A (mostly) impartial guide to today’s elections in Crawley

What elections are taking place today?
Crawley Borough Council elects a third of its councillors in three out of every four years, so one third of seats on the council are up for election today. This year, Gossops Green and North East Broadfield is the two-member ward to miss out on a borough council election.

In addition, because West Sussex County Council delayed their election last year (the year when the borough council isn’t up), county council elections are also taking place, with every seat up for election for a notional three-year term.

Lastly, due to a borough councillor stepping down, there is also a by-election taking place in Three Bridges. As a result, people will get two votes on this ballot paper and parties are running multiple candidates, with the top-placed candidate getting the full four-year term and the second-placed candidate getting what remains of the former councillor’s term.

Different local services are the responsibility of each of the two councils, both of which are due to be replaced by a single unitary authority in 2028 (although temporary councillors will be elected next year to provide democratic accountability through the transition phase. A breakdown of the general responsibilities of each type of council can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works

Who is running for election?
There are lots of candidates this year, with each of the main five parties running in most of the town’s wards and some smaller parties too. You can find a full breakdown of district candidates here and county candidates here.

Labour currently run Crawley Borough Council and due to only a third of seats being up for election, it’s unlikely the party will lose control of the council this year.

West Sussex County Council is currently Conservative-controlled. It is thought unlikely that they will retain their majority, but it remains uncertain which–if any–party can secure a majority.

How can I vote?
You need to be registered to vote (to register for future elections go tohttps://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote) and a big hint is if you received a ‘polling card’ in the post from the council.

Chances are you are already registered. You don’t need your polling card to vote, but you do need ID. To find your local polling station and what ID you need, click here. There are lots of different forms of valid ID, but if you don’t currently have one, you can apply for a free ID to vote with from the council by going to https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

If you haven’t voted before, the process is quick and easy. In each polling station there will be people at desks, they will take your name and address and issue you with your ballot papers. There are alcoves set up for your privacy. Simply put a cross clearly in the box next to the candidate(s) you wish to vote for (if you put anything else on there you vote might be excluded from being counted), fold the paper in half and put it in the relevant ballot box.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm (anyone queuing at that time will still be able to vote…not that a queue is likely at a local election).

If you are a postal voter who has forgotten to post your ballot back you can take it in to any Crawley polling station before 10pm (you can apply to vote by post by going to https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote).

If you have accidentally lost or spoilt your postal ballot you can get a replacement by contacting the council before 5pm. Emergency proxy votes (where someone else votes for you) can also be issued up until 5pm, by going here: https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/voting-by-proxy (non-emergency proxy votes for future years can be applied for here).

Who should I vote for?
Up to you.

Clearly, as someone deeply involved in Crawley Labour, I’m going to be voting for my local Labour candidates. Beyond loyalty to my local party and the good work it has done for decades, building the facilities we now take for granted, the reality is that as the second longest-serving council leader in Crawley’s history, I can honestly say that reading through each party’s proposals, at present Labour is the only party with a clear set of proposals for the town which are sensible, affordable and deliverable.

To some extent, that’s not entirely the other parties’ fault. Where people have no experience of local government, they’re not going to know where the genuine areas of choice are in the system and they still need to be able to put something on their leaflets, which is why we saw so many newly-elected Reform-led councils comprehensively u-turning on their promises last year.

However, for those of us who do understand things like council finance, the holes in their commitments are glaring (the misunderstanding of Housing Revenue Account debt is particularly terrifying for anyone who thinks we need more council housing). If they are serious about wanting to run things, they have a duty to the town to get their head around what needs to be done and how they can deliver it, a point I dedicated my column in the Obby to last week.

At the end of the day, local elections don’t decide who is in Number 10, but they do decide who allocates a quarter of all public spending. It really is worth taking seriously.

Lastly, if your top goal is to stop reform, tactical voting websites are recommending a vote for Labour in every Crawley ward other than Maidenbower.

Whatever your politics, it’s worth remembering that a lot of people made a lot of sacrifices for you to have the chance to be able to vote, that many people in the world are still prevented from exercising this basic right, and that Government consistently prioritises the needs of groups who consistently vote over those which don’t. At the end of the day, when you vote, you have a voice.