Last night I hosted our second evening for potential local government candidates, this time in Chatham & Aylesford constituency. A review of the first evening, held in September last year in Tunbridge Wells, can be read HERE
Last night we welcomed eight potential new candidates, six of whom we have never met before. These are people who received our invitation (here) and applied to come along to find out more. Of these I suspect six will apply to join the 'approved list'.
One chap told me that he has wondered about how to become a local councillor for 5 years and didn't think the political establishment wanted people like him. Another potential candidate is 23 and told me that he simply didn't know how to go about it. We also had one of the best known charity workers in the town, a local church youth club leader, a taxi driver, a shop manager and a former LibDem councillor who joined the Conservative Party 3 years ago and would like to go back onto the council.
Too often I hear Associations complain about the lack of good local candidates. This is nonsense. People are out there, ready and willing and just waiting to be asked !
I agree with your last comment - the problem is trying to find these people sometimes! I've had first hand experience of the difficulties in trying to find and/or convince people to run, both in urban London and rural Devon. That said a constituency mailshot advertising for candidates is probably a good way to go. I fear though that the costs would be too prohibitive for our less affluent associations, particularly the rural ones.
ReplyDelete