All over for another year...well two actually. (From Borehamwood Times)

All over for another year...well two actually.

12:47am Tuesday 6th May 2008

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The last few weeks of any election campaign are quite draining. The weather wasn’t on any of our sides in recent weeks. We started campaigning in the snow and spent the last three days being rained on from a great height. More than once the Tory teams would pass the Labour teams in Borehamwood and everyone looked as wet and fed up as each other. But actually it was generally well spirited. Contrary to what many would have you believe, out there on the streets we can share a chat and the odd laugh as we criss-cross roads and peoples’ front gardens in an effort to identify votes.

Certainly none of us take any election for granted. And although the Conservatives entered the race in Hertsmere with a large majority last Thursday, we still took our campaign as seriously as any I have been involved in during 25 years of local and national campaigning.

There was a feeling that turnout could be low this year in Borehamwood. Ironically in Brookmeadow where many thought residents might stay away and push the vote down lower than the 24% last year, turn out was up by a third to almost 32.5%. I think that there was a London Mayoral Election effect as people came back from work and went out to vote – spurred on by the big profile campaign that met and greeted them each day in the Capital. Indeed there were some who believing us to be in London – with our 0208 phone numbers – complained when they found out that they couldn’t cast a vote for Boris or Ken, et al.

I think that in fairness the work put in by both the Conservatives and Labour in Brookmeadow helped get the numbers up. In a year when everyone predicted meltdown for Labour, locally in Brookmeadow, the candidate polled over 100 votes more than the number on which he was elected last year. Meanwhile the Tory candidate was elected on the highest Tory turnout in Brookmeadow in recent years (excluding general elections when turnout is often twice as high anyway). Turnout was, sadly, almost unchanged elsewhere in other parts of Borehamwood where in Hillside it rose very slightly to 28.5% and in Cowley Hill where it remained almost the same as last year at around 26.5%.

A great deal of work goes into local campaigns. It’s not just sucking it and seeing how the national picture sits and hoping for the best. Whatever people may think of the parties that get elected, whether you are for or against those that won, at least you know that we all take it seriously enough. If there is any frustration it should be directed at the Liberal Democrats who put up just 5 candidates across the thirteen seats up for election in Hertsmere. You may not back the Tories, you may not back Labour, but at least you had a choice in the polling stations to elect, not elect or boot out. All the major parties should have candidates. If we don’t than beware the rise of the small extremist groups who look for weaknesses in local democracy.

There are no Borough Council elections next year – it’s County’s turn and the European Parliament – so we can concentrate on getting out there, talking and listening to our increasingly diverse communities and serve everyone in the way that we are rightly expected to do, by residents across the Borough.

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