John McNeill looks at why there is low voter turn-out in Canning Town South

Turnout for Council elections in Newham is low and still lower in South Canning Town. The number-crunchers tell us that in 2018 there were 11,479 voters in the ward with three votes each (one for each of the three ward councillors) making 34,437 possible votes. In fact only 8,756 votes were cast or about 25 per cent. Are there reasons for this?

In 2003 the proposed removal of secure tenants because of the Canning Town Regeneration led to a ballot box revolt and the election of Christian Peoples Alliance councillors. That local vote was ignored and the regeneration went on as planned. If votes meant nothing some people might have thought there was no point voting in future.

Since then, many secure council tenants have been moved out leaving places empty or with short stayers put in the abandoned blocks with unknown voting intentions. Does that mean that some traditional supporters of the majority party have gone for good?

Now that the regeneration has taken place many people have moved into the new private flats while other areas are empty and cleared of people.

In the 2016 EU referendum 47 per cent of Newham electors (49,371 of them) voted to leave the EU. In South Canning Town a majority of voters went for leave.

All this could add up to a different result at the local elections this time round. No one knows how the residents of the new blocks will vote or how many old timers are left or whether the shorter stay tenants will vote or who they will vote for.

In South Canning Town, and much of the rest of Newham, around a quarter of a quarter of eligible voters decide who runs the Council because of the 25 per cent who vote only a quarter of them vote for the ruling party. That is not the best way of deciding who governs but perhaps Winston Churchill was right when he suggested that democracy was the least worst way of deciding things.

Another factor unique to Newham is that 60 out of 60 councillors are from one party. Could less opposition have its cost and lead to a background complacency? In councils where there is an opposition there are public rows about policy providing stark choices for voters. In Newham the opposition is within the ruling party and so is less likely to make the newspapers. This could add to low voter turnout in Newham.

John McNeill is General Manager, Custom House and Canning Town Renewal Project

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