Alison Bennett's Monday Mail - Representation matters

Welcome to Monday Mail for 08 April 2024, this week I've been reflecting on getting involved in politics, and offer my help to anyone who might be interested in standing for election in the future.

Canvassing in Haywards Heath — We had some new faces join us canvassing in Haywards Heath on Saturday

Getting involved

I am writing this on Sunday evening, having just got home from talking to residents in Burgess Hill. I had a genuinely exciting conversation with someone who has thought several times over the years about ‘getting involved’ in politics, but still hasn’t quite taken the plunge.

I care deeply about making sure that whoever you are, and wherever you come from, politics is for you. One way that we can do this is by trying to encourage people from all walks of life to get involved.

We know that politics has a diversity problem. Research from the Local Government Association (LGA) in 2022 shows that:

The average age of councillors was 60
16% were aged under-45
59% of councillors were male
92% described their ethnic background as white;
64% of councillors held a degree or equivalent or higher qualification

So I thought this week I would share some resources that might encourage you to take the next step.

What does ‘getting involved’ mean?

There is no single thing that being involved in politics should be limited to.

The most obvious thing might be standing for elected office as a councillor or a member of parliament. But no-one has ever won an election without the help of an army of volunteers.

Some people might deliver a round of leaflets each month, others have a poster board up in their garden at election time. Some have skills to share: administration, copywriting, social media, desktop publishing or event management.

Some have no time, but will donate money to help pay for an election campaign.

Do you have skills, time or money to share? Let me know here.

But what if elected office is what you want to do?

There is lots of information out there. A good starting place is this Guide from the LGA.

As one of your Lib Dem councillors in Mid Sussex, I know that we would be more than happy to meet up for cuppa and chat about what we love about being a councillor and why we do it. Reply to this email if you want to set up a time for an informal chat.

Our next set of local elections are twelve months away for West Sussex County Council, and we are really ambitious about taking the council out of Conservative control for the first time in a generation. There is information here about being a county councillor. We are looking for candidates now!

Get in touch.

Finally a shout out to Jon, John and Nelia

We have three by elections on Thursday 2nd May. Two for Burgess Hill Town Council, and one for East Grinstead Town Council.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to our three wonderful candidates, who I am sure will do us proud.

John, Jon and Nelia have all taken the plunge and ‘got involved’.

Could it be you next year?

LISTEN: Representation matters, so why isn’t she standing?

I recently recorded an episode of the Lib Dem Podcast with a panel of brilliant women from right across the country. We talked about what motivated us to take that first step, and what it is like being a female councillor.

You can watch on YouTube.

Or listen on your favourite podcast app or here on Spotify.

Best wishes,

Cllr Alison Bennett
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats

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