Lib Dem-run Woking Borough Council leads call for fairer voting system

Liberal Democrats running Woking Borough Council called for a fairer voting system for both national and local elections.

Lib Dem councillor and parliamentary candidate, Will Forster, proposed a motion calling on the government to change legislation to allow proportional representation to be used for elections. As a result, Lib Dem Leader of Woking Borough Council will now formally write to the government, as well as Woking's current MP, to voice the growing concern of people in Woking.

Proportional representation (PR) is a voting system where seats won are in proportion to the votes cast. This system is used in over 80 countries, and is widely seen to be more representative than the UK's current 'first past the post' system, as it allows greater choice for voters, and ensures few votes are wasted. The UK's current system is not always representative, as the winning candidate does not need necessarily need to win a majority of votes to win a seat.

Will Forster said, "I was pleased that Woking Borough Council supported my motion to lobby for proportional representation. Unfortunately, the Council does not have the legal power to hold elections, either local or national ones, by proportional representation. However, Woking Borough Council will now join a growing list of other local authorities calling for a fairer voting system.

"We believe our current 'first past the post' voting, is fundamentally flawed. Our political system is broken, and recent events in Westminster is clear evidence of that. Proportional representation for local and national elections would ensure everyone's vote counts, not just those that live in marginal wards and constituencies. We want to make seats won represent what voters really want."