Niall Crowley and Martyn Perks — standing in their respective Hackney and Islington council by-elections 6 May — will introduce a discussion for anyone who is passionate about how to address the lack of democracy in local and national politics.

As both Niall’s and Martyn’s campaigning experience has shown, all mainstream parties together with national and local government have consistently ignored the public.

Everyone they have spoken to has consistently rejected what Labour, Conservatives and the Lib Dem’s have to offer. The disconnect between them and us is as real as it has ever been.

The controversy of Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes that have sprung up all over London and beyond are a case in point. So out of touch are our elected leaders and townhall bureaucrats, they felt they would not have any opposition to shutting down our neighbourhoods and trying to force people out of their cars.

But the undemocratic imposition of LTNs are just the tip of the iceberg. In our campaigning, we have come across many examples where local residents’ opinions have been ignored or dismissed. On housing, unworkable health and safety regulations, or failing to get the economy back to work after Covid lockdown, the connection between our elected representatives and the public is getting ever wider.

Local politics it seems, is no longer fit for purpose. Our elected representatives are out of touch and out of control, and we simply cannot afford to ignore the problem any longer.

The discussion will bring together a number of opinions from across Islington, Hackney and beyond, and will ask how did we get here, and will put forward an alternate way to rethinking local politics.

If there is one thing for sure, we have already met many who are eager to try something new and help restore our faith in democracy. There are many questions we need to address if we are going to break the mold.

Can we ever shift Labour in London? What are the barriers to building a genuine local democracy? Is voter apathy a real problem? Should we remain independents or set up a new grassroots party? What is the diference between direct or representative democracy?

We hope you will bring along your own question and points. Please join us for a refreshing discussion.

Speakers

Niall Crowley, Independent candidate, Hackney East, Hackey

Linda Wilkinson, playwright, novelist and prominent East London community activist and anti-road closure campaigner @LindaSWilkinson

Pete Muswell, a lifelong liberal, residents association chair, and more recently, campaigned against the EU

Paddy Hannam, former Brexit party candidate, Islington South and Finsbury @paddyhannam

Discussion chair

Martyn Perks, Independent candidate, Bunhill, Islington

For more information about the London Democrats platform, please visit our website.