19 April 2007
Churches urge their members to vote wisely in 2007 local elections
As Local Authority elections draw near and candidates begin to
canvas for support, The Baptist Union of Great Britain, The
Methodist Church and The United Reformed Church have joined
together to encourage people to get involved, ask their candidates
the hard questions, and to vote for candidates who will contribute
to the common good.
On Thursday 3 May 2007, there will be local government elections in
England, local government and Scottish Parliamentary elections in
Scotland, and National Assembly elections in Wales.
The Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Methodist Church and The
United Reformed Church have produced a briefing for the English
local council elections, which can be found at
www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/jpit_englishlocalelections_0307.pdf.
The three denominations suggest some questions that could be used
to quiz candidates on a range of important issues such as housing,
council tax, community relations, alcohol and gambling.
Anthea Cox, Methodist Coordinating Secretary for Public Life &
Social Justice, says; 'We would encourage everyone to take an
interest in this year's elections. We hope that people will ask the
questions that are important to them, think carefully about where
to place their vote and hold councillors accountable for their
policies and promises.'
The denominations' engagement with government on social and
political issues has always sprung from a concern for the
disadvantaged in society and they have particularly raised concerns
about parties that advocate hatred and fear of racial, religious or
other minorities.
Stuart Dew, URC secretary for Church and Society, says; 'The right
to vote is both a privilege and a responsibility. We may take
different views about which political approach best reflects our
Christian calling, but it is important that we do express our views
by voting.'
Graham Sparkes, Head of Faith and Unity for the Baptist Union of
Great Britain, says; 'Decisions made at local level can directly
affect the communities in which we live, so how we choose to vote
matters! It will help determine the priority we give to caring for
the vulnerable, the way our children are educated, and how we use
our public spaces. Such issues can have a tremendous impact on the
quality of peoples lives.'
The denominations have made it clear that the racist and intolerant
policies expressed by some parties are incompatible with their
understanding of God's love for all people. They have encouraged
people to exercise their right to vote, and urged them to reject
parties which aim to stir up racial or religious hatred. The
Methodist Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain have also
published guidelines for churches that find themselves represented
by a councillor from an extremist party.
Resources are also available for the Scottish Parliament and local
government elections from www.actsparl.org/election.htm.