The centuries old phenomenon of ‘rotten boroughs’ – constituencies so small that they could be easily manipulated by wealthy landowners – officially came to an end with the Great Reform Act of 1832. But are we in danger of creating a modern day equivalent? Yes, says the Electoral Reform Society, in a new report entitled The Great Local Vote Swindle.
Its analysis of the 2006 local elections examines the performance of the electoral system and finds it seriously wanting. Indeed, in six of London’s 32 boroughs and six of the 36 metropolitan boroughs that went to the polls in May, the party which won the most seats had not won the highest share of the vote.
In two cases in London – Haringey and Kingston – the party that came second in terms of votes – Labour and the Liberal Democrats, respectively – managed to win overall control of the council. What the ERS terms the ‘wrong winner’ phenomenon also allowed the Liberal Democrats to become the largest party in Brent, Islington and Camden, despite winning less votes than Labour. In Hounslow, Labour managed to remain the largest party, even though the Tories won more votes.
Outside of London, the Conservatives became the largest party in Birmingham and Kirklees despite winning fewer votes than Labour; while Labour gained more seats than the Tories in Bolton, Bradford and Wirral, where the Conservatives won more votes.
The ERS also identified a number of authorities whose reputations as ‘one party states’ is belied by the voters rather more tentative verdicts. In Bexley, for instance, the Conservatives gained 54 out of 63 seats, having polled just over 50 per cent of the vote. Labour picked up only nine seats despite winning the support of one-in-four voters. In Newham, Labour achieved a similarly lop-sided majority while gaining only 40 per cent of the vote.
In some areas, First Past the Post deprived parties of any representation at all despite them polling more than one-in-five votes. This happened to Labour in Peterborough, the Conservatives in Cambridge, and the Liberal Democrats in Rotherham. Perhaps most pernicious of all, though, were the results from Barking and Dagenham, where the BNP’s 17 per cent of the vote earned them 12 seats and the role of official opposition, while the Conservatives – who, at nearly 19 per cent, came second to Labour – secured only one seat. And they say proportional representation opens the door to extremists