Coun Jane Scullion: Formal start of a new year politically

By Coun Jane Scullion, Leader Calderdale Council

But the real work of Calderdale Council carries on, and there’s no time to relax. We have just had the council’s traditional set-piece Annual Meeting, when we elected a new Mayor of the Borough as well as marking 50 years, yes 50, since Calderdale Council came into being. An historic occasion.

Councillor Ann Kingstone will be wearing the Mayor’s chains of office for the next 12 months, and Councillor Diana Tremayne will be her Deputy Mayor. I wish them both an enjoyable and rewarding year.

It’s a great privilege to represent the borough in this ceremonial role, meeting such a wide range of local people during the year who are all contributing to making our borough a better place, in arts, sports, businesses, charities and across the range of our communities.

The Annual Meeting marks the formal start of a new year politically, too. It’s been a pleasure to welcome after the election our new Labour councillors, Leah Webster, Peter Judge and Shane Taylor who have ensured between them that Ryburn, Rastrick, and Illingworth and Mixenden now have Labour councillors to represent them. And welcome to our other new Labour councillor, Kelly Thornham for Town ward.

Being a councillor can be tough and unrewarding, but it’s also an essential part of helping to keep our democratic processes healthy and strong. As Winston Churchill once said, “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government… except for all those other forms that have been tried.”

So let’s raise a cheer for the fact that we do live in a democracy here in Britain, able to choose or reject our political leaders. Let’s raise a cheer too for all who went through the election ordeal as candidates, whatever party they were representing.

A cheer too for all of you who voted. Some people say that all the parties are the same, but I think this is something both we and our political opponents would agree isn’t true. The different parties have different hopes and visions for the future and for the Britain we want to build – that’s a natural part of a democratic system.

But here’s something less positive to think about: across our borough only about one in three people went to the polling stations on May 2 or cast a postal vote. I know many people feel alienated from the political process and we need to address this. It won’t be easy. For many people just coping day-to-day is hard enough in these tough times. But I want to see a future where more people understand why voting is important – and feel that their voice really can be listened to in the places like our Council Chamber where decisions get to be taken. And not just in Calderdale, it is also important to have a strong voice at the West Yorkshire level. We know we are the smallest of the five West Yorkshire councils, but we are determined to fight for our fair share. Voting matters.