Why reform?

The benefits of STV

Representation is shared in each ward, so a much greater number of electors will be represented directly on the council. Because the voters’ preferences are transferable, few votes are wasted and more electors feel directly involved. Importantly, this personal choice strengthens the link between the councillors and those they represent in their wards.

Because each party fields a team of candidates, parties can ensure a broad range of candidates without fear of splitting the party’s vote. It is the voters supporting a party who determine which of its candidates will be elected.

Electors can choose freely among all the candidates. This allows the voters more choice as to whether their councillor will be a man or a woman, have a particular religious affiliation or be from a particular ethnic group and there is much less chance of a voter’s vote being wasted.

STV avoids the need to split natural communities into unnatural single-member wards. The flexibility of STV allows ward sizes to be varied to suit the needs of both sparsely populated rural areas and in densely populated urban areas. In England, many local councils are divided into two or three member wards and there is no evidence of and lessening of the link between electors and councillors. Scotland used multi-member wards until 1974.

Above all, a proportional system will ensure that each party, together with independents, will be represented on each council in fair proportion to their shares of the votes. No longer will there be councils which are dominated by a single party that has the support of only a minority of the voters. This will ensure that in all councils decisions are adequately discussed and scrutinised.