There are important elections coming up in May 2016 around the UK. We know that local government – be they councils, devolved governments or Mayoral cities can play a major role in tackling inequality in the UK. That’s why we developed our Make My Council Fair campaign pack to allow local individuals and groups to work with their local authorities to tackle inequality and poverty.

And many people across the UK are already taking action to make their councils fair but we need a lot more to get involved. The upcoming local elections present a great opportunity to persuade candidates from all parties that tackling inequality and poverty should be at the heart of what they do when elected to office (our briefing note may be helpful here). That’s why we are asking our supporters to ask their local candidates to sign up to a simple pledge:

“If elected, I will endeavour to use all the powers at my disposal to tackle inequality and poverty.”

We are also asking our supporters to:

* Invite their local candidates to sign up to our mailing list so they can receive the very latest information and developments with regard to inequality. 

* Forward any candidate responses to info@equalitytrust.org.uk so we can analyse them (please do let the candidates know you intend to do this).

* Follow up with any elected candidates using our Make My Council Fair campaign pack to help them deliver on their pledge.

And it’s worth pointing out to local candidates that not all the issues require money to be thrown at them. Many just require common sense policies that can be enacted quite easily with the requisite political will, for example promoting 20mph speed limits (road accidents affect the poor far more than the rich) and action to promote credit unions at the expense of payday lenders.

If you live in an area that is not having elections in May, you can still use the Make My Council Fair pack to urge your local representatives to tackle inequality and poverty. We recommend that the questions are asked via the Freedom of Information portal on your relevant local authority’s website as that will probably guarantee a quicker and better quality response than just a letter. 

We also know that such campaigning is easier (and much more fun!) when done as part of a group. If you want to join your nearest local equality group or start one where you live, just contact info@equalitytrust.org.uk and I will be glad to help you.

Everyone has a council, so everyone can make a difference!

Thank you for your support.

Bill Kerry, Supporters & Local Groups Manager