With all the interest in the antics of Handforth Parish Council and with Jackie Weaver now a household name, there's perhaps never been a better time to take a closer look at local democracy and how it works in Maldon.

There's a long history of low voter turnout for local elections up and down the country. However, when it comes to the things that matter in life, what happens and is decided at a local level is crucial to every community.

A tiered system

To begin with, there are 'tiers' of local government – a word that many of us may have come to dread in recent times. In the case of Maldon district, a rather simple way of explaining it is that Maldon District Council is the middle tier. The tier or layer up is Essex County Council, which has 12 district, borough or city councils under its umbrella and then there are the 33 parish or town councils that fall within the Maldon district area. Maldon Town Council, for example, is one of those.

At this point, though, it is important to point out that these authorities are all separate bodies, with their own democratically-elected members – councillors – and staff who we will refer to here as council officers. The different councils work together in a variety of ways and co-ordinate their work all the time.

Of course, aside from the rather entertaining recording of Handforth Parish Council, the business of councils and their various committees and meetings often has the unfortunate – and largely unfair – reputation of being rather dull. The truth is, these local authorities, their decisions and daily operation are the stuff of everyday life and so, therefore, critically important as they impact the lives of just about everyone.

In our local case, Essex County Council has a set of responsibilities which include, among others, schools, highways, social care, libraries, public records and public health. The latter has, of course, been a matter of critical importance in the past year. It has a Climate Change Commission that is working hard to come up with ways the county can help lead the field in implementing key green schemes.

Maldon District Council has a range of equally critical responsibilities, from planning decisions and licensing through to managing a number of parks, car parks and play sites, from supporting local businesses to pest control - the list really is almost endless and a quick visit to the Maldon District Council website will show you services all the way from A to Z.

Neither should the town and parish councils be underestimated, providing a hyper-local aspect - from telling the district council the local view on planning applications to organising and supporting local events and services, through to managing allotments, town halls or other public buildings - all depending on the needs and circumstances of the locality.

Which local elections are due this May?

Elections to the county council are due this May (Thursday, 6 May to be precise) and Maldon voters will get the chance to elect councillors to represent the area where they live.

This year - delayed from last year - there will be an election for the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), too.

Elections to local councils run on a four-yearly cycle and while Maldon District Council elections were last held in 2019, two seats have become vacant since then – in Tollesbury ward and Heybridge East ward – and so by-elections in those are also now due on 6 May. In addition, some parish council seats in the district are now vacant and by-elections for those will take place on the same day, too.

Any reporter who has spent much time sitting in on council meetings – whether smaller parish councils or bigger district or county authorities – will probably tell you just how great they are for local news stories. They might not always be quite as controversial or provide such lively viewing as the Handforth Parish example, but what they will give anyone who is interested in how their local community works and what happens in it is an insight into the machinery of that.

Local democracy and local government is in so many ways just as relevant to the local scene as our national government is. The truth is, it's there and largely visible to anyone who decides just to take that closer look.