The New Deal for Communities: Assessing Procedures and Voter Turnout at Partnership Board Elections

The New Deal for Communities (NDC) initiative forms an integral part of the British government's policy towards urban regeneration. An important provision within this policy programme allows for community representatives to be elected rather than selected to partnership boards. These elections were not contested by candidates representing political parties. This policy development may be used as a future template for a range of single-purpose elected authorities, including foundation hospitals, social services, leisure, and policing. The paper examines partnership board elections in terms of the candidates' experience and also the participation of voters. A feature of these elections has been the introduction of innovations in electoral procedure and practice as a means of engaging local communities and facilitating voter participation. Interviews with candidates sought to identify their motives for standing and their feelings about the electoral process itself. An analysis of voter turnout considers how these elections compare with local government council elections covering the same areas. The findings show a mixed picture. Some elections to NDC partnerships did result in a higher turnout than that for local government council elections. However, a majority of partnership elections had turnouts that were below the predicted level. It was noticeable that partnerships within the Greater London area generally had lower than expected turnout. A number of issues are identified that are relevant to the future conduct of these and similar nonpartisan elections.