As nearly half of the country prepares for the local council elections on Thursday 3 May 2018, the opportunity to have a say in all that concerns our local communities approaches. These elections, which are held every four years, gives residents the chance to vote for the Council they believe will represent them, act on local concerns and improve local services and facilities.
Increasingly, as power is transferred from central government to the local authorities, there is no need to wait for the general elections to ensure your voice is heard.
With millions of pounds in budgets for education and skills being assigned to the new metro mayors, the coming elections are a key opportunity for us to elect the right people in power with the right priorities. Rising homelessness, deteriorating health care facilities, lack of school places and acute infrastructure concerns, are all issues that councils up and down the country must contend with and a vote for the right candidates will be crucial.
The deadline to register to vote is fast approaching, and the Electoral Commission has released shocking numbers which reveal that approximately 24% of black voters in the UK are not registered, as well as nearly 20% of Asian voters. Further, nearly a quarter of electors with mixed ethnicity are unregistered and therefore have relinquished their right to vote.
The facts are quite simple; you can’t make your concerns heard if you’re not registered to vote and on the electoral register. To check if you are registered, contact your local electoral registration office and it is also possible to register online by going to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote before Tuesday 17th April.
Speaking on behalf of MAB, Mustafa Al-Dabbagh said: “The local council elections are an opportunity for the Muslim community to engage fully with the issues at stake, and I urge them to fully engage with the process and identify the candidates most likely to deliver on what they believe are the priorities of today.”
Muslim Association of Britain
15th March 2018
