As the dust settles on the district council elections it is worth thinking about what the result really means.

At first sight the Conservatives, having increased their majority by four seats, have a mandate to press ahead with their policies.

In reality only a minority of the electorate supported them and the result simply demonstrates again the failings of the ‘first past the post’ electoral system.

Green Party candidates standing for the District Council in Bridport, Bradpole, Burton Bradstock, Chickerell, Frome Valley and Sherborne East got over 2,200 votes with percentages ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent This was a substantial vote achieved despite the unfair voting system, but gave us no councillors. The Labour Party also gained decent support but, like the Greens, their constituency remains totally unrepresented in the District Council.

The Conservatives, with 32 of the 50 seats, will no doubt be unconcerned by this democratic deficit, and will continue with cuts and with the unpopular plan for new council offices.

We fear they will turn an increasingly blind eye to the needs of less privileged people in the district. In a time of economic difficulty a responsible council would do the opposite; it would protect and in fact increase the support services for those most in need.

It would raise council tax, parking charges etc so that the whole community shares the cost of helping those in need. If the ‘Big Society’ means anything surely this is it.

In the longer term we must achieve real proportional representation at national and local level.

Governing parties with large majorities based on a minority of the vote, and an even smaller minority of the potential electorate, should become a thing of the past.

We can only hope that the coalition government collapses and the Liberal Democrats negotiate with other parties to achieve root and branch reform that delivers a fair proportional representation system.

Julian Jones

Convenor

West and South Dorset Green Party