'Council elections should not be protest votes - they are opportunities to shape our communities'

'Council elections should not be protest votes - they are opportunities to shape our communities''Reform cannot run a council yet ask you to trust them with your community - vote with your street in mind, not Westminster'CommentsNewsopinionVoice of the Mirror00:06, 06 May 2026Updated 00:16, 06 May 2026View ImageVoice of the Mirror has its say... Your ballot is preciousBallots in tomorrow’s local council elections should not be protest votes. ‌ They are opportunities that land on our doorsteps that let us shape life at home, on our streets and in our communities. ‌ They are about what happens when potholes are left unrepaired, classrooms are stretched beyond breaking point, police are pulled too thin, and the services we rely on start to fail. ‌ These are not hypothetical debates. They have real, immediate, local consequences. And while Keir Starmer tells the Mirror today the backdrop matters – austerity, Covid, Brexit chaos and Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget – this vote is not about Westminster. It is about who can deliver, not who shouts loudest. The five minutes of satisfaction from a protest vote is not worth the years of damage to services your family depends on. ‌ Look at the evidence. Wherever Reform has taken control of councils, the results have been the same – chaos, infighting and incompetence. They cannot run a council, yet ask you to trust them with your community. Tomorrow, vote with your street in mind. Not Westminster. Scroll of evilThe warning could not be clearer. Two or three clicks on your phone and you are staring at imagery lifted straight from the Nazi regime. That is the reality of social media in 2026, and it is a national disgrace. Article continues belowResearch suggests some young people do not even believe the Holocaust happened. The tech giants have had years to act and have done nowhere near enough. Lawmakers are right to treat this as a societal emergency. But warm words in Westminster are not enough. The platforms must act – not eventually, now. Enough is enough. Kate's courageThe first overseas visit by the Princess of Wales since her cancer diagnosis is a quiet show of strength. Many will recognise her Italy trip as recovery, step by step, with courage and determination.