The decision to postpone the elections, which were due to take place this May, has sparked outrage, particularly from the Liberal Democrats who recently made significant gains against the Conservatives in the General Election. Alison argues that the move is a blatant attempt to prevent voters from holding the ruling party to account.
"This is totally undemocratic", Alison said in a statement. "By denying local residents their voice and abandoning these elections, Conservative-controlled West Sussex County Council has shown a disregard for democracy. I am particularly apprehensive about when we may see the next elections. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has said elections are only to be postponed for a year – despite the fact that the recent, and much smaller, re-organisation of Mid Sussex District Council’s wards took nearly two years to complete".
Alison, who represents Mid Sussex in Parliament, highlighted the recent history of Liberal Democrat successes in Sussex, including sweeping gains in the General Election, where the party claimed five parliamentary seats. She believes this momentum had set the stage for further Liberal Democrat victories in the upcoming local elections, making the cancellation a calculated move by the Conservative Party to avoid losing power.
“The Conservatives are clearly running scared,” Alison continued. “This is a desperate attempt to cover up their abysmal record on local issues, including financial mismanagement, pothole-ridden roads, cuts to frontline services, and failure to address the needs of children with special educational needs.”
The decision to cancel the local elections was also met with disappointment by many local residents, who Alison says are "rightly fed up" with the current administration. She expressed frustration with the Labour Government’s apparent inaction, stating that Labour knew they could not win in Sussex.
Alison promised that the Liberal Democrats would continue to fight for residents across Sussex, standing up for local communities and championing issues that matter to voters. “Regardless of this setback, we will not stop working for the people of Sussex,” she asserted. “We will keep fighting for a better, fairer future for our communities.”
The suspension of the elections is expected to dominate local political discussions in the coming weeks as residents and political opponents of the Conservatives continue to voice their concerns over the future of local democracy in West Sussex.