Opposition parties in Bournemouth have joined the growing call for voting reform in the United Kingdom. Analysis of local election results has highlighted how the Conservatives claimed 94% of the seats in Bournemouth’s Town Hall with only a 35% vote share. The results also show the Conservatives strengthening their hold on the council despite experiencing a 15% drop in their share of the vote since 2011.
“These results do not serve the majority of Bournemouth residents who deserve to have their views represented.” said the Green Party’s Molly Heinrich. “The town’s council makes decisions which affect everybody and decisions should be made in an equitable way; proportional representation would deliver this.”
Local political analyst, Philip Dunn claims that the number of Bournemouth people voting for opposition parties would “…fill AFC Bournemouth’s stadium five times over and still leave thousands queuing outside. These people have been left effectively voiceless in Bournemouth with only three opposition candidates winning seats on the council. The argument for voting reform is getting stronger.”
Speaking for UKIP, newly elected councillor Laurence Fear said “I am in favour of a fair voting system and [I’m] excited about the debate which is taking place around this important issue”.
Both UKIP and the Green Party saw their vote shares rise to 19% and 14% respectively whilst each managed to secure only a single seat. “Under a system of proportional representation UKIP could have expected to win 10 seats in the chamber with the Green Party claiming 7 or 8” said Mr Dunn “With combined support almost as great at the Conservative vote, how can it be fair that supporters of these two parties actually have only 1 councillor each to represent them?”
Speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrats former councillor Lisa Northover said “Our antiquated First Past the Post system is not fit for purpose as it clearly does not represent the views of the people of Bournemouth. We are calling on the council to have an open and honest dialogue about how they will represent the 65% of voters’ views and priorities. As a single party administration, with no effective opposition, they need to ensure there is greater scrutiny and public engagement in the town hall.”
In addition to the Green and UKIP votes, a reformed, proportional voting system would have delivered 19 seats to the Conservatives, with Labour securing 7 or 8. The Liberal Democrats would see themselves with 5 councillors and the chamber would also include 3 Independents.
Phil Dunn
