Bad news for election aficionados. Next year, instead of having local elections in May and then European elections in June, the government has decided to hold both polls on June 4, creating a "super Thursday".
As Paul Waugh has reported on his blog, the Tories believe this is a cunning Gordon plot to minimise the prospects of a leadership challenge if – or when – Labour gets pulverised.
According to this theory, one set of bad results is better than two (although the European ballot papers are counted when the rest of the EU votes at the weekend – which means the figures come out later anyway) and rebel Labour MPs would have less time to mobilise ahead of the summer recess.
Hmmm. Maybe. But funnily enough there's no mention of this in the statement from John Healey, the local government minister, announcing the decision this afternoon. He says:
Like in 2004, holding local elections alongside the European elections in 2009 could help boost voter turnout and improve the democratic process. And avoiding two separate elections within a month will be more convenient for voters, less costly for the taxpayer and more efficient for electoral administrators.
In 1999 turnout in the European elections was just 24%. But in 2004, when they were combined with the local elections, turnout rose to 34.5%. According to Healey, the Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Adminstrators and the Local Government Association were all in favour of combining the two sets of elections next year. And the government reckons it will save £10m on administration.
