Immanuel Selvaraj’s Post

Time for the quadrennial posting of this poem as I have started to hear about lots of great people getting prepared to step up to run in Municipal elections in the Fall. On Saturday October 19th all Municipalities within Nova Scotia will be holding municipal elections. Elections are an opportunity for people to get involved in local government, have their voice heard, select those that will make important decisions for your municipality, or maybe even run for a seat on council yourself. I am excited by those who want to work towards positive change, and encourage everyone to learn more about municipal government. Your Name on the Ballot On the third Saturday in October citizens will be heading to the polls To vote for many potential councillors with very different goals. Some candidates will think the current council they must overthrow, While others feel there’s nothing wrong, and look for status quo. So whether you believe that when voting you are the only choice, Or maybe you just have great ideas and want to lend your voice, The tips below are sent to you whether a newby or returnee, I hope that they help Nova Scotian councils be all that we can be. Go in with your eyes open, to different opinions you must not be blind, It is devastating to a community when you go in with a closed mind. When it comes to direction everyone never agrees to the absolute, Minds work better when open, just like a parachute. Next, don’t make promises that you may not be able to fulfill, And know that for friends and family this could create ill will. Whatever your idea, and how great a notion, Work with the facts, before the emotion. Don’t be the councillor with an agenda of only one topic, Lacking foresight or scope is known as myopic. If you are fortunate enough to make it through the election, Be a great councillor and work towards collective direction. If you find yourself on council, in staff you should trust, Relying on their experience is surely a must. And please don’t forget to read the all important MGA, It’s the document that is used to guide you on your way. The next tip to me is a bit of a pet peeve, But I continue to hear it from those who believe, That they will create jobs, which is heard all too frequent But in reality governments don’t create employment. If you are new to a council, you will have lots and lots to learn, From how to move, second, resolve, and adjourn. If you get to sit at the table, and regardless of the task, If you don’t know the answer, please be sure to ask, ask, ask. Lastly we all must move forward and focus on what lay ahead, Let go of the past, and things that have been said. So if elected, it will be time to let go of previous frustration, Move forward with grace, dignity, and especially cooperation. Best of luck, Rob Frost First written in July 2016

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🗳 Election Day in New Brunswick! Today, voters across New Brunswick will go to the polls in all 49 provincial electoral districts to elect (or re-elect) Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. The polls are open today from 10:00AM – 8:00PM (ADT). The leaders seeking to form government or win re-election are: 🔵Blaine Higgs (Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick) 🔴Susan Holt (New Brunswick Liberal Party | Parti libéral du Nouveau-Brunswick) 🟢David Coon (New Brunswick Green Party / Parti vert NB) According to the New Brunswick polling dashboard from Mainstreet Research, the party standings are: 🔴 Liberal Party: 47.7% (⬆13.5%) 🔵 PC Party: 38.1% (⬇1.1%) 🟢 Greens: 9.9% (⬇5.3%) (% change from 2020 provincial election results) The election writ was dropped on September 19th, following four years of a PC majority government under Premier Higgs. The campaign has focused on several central issues, including healthcare, education, housing, and affordability. 📌 Stay tuned for a summary of the results from the team at Iris Communications tomorrow. #nbpoli #cdnpoli #newbrunswick #election #politics

2 May will see the election of 10 metro mayors across England. Where are they happening, what powers do they have, and what will this mean for housing? Our latest blog outlines our 5 key asks for the next metro mayors: – Ensure housing is at the heart of decision-making within their combined authority and work across departments to make housing a top 5 priority.  -Better resource local planning departments by improving recruitment and retention and elevating the status of planners.   – Incentivise building on brownfield sites, with flexible and long-term funding where required to make this viable, and support for public and private sector partnerships to bring these sites forward. Mayors are well-placed to bring different agencies together across local authority boundaries to take forward larger scale projects.   -Support local authorities to work together on strategic reviews of greenbelt land. This may involve building on brownfield sites within greenbelts and/or moving greenbelts further out to allow cities to grow.  – Skill up the workforce to deliver and maintain the homes of the future, while creating well-paying jobs for local residents. Mayors can be particularly well-placed to understand the needs of local businesses and the potential of local education and training providers.  https://lnkd.in/edrZjey2

This week marks a significant milestone in the journey of Welsh devolution, commemorating 25 years since the first election of members to the Senedd, alongside the passage of the most substantial reform of the parliament since 1999. The adage that devolution is a process rather than an event has proven accurate. Throughout the years, the Senedd has expanded in its confidence, the scope of its responsibilities, and the extent of its powers. The latest stage in this process comes in the Senedd reform legislation which was passed this week, which will: ⭐ Increase the size of the Senedd from 60 to 96 Members ⭐ Make 16 new Senedd constituencies, created by pairing the 32 new UK Parliament constituencies ⭐ Change to a more proportional electoral system ⭐ Hold Senedd elections every four years from 2026 onwards The reform aims to make a now mature parliament fit-for-purpose. It is unarguable that good laws can only be enacted if there is proper scrutiny, and to do this we need more legislators. In Westminster, MPs compete fiercely for treasured positions on Committees. In the Senedd, MSs can be on 2 or 3 Committees, one of which they might also chair. This inevitably leads to a lack of proper focus, and that’s simply not fair and not right. Beyond the arguments for or against Senedd expansion, there are ongoing concerns regarding the use of closed lists, which, according to critics, grant excessive power to political parties. The closed list system will break the traditional bond between a named elected representative and a clearly defined geographical area, with the risk that politics becomes faceless. And is this a risk worth taking, given the level of voter distrust and apathy? After all, turnout at Senedd elections is persistently low and has never surpassed 50%. Over the past 25 years, support for the Senedd has grown steadily. In line with this thinking, we at Cadno are firm believers in devolution and that, in principle, decisions are better when taken as locally as possible. However, we recognise that well-resourced institutions are necessary for effective decision-making, along with elected representatives who possess a diverse array of skills and experiences. We look forward to the next 25 years of devolution in Wales, and to playing our part in making it a success!

The General Election should be THE moment where we address the stark reality that our planning system needs meaningful reform. Over the past 13 years, local authorities have reduced spending by half but they now receive 100% more major resi planning applications. It simply doesn't work! See more 👇🏘 #generalelection #planning #housing

The 2024 mayoral elections in England resulted in a significant loss for the Conservative Party, with Labour winning the majority of council seats and nine out of ten Metro Mayor positions. Read our latest blog on what impact this will have on the built environment https://lnkd.in/eEXRjmBi The Chartered Institute of Building plans to engage with the new mayors to ensure the construction industry’s needs are met in delivering local regeneration, housing, and economic improvement projects. #UKPolitics #BuiltEnvironment #Elections2024 

Now that the Tories have lost their majority on Cornwall Council they have no democratic mandate to take any unilateral decision on the potential disposal of Cornwall Airport Newquay and the 650 acres of land that surrounds it. Notwithstanding the many questions and serious concerns that exist in the wider community, that remain to be satisfactorily addressed and properly consulted upon, any decision must surely now be put before the full council for debate and a final vote. The fact that the Tories have seen Councillor defections from their ranks arising from the lack of transparency in this matter should be of sufficient concern to determine that only the full council can bring the requisite scrutiny to debate whether or not this proposal is in the interests of the rate payers of #Cornwall. Given the long-term implications of this proposal and the fact that we only have 9 months until the next elections, anything other than a full council vote is undemocratic and is likely to be considered an abuse of power by the now minority administration. #fullcouncilvote #democracy #actinhaste

After a difficult set of results in the local and mayoral elections, the Conservative Party remains in limbo: down on morale and personnel, but not entirely out of the game, with the Prime Minister declaring that the result of the upcoming General Election is not a “foregone conclusion”. While the Labour Party secured largely everything they were expected to – plus a little bit more – some interpretations of the results of last week’s elections are nevertheless pointing to a closer General Election result than has so far been expected. In our latest snapshot, FTI Consulting’s UK Public Affairs team examines whether there are any signs for optimism for the Conservative Party and, with the General Election fast approaching, whether the results change the macro political picture for either of the major parties. https://lnkd.in/eRnsTjhj

With mayoral elections just around the corner, I have found it interesting to take a look at the results of this recent survey by Centre for Cities looking at devolution in our largest urban combined authorities. Some key points I found were: 📈 On the whole mayors are much more recognisable than other local politicians 🚗 Transport policies are the most identifiable policies 🏅Candidate quality more important than party ⭐️Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of support for policy power to be held at a local level. Mayoral authorities are increasing in their number and existing ones are increasing their power, all having an effect on the future of how our towns and cities will continue to develop and function. 🔗 Check out the results in more detail: https://lnkd.in/eZVUr9ZS