do so, and requires your National Insurance Number, but it is worth it. It also helps to increase your credit score!

I would greatly encourage everyone who plans to vote to do their own research on who to vote for in these elections, but I know that most people won’t. In this election, voters in the Lightwater, West End and Bisley Ward (where Gordon’s is situated) will get two votes, meaning that we can vote for two candidates. There are twelve candidates available to vote for:

1. Graham Alleyway – Independent
2. Wendy Evans – Independent
3. Adrian Page – Independent
4. Peter Appleford – Reform UK
5. Malcolm Newsbury – Reform UK
6. Ian Gibbs – Green Party
7. Sophia Hodgeson – Green Party
8. Tony Henderson – Conservative
9. Rebecca Philips-Evans – Conservative
10. Shaun Macdonald – Liberal Democrat
11. Julie Hoad – Liberal Democrat
12. Richard Claridge – Labour

However, these are only the candidates in the Lightwater, West End, and Bisley Ward, so the candidates that you have available may be completely different as you may be in a different area. Please check your Poll Card (the reminder sent to those who are eligible to vote) for more information about your ward and check online as to who the candidates are.

It is also important to remember that you MUST bring ID with you to be able to vote. This includes things like your Passport or you Drivers Licence. Do not forget to bring ID, as you won’t be able to vote without it. The Poll Card is not an accepted form of ID.

In conclusion, I hope you vote on the 7^th of May – your vote counts.