Why local elections are important

Local elections are a key opportunity to ensure councils take Deaf and Disabled people’s issues seriously

The image shows two individuals posing for a photo in front of a sign that reads "OPERATION DISABLED VOTE". Below this text is a statistic mentioning "1.4 million disabled in London," indicating a campaign or initiative to encourage voting among disabled individuals in London. The two individuals are smiling and one of them is wearing a sash, which suggests an event or promotion related to the campaign. The sign's bold, capitalized lettering is designed to catch the eye and emphasize the importance of the disabled vote, potentially as part of a larger effort to increase electoral participation within the disabled community.

The Local elections taking place across London on Thursday, 5 May 2022* are an essential opportunity for Deaf and Disabled people to make sure our voices are heard. This is especially the case given today’s economic and political climate and the surging cost of living. We need to meet and secure commitments from electoral candidates ahead of the council elections in May.

Despite the huge cuts to central government funding, local Councils still have the power to choose how and where they spend money and where cuts are made. Local elections, therefore, provide an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of priority issues for Deaf and Disabled people and secure commitments from candidates.

Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations have a key role to play in:

  • Making sure that Deaf and Disabled people in their area know about the elections, are registered to vote and use their vote on May 5.
  • Bringing together local Deaf and Disabled people to use the elections to lobby for real change and improvements by organising hustings,  meeting up with candidates and parties and writing emails. 

*The City of London Corporation runs the Square Mile and held elections on Thursday 24 March. You can found out more here

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