Will Government dare to hold 2014 European and local elections on same day?
If the local government elections for metropolitan and district councils were to be held on the same day as the European poll, Ukip’s surge of support would encompass town halls as well. We might see some very odd results indeed.
Some people mistakenly believe the Government has already decided on a combined election.
This is not the case, although a DCLG paper sets out why having the two polls on the same day might be a good idea.
The paper states: “It is a fundamental principle that elections must be free and fair, ensuring the free expression of the opinion of the people. Part of complying with this principle is to ensure that elections are accessible and convenient for the voter.
“It is less convenient for voters to be asked to turn out and vote twice within a period of weeks and hence having elections on the same day supports the fairness of elections.
“Previous combination of these two sets of polls, in 2004 and 2009, shows that it is more cost effective to run them as a combined poll than two stand-alone elections on different days. By combining the polls we estimate savings on electoral administration of some £10 million.
“There may also be savings for the political parties in election campaigns being held in combination rather than separately for the local and European Parliamentary elections. And turnout has been seen to increase where this particular combination of polls has taken place in the past.”
The probability of polling on the same day has exercised David Sparks, the Labour group leader on the Local Government Association. The Dudley councillor told the Local Government Chronicle that Conservatives “should be very worried indeed” about Ukip if there was to be a joint polling day.
He issued the warning after Ukip won 139 seats this year’s local authority elections and became the second largest party on five county councils. The Conservatives lost control of 10 authorities, including five where Ukip have the potential to become partners in power.
