Sampling voters' sentiments

The local election results this month will be used as a barometer of the national political climate and, in particular, the extent to which the Labour Government and its leadership will stay in control.However, local elections are about much more than speculating about our future national politics. Council elections help decision-makers understand how people feel about their local place and quality of life. The reality is that too few of us feel in control – whether about the roof over our head, special needs support for our children, or heating and food we cannot afford.We talk a lot in this country about measurements of economic growth, but seldom do we examine the true cost of economic exclusion and disempowerment.It is this kind of frustration and dissatisfaction that is leading people to reject traditional political choices. Using your vote to express deep dissatisfaction about the lack of control you feel over your life, your place and how the economic system does not work in your interest, is arguably a deeply democratic act.One defining feature of this election is that there will be many more new councillors taking the helm at local authorities across the country, most of them for the first time. Regardless of the international or national debate, they will have to make decisions about what kind of local economy their places choose to build, in whose interest that economy works and who benefits from public money spent and private growth created.The best councils work with residents to help restore that sense of control over their lives. This is more important than ever, given that the cost of living pressures may only get worse in the context of a prolonged US-Iran war. The impact of global and national shocks are felt most keenly not in Westminster, but in town halls. This is serious, difficult work with no easy answers.The way local elections are often portrayed in the media reveals the lack of understanding at a national level about the deeply important role local authorities play in delivering economic and social justice. Sometimes, pundits suggest that running a council is merely a question of emptying bins and filling potholes. The reality, however, is that the work of our local authorities is often about reimagining how places can be better and how quality of life can improve.It is about how services can better support and reach diverse communities, using place leadership to gather organisations and people together to create a better future. Effective local authorities recognise they can flex their own economic power through functions such as service design, recruitment and finance to address economic and social need.Newly-elected councillors will have to grapple with the long shadow of austerity. Rising demand and constrained budgets is a very real challenge. They will need to navigate trade-offs between balancing the books and delivering effective services.The best councils work with residents to help restore that sense of control over their lives. This is more important than ever, given that the cost of living pressures may only get worse in the context of a prolonged US-Iran war. The impact of global and national shocks are felt most keenly not in Westminster, but in town halls. This is serious, difficult work with no easy answers.New councillors will also be crucial when it comes to control over current and future devolution. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act received Royal Assent last week, which should help to reprioritise decision-making in favour of locally-elected leaders.Councillors will be instrumental in helping to deliver this ambition – not only through local government reorganisation, but potentially resetting the political balance of mayoral combined authorities. Their ability to operate effectively and deliver on strategic growth plans will be impacted by who leads many of the councils up for grabs this week.What we have learned from other areas is that it is possible to convene leaders around the mayoral cabinet table on a shared agenda for place. However, we have also seen that in the absence of political consensus, inertia quickly settles in for the long term.The ramifications of these elections go far beyond crystal ball gazing ahead of the next General Election. Local elections are a crucial barometer of peoples' feelings and emotions about where and how they live. The best response would be for national politicians and pundits to start listening.Sarah Longlands is chief executive of the Centre for Local Economies (CLES)

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ELECTIONS

Sampling voters' sentiments

By Sarah Longlands | 05 May 2026

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