The Garforth Gazette

(Quick note- there will be a lot of text ahead! Also, everything written here is simply my informed opinion.)

Hi everyone! Now, the political results for every ward in the Leeds area have been announced. There have been interesting trends in general voting, including the departure of the two-party system that we of the UK public have seen for a very long time, with politics becoming a seven-party battle for relevance, and social media being used as a large vehicle for political messaging.

Garforth and Swillington is in a unique position compared to surrounding wards due to a very vocal and present Independent presence. Mark Dobson of the Garforth and Swillington Independents recently maintained his seat, winning 5007 votes, having, alongside his colleagues Suzanne McCormack and Sarah Field, carved out a distinct identity in the local area- a voice far removed from national politics.

In a town like Garforth, this hyper-local approach is something that has worked in this case. Some have described this local election as a ‘two-horse race’ between Dobson of the Independents and Butterfield of Reform, but according to The Garforth Gazette’s not infallible judgement, I believe that the battle was more similar to Mark Dobson of the Independents against the national influence of Reform as a political party- and even then, it was not simply Reform that the Independents were contending with.

To consider other factors than the influence of a former Labour-majority Leeds council and the remnants of Conservative leadership, as well as growing Green sentiment amongst young people is to provide a different focus to a wider, more holistic issue- although not a wrong opinion altogether! As an attendee and documentarian of the hustings, it was notable that the Reform candidate did not attend. This was important- as it is representative of a trend plaguing this election in particular… national political identity vs. the practicalities of what it is to be a local councillor.

In other words, a factor that I believe lead the Garforth and Swillington Independents to victory was their constant focus on the hyperlocal and the practical. Cllrs Suzanne McCormack and Sarah Field were in attendance at the Garforth Peace Flame unveiling, for example. A large point of importance to residents seemed to be ‘do they live here? Do they genuinely care about us? Have they made points to the council of how they will support us? How does Garforth maintain a community?’

It isn’t to be ignored that Garforth is a town with the largest age distribution group being 50-59. This group may be less likely than a younger demographic to engage with social media campaigning- so showing up to in-person events and in the street may well matter more to them.

The electorate certainly did show up… while 48.82% turnout doesn’t seem like a high rate on its own, it is much higher than the overall 41.49% turnout for Leeds.

For areas like Garforth, boots-on-the-ground campaigning is greatly appreciated, starting at the grassroots level. In an ideal world, we would know personally and have met all of our councillors, and know exactly what they would do to help people- regardless of their age, race, gender or orientation.

In the case of wider trends…

In Leeds, I can’t help but see the effects of talks at Westminster splayed out across the whole city. Reform and the Green Party, the new populist right and environmentalist left, reported gains across the city, but notably in spaces like Cross Gates and Whinmoor and Killingbeck and Seacroft for Reform- as with Headingley and Hyde Park, along with Chapel Allerton for the Greens. These are among others, of course!

There is a sense of political dissatisfaction in the air- a certain rejection of what has been seen in years of sluggish politics and low Prime Ministerial approval ratings (22% according to YouGov). There are talks for Keir Starmer to resign due to this, but I don’t think that it is just him.

The United Kingdom is facing a time of unprecedented economic anxiety, unstable geopolitics and the questionable ties that come with it, and a sentiment echoed around by many- ‘is this how it’s going to be forever?’ There is a loss of faith in the establishment… or perhaps what people view as the establishment.

Another thing…

In these elections, the local is affected by the national, as the national affects the local.

Because of this effect, a local ‘paper candidate’ (that is, a candidate who is widely unknown in-person, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster) with no associated image can win by thousands of votes by association with their party.

And… another thing!

Social media has an enormous influence on this election (like it has for at least fifteen years) and continues to be a large part of the process for younger voters. In Garforth, although I believe factors other than social media made and broke this race, many citizens of the ward observed that there was something of a social media exchange between Dobson and Butterfield, the two most vocal candidates online- with each invariably mentioned in the others’ comment section.

Most of the information that was readily available about each candidate could be found on social media (since no one ever knocked on my door to speak to me!)

In conclusion, I really do believe that these council elections are a predictor of a much different political race. One obstacle that The Garforth Gazette thinks that we will face as citizens over the next few years is mis and disinformation surrounding national policy- and which parties truly have the best interests of citizens at heart.

I would, if I could do one thing, convince people to read political manifestos. Examine policies. Think critically. Soon enough, we will see how parties in action impact their communities as newly-elected councillors engage politically. 

This won’t be our last election day, you know!