Local election debates are typically centred around pressing local issues, unsurprisingly so. However, this doesn’t imply these elections must only concentrate on minor, parochial matters. I present five key thoughts that candidates participating in local elections all over our nation – whether in small hamlets, bustling towns, or sprawling cities – must take into account to enhance the places they represent.
1. Enhancing local prosperity
Dedicating regional public expenditure towards the local market can help boost area-specific wealth, economic growth, and job opportunities. The book penned by Matthew Brown and Rhian E Jones, called ‘Paint Your Town Red: How Preston Took Back Control and Your Town Can Too’, elucidates the Preston model followed by the Preston city council amidst dwindling industries and austerity. This involved a unique endeavour to generate and decentralise local wealth by assimilating concepts such as community banking, mutual aid, and cooperative models.
Central to this approach was the idea of “switching spending and investment from remote suppliers to local producers and businesses” encompassing “progressive procurement”. Effectively, this required a thoroughly integrated method which didn’t aim at attracting inward investments but rerouting public resources back into the local market.
In 2013, a study found out that out of the £750 million spent by six organisations on products and services, £38 million was allocated to Preston-based firms, and £292 million was spent within the broader scope of Lancashire. The council took the initiative to resolve the 61% leakage of public funds to external suppliers which included national and international entities. The council convinced these six “anchor institutions” to dedicate more of their procurement budgets locally. Consequently, by 2017, the £38 million increased to £111 million of procurement budgets available for Preston-based businesses, and around £486 million was spent within Lancashire. Issues related to scale and capacity were addressed with what was coined as “extreme common sense”. For instance, the council’s £1.6 million budget for school meals was too immense for local providers to vie for practically. Instead of contracting an international or national provider, the council split the budget into batches, each allocated to local farmers.
2. Implementing strategies for integration.
Integration need not be a strenuous, overly political or ideologically controversial endeavour. It leans more towards human interactions, compassion, and bonding. By concentrating their efforts on progressive strategies, local councillors can allocate resources and reinforce systems which already thrive; these range from communal green spaces to men’s workshops, sports organizations to post-school programmes, casual morning coffee gatherings to localized art creations, social spaces enabling positive engagement. The ultimate collective desire is to ensure everyone receives equal prospects, a safe and satisfying life that includes comfortable living conditions, companionship, employment opportunities and enjoyable pastimes, all of which foster a sense of community and optimism.
Any council member who promotes discord within communities by attributing the apparent or genuine lack of resources to ‘the outsider’ rather than the system itself is not merely a populist, but also insincere and lacking originality.
It’s incumbent on our local representatives to dispense with tired, stereotyped discourse, and instead reflect on ways of unifying, rather than disassembling communities. If the principles of what augments joy, reduces conflict, and fortifies relationships within communities elude you, then you’re unfit to represent your community.
3. Address the issues of emptiness and decay
Long after our time, a Green Party representative somewhere will still be advocating for above-store living. Let’s put this into action. Resource personnel within local bodies to conduct audits on existing and potential vacant ‘units’ along the streets. Employ local construction teams to refurbish these units into residences. Effectively communicate funding opportunities.
Should every local body efficiently tackle street vacancy and deterioration, it would alleviate the housing crisis, benefit local economies and commerce, and provide more young individuals with the possibility of envisioning their futures in the towns, villages, and cities where they were brought up.
4. Maintain water quality.
Freshwater bodies, taps, and coastal waters – water quality is a pressing concern across the breadth of Ireland, impacting a wide range of aspects from swimming and drinking to fishing. In the 1980s, Ireland proudly boasted of having approximately 500 rivers in a ‘pristine’ state. Flash forward to today, and a disheartening figure of just 20 present a stark contrast. There is an urgent need for strong legal repercussions for water pollution, alongside robust nationwide initiatives and awareness for improving water quality. It’s a ludicrous state of affairs when heavy rainfall, a phenomenon predicted to increase due to climate change, renders Dublin Bay unfit for swimming. It was recently disclosed that almost 300,000 residents across 15 counties were slated to receive news of their drinking water supply containing dangerous levels of trihalomethanes. There’s no denying that Ireland’s water quality is a crucial issue that needs immediate intervention. The call for a movement focusing on water quality is as important as ever, considering the past efforts surrounding water charges.
5. Waste Disposal
A fragmented approach to waste handling is a glaring example of the problematic trend resulting from local authorities relinquishing their roles in providing this service. This is due to a poorly thought-through privatisation strategy springing from a flawed value system that would inevitably require a reversal for the sake of logic and unity.
Instead of relying on a complicated system of multiple waste collection companies, different types of bins, plastic bags, and overly complex bottle recycling machines, a simplification of waste management systems is desperately needed. Urban and rural areas alike require a unified system of community bins equipped with underground storage, accessible to residents via a paid system. Not only would this be more cost-effective compared to the current complex web of waste collectors, but it would also provide a sustainable solution for the years ahead.