15th June 2009

I was disappointed when John Harrison lost the recent Mayoral election.  As a local resident I thought John's record in office and his vision for the borough meant he deserved re-election.  But it was not to be.  A thoroughly decent man John probably paid the price for national political problems not of his making.

I wish the new Mayor Linda Arkley well in her second term of office.  Our political outlooks are different but I am confident that we can work together when it is in the interests of my constituents.

There is however one feature of the Mayoral election which I believe Westminster should learn from.  Having a system of proportional representation means the Mayor eventually wins with more than 50% of the vote albeit after counting the second preferences.

The recent parliamentary expenses row demands action and gives the opportunity to look at the wider issue of electoral reform.  Proportional representation would ensure that MP's had the support of at least half of the voters in their constituency - and keeping the constituency link would be important.

Some may argue that proportional representation offers a voice to extremist parties.  The Mayoral election showed just how little support the extremists attracted.  But proportional representation does demand that parties have to have a wide appeal to maximise their support.

Instead of looking at proportional representation from the standpoint of what benefits a political party we should be looking to an electoral system which reflects the interests of the widest possible group of voters.