At 10pm last Thursday night, council candidates of all colours laid down their leaflets and awaited the verdict of Havering residents on who would be running their borough for the next four years. As one of Havering’s three local MPs, I attended the count at Hornchurch Sports Centre to support the dedicated team of constituency activists who had put themselves forward.
Dawn had broken long before we were to get the full results, although it had become clear as the night wore on that Labour were not making the breakthroughs they had hoped across London and parts of England. In the Romford constituency, the local Conservative team won every seat while in Hornchurch & Upminster, we doubled our number from two to four. With the result leaving Conservatives just shy of a majority, I write this column before we yet know the composition of Havering’s new administration. However, I congratulate all those who were elected, and look forward to working together on issues affecting the community.
The health of our democracy depends on good people having the courage to stand for election, the resilience to campaign, and the determination to make a difference. Among our team were community activists, business people, City workers and those who had raised their children in the area and now wanted to give back. It was a joy at the count to speak to two women who had just got involved in the Party, one a young teacher in her twenties, the other recently retired. In this centenary year of women’s suffrage, MPs are supporting the Ask Her to Stand campaign to encourage women of all ages to put themselves forward for election. However, it applies to every person who believes they have something to offer their community.
I first got involved in elected politics as a local councillor, and found it hugely rewarding. The next council election may now be in 2022, but it is never too soon to get involved in the centuries-old national project that is our democracy.