Polling station: Going local

Political activism is flourishing around local single issue campaigns, a new report has concluded.

As the deadline passes for the registration of political parties ahead of the May 5 local elections, the Electoral Commission has said that the number of new political parties grew last year.

The watchdog said the data was a "positive indicator" of grassroots political engagement.

Some 61 new UK parties were registered in 2004, a rise of 13 per cent over the previous year and the largest number since the commission became responsible for maintaining the register of political parties in February 2001.

Almost half of the new parties represent special interest groups or those campaigning on single issues.

Reminder

The commission says this is a "reminder that individuals typically respond to politics on the basis of the issues that are important to them".

Scrutiny of the new parties' names sheds light on their central concerns - from parties representing the interests of local residents, to those campaigning for motorists, pensioners or against a contentious development.
 
Since January 2005 alone, 28 new parties have been registered.

The Electoral Commission is reminding new parties that they must now be registered to contest the local elections in England and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005.

Parties seeking to contest a possible May 5 general election will have until April 11 to register.
 
Peter Wardle, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said: "This growth in political party registration provides a positive indication of the health of our democracy.

"The rate and rise of single issue parties in particular suggests that far from being a nation plagued by political apathy, people in the UK are feeling increasingly engaged about issues that most affect their everyday lives."