The Town with a council but no councillors.

The news that no candidates have been nominated for the entire Aspatria town council election with 15 seats, is a worrying development for the town and its residents. However beyond the parish of Aspatria boundary, this situation raises serious concerns about the state of local democracy in the UK and highlights the disconnect between elected representatives and the people they are supposed to serve.

Aspatria is not the first town to face a lack of candidates for local council positions, and it is unlikely to be the last. The problem is a symptom of a broader issue: a lack of engagement and participation in local politics. Many people do not see the value of local government or feel that their voices are not being heard. This is especially evident in areas served by town councils rather than smaller local parish neighbourhood village or community councils.

All are equal in status as all are legally a parish council that serves a defined parish area but have alternative name styles they can choose with a town having the ability to call it’s self a town council and have a ceremonial mayor as well.

The wider lack of interest in local politics is understandable to some extent, given the many challenges facing small towns and rural communities in the UK. Many people feel disillusioned with the political process and do not believe that their elected representatives are capable of addressing their needs and concerns.

The situation is amplified with a wider lack of understanding about the different levels of local government and what each does and often issues people have with upper tier authorities are blamed on parish councils and councillors.

However, the consequences of a lack of candidates for local council positions are dire. Without a functioning town council, the people of Aspatria will be left without a functioning local layer of local government and functions the council should if running properly serve. Aspatria Town Council also has a number of assets like other town and parish councils ranging from allotments to play parks to public toilets as a few examples.

With no functioning council no functions can be carried out by the council and no bills paid legally by the council.

Parks and recreational facilities may go uncared for and may have to be closed, items like local planning decisions will have no representation made from the town council as a statutory consultee to represent the local community on planning applications.

Moreover, this situation raises questions about the effectiveness of local government in the UK. If local councils cannot attract enough candidates to fill their positions, how can they claim to be representing the people they serve? This lack of representation undermines the very foundations of local democracy and calls into question the legitimacy of the entire system.

The fact that there are still other levels of local government and neighbouring communities will have functioning town and parish councils will hold little consolation for residents of Aspatria who will be paying a parish present on there council tax bill fo a council that they will no longer have working for them. Without a functioning town council, Aspatria will be at a significant disadvantage when it comes to advocating for its needs and interests at the local level.

The new Cumberland Council as the upper tier local authority in charge of Aspatria must urgently find a solution to this problem. The first legal function will be the appointing of 3 councillors from the Cumberland council on an interim basis to enable the council to legally pay bills and conduct basic legal functions until local candidates come forward and can be co-opted onto the council as councillors.

If this does not happen then a community governance review would need to be conducted looking at options that could include merging Aspatria's council with that of a neighboring town or parish council or dissolving the council fully meaning the town would no longer have a town or parish council serving it and all assets would become the property of Cumberland Council to manage.

This would also mean that residents would no longer have a parish precept to pay on there council tax but would also mean they would have no local representation or council serving the town.

The lack of candidates for the Aspatria town council election is a serious issue that highlights the need for greater engagement and participation in local politics. Without a functioning town council, the people of Aspatria will be left without access to important local services and resources the council delivers, and the legitimacy of local democracy in the UK will be called into question. 

This situation is not unique even in other parts of Cumbria only 33miles away in the parish of Sockbridge and Tirril two small communities find themselves in exactly the same situation a parish council with no candidates, resulting in no councillors and a parish council that can not function without intervention by the upper tier authority to appoint people to the council in something that resembles actions from soviet era Russia with local committees appointed by central government with no democratic say on the appointment of those who run the most local grassroots level of local government serving the community.

This situation must be addressed urgently, before the damage becomes irreparable as it spreads and more communities find themselves without functioning town and parish councils.

with the wider risk to democracy how can we get more people engaged in local government and protect democracy and the system of local government at its most grassroots level?