Bedfordshire residents debate the future of electoral reform and proportional representation

More than 50 people attended a public meeting on Friday, October 30 at Centenary Hall, Bedford, organised by Bedford and Milton Keynes Make Votes Matter. The meeting was called to debate the need for a change in the electoral system from the current first past the post to one that was more proportional.

public meeting panel of speakers | It's my picture

placeholder image — public meeting panel of speakers | It's my picture

Bedford Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was joined on the panel by Ian Sollom, Lib Dem MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Alan Francis from the Green Party in Milton Keynes and Emma Harrison, chief executive of Make Votes Matter.

There was a lively discussion about the different ways the voting system might be changed and what that might mean for the future of British politics.

Emma Harrison answering a question | It's my picture

Questions included: what did the panel think about our current voting system, and what did they think were the challenges if we were to move to a more proportional system of voting? They were also asked about what they thought of the national commission on electoral reform proposed by Andy Burnham and what they would like to see coming out of that commission.

After the meeting, Emma Harrison from Make Votes Matter said: “The call for a fairer voting system is getting louder. From the Prime Minister to the people of Bedford and Milton Keynes, it's clear that politics is not working for voters. All votes need to count; it's time for a more proportional system where all votes matter.”

Neil Mann, who chaired the meeting, said: “I think the current voting system is broken. Every vote should count, but at the moment that simply doesn't happen and I think we finally have a Prime Minister who understands that too.

"We had four great speakers here tonight from different political parties and perspectives who all shared a vision for change. I believe that by coming together we can share ideas and help build momentum for a fairer voting system."

A question from the audience | It's my picture

Cllr Lucy Bywater, who attended the meeting, said: “This was a positive gathering of people of different parties but united in the belief that the current electoral system is not serving people or meaningful democracy. And the panellists offered successfully tested alternatives from elsewhere, demonstrating how very overdue a move to a suitable form of PR is."