With local York elections coming up on the 4th of May, it’s vital the student body gets their views across and casts their votes.
Labour co-candidate Conrad Whitcroft is running for Fishergate alongside Sarah Wilson and wants to see change in York council.
Of the 47 seats on the council, the Labour Party has 17, hot on the heels of the Liberal Democrats’ 21, and Conrad is “very disappointed” with current problems in the city.
“I love York,” he says, “I think the people who live here deserve the absolute best. I don’t think they’re getting that right now.”
One of his main concerns is the ongoing issues caused by the cost-of-living crisis – this is a problem that has affected students due to the dramatic increase in rent costs. Conrad aims to provide affordable housing in the face of it.
“Housing in York costs about ten times average earnings,” he explains. “Yes, we will look after people who are suffering from the cost of living crisis. Yes, we will provide our young people the chance to live here affordably.”
He went on to confront the current unpopular policy in York – that people with blue badges are not allowed to freely park, making the city inaccessible to a chunk of our community. “It’s about responsibility,” he says, “The unfairness of it really, really stuck with me, so that’s why I decided to run in the seat of Andy D’Argorne, the Transport Executive.”
Even without our new council, change is already happening: on the 10th of April, York was nominated for the list of World Heritage Sites, which means the council is anticipating York growing in popularity.
“I absolutely welcome it,” Conrad says. “It’s amazing to see York stand out on the world stage like that. It’s something we need to live up to as much as it’s something we’ve achieved.”
So, what steps should we be taking to live up to this new status?
As a member of the Labour Party, Conrad fully supports their project slogan: A Fairer, Greener Future. He believes York has the chance to become a “green beacon”, and progress from our current environmental issues. He suggests enforcing food bins and cycling infrastructure, saying “we’ve gone from fifth to less than tenth for cities that are good to cycle in. We’ve actually seen cycling levels go down, which is appalling for a council that’s supposed to have Greens on it.”
Within all these matters, Conrad highlights the importance of contributions from students and young people. Though having had opportunities to work with and represent young people, he admits there is room for improvement in terms of student participation in local council activities. “I don’t think it’s an issue from the student end,” he clarifies. “People from our party need to be a lot stronger in putting our case to students and encouraging them to vote.”
It’s only two years since Conrad was a student himself, and he believes their voices are essential.
“As young people I think we have a responsibility and opportunity to get involved with local politics and really make a difference for the area we live in,” he says.
He notes that students’ interests aren’t always prioritised by all parties, and “the way that we can make sure the infrastructure’s there is by voting for candidates that think students are a fantastic part of the community.”
He encourages students to get involved, such as joining in with the campaigning.
Though it’s a lot of hard work, Conrad describes his experience as a candidate as rewarding and a perfect chance to communicate and learn.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he says. “The main thing for me in campaigning is door-knocking. I love talking to people of all different backgrounds and hearing what they’ve got to say. I’ve had some of my best conversations with people who just said flat-out they’re not going to vote for me because it’s interesting to hear why and to hear different perspectives.”
Particularly within a small city hosting two universities, the student voice in local elections is essential, and students have the perfect opportunity to make the changes they want by voting on 4th May.
Find out how to register to vote on the Electoral Commission website. The deadline to register is on 17th April, 11:59 pm.
Remember, you need to bring a valid form of ID with you to vote.