A COUNCILLOR added his support to a campaign group’s march for voting reform.

Make Votes Matter set off yesterday (June 6) on its latest mission to change the electoral system, with Councillor for Grasmere and Ambleside, Will Clark, starting the Grasmere leg.

The campaign aims to change the current First Past the Post system to Proportional Representation.

Over the next six days, the group is walking from Grasmere to Preston after being inspired by the Suffragist campaigners of 1913 who marched from Carlisle to London to demand votes for women.

Anne Margaret Smith, one of the walk organisers, said: ‘Looking back, it’s amazing that anyone thought it was OK to deny women the vote.

“In the future, our children will look back and wonder why we’ve put up with the lack of representation our current system leads to.

“No government since 1935 has won a majority of votes, which means most of our voices are unheard.

“We’re actually one of the few developed democracies around the world that still hasn’t adopted PR. It’s time we caught up – countries with PR have greater income equality, better standards of living and better environmental policies – those are things we absolutely need in 2022.

“Changing our voting system would be the biggest improvement to our democracy since women won the vote a century ago.”

Speaking before the march set off Cllr Clark said: “Elections are essential for democracy.  Politics should give the people a voice.

“Today in a more polarised world fuelled by the echo chambers of social media we need to be more progressive.

“While we feel we are up to date with the modern world, we are one of only three major developed countries not using Proportional Representation. Votes having the same value is the true meaning of representation and this is not currently the case in the UK.

“Of course, ditching first past the post would pose a threat to the establishment but surely that is what is needed in a world where diversity should be celebrated and encouraged.”

The Cllr has recently been elected to the new unitary Westmorland and Furness Council for the ward of Windermere and Ambleside, which will begin sitting in 2023, and intends to continue campaigning on voting reform.

“I am proud to represent this area as County Councillor despite having a visible disability,” he said.

“Proportional Representation would enable a wider range of minority groups to represent the masses.

“Why do we stick to first past the post? Only because of habit and the fact that it preserves the presence of the two main parties.”