BALLOT PAPER BUST-UP: Havant Voters Get Just THREE Choices in Every Ward as Election Row Explodes

HAVANT voters are heading into one of the strangest local elections the borough has seen in years — with every ward offering just THREE names on the ballot paper.

That is not a typo.

Across Havant's 12 wards, residents choosing a borough councillor on 7 May will find a Conservative, a Reform UK candidate, and just ONE candidate from Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the Greens.

No four-way progressive bunfight. No packed ballot paper. No full slate from the parties currently running the council between them.

Just three choices.

And now the row over what that means has exploded into the open.

THE CLAIM: VOTERS ARE BEING DENIED CHOICE

Conservatives in Havant have accused rival parties of creating what former group leader Liz Fairhurst described to the BBC as a "pre-arranged carve-up".

Her argument is simple: if Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens do not stand against each other, voters who want a left-leaning or centre-left option only get one version of that choice.

Fairhurst said it looked like "political convenience, not a democratic contest" and warned: "That is not healthy democracy. It is managed competition."

Reform UK has also piled in.

Sharon Collings, Reform UK's leader in Havant, told the BBC she did not accept that the parties avoiding each other was "simply coincidence", calling it "co-ordinated positioning to avoid scrutiny".

For voters already cynical about politics, this is exactly the kind of story that makes eyes roll.

Parties that normally insist they are very different suddenly appearing in different wards, rather than fighting everywhere, was always going to raise eyebrows.

THE DEFENCE: WE COULDN'T FIND ENOUGH GOOD CANDIDATES

But Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens are pushing back hard.

Their explanation is less conspiracy, more grim reality: it is increasingly difficult to find people willing to stand for local office.

Phil Munday, the Labour leader of Havant Borough Council, told the BBC his party had to focus on the four wards where it had a realistic chance of winning because of the struggle to recruit candidates.

He also pointed out that Labour is fielding candidates in every Hampshire County Council seat in Havant.

The Lib Dems say they have had the same recruitment problem.

Group leader Philippa Gray said they are telling residents that now is a crucial moment to get involved, especially with the new authority being created next year.

And Green councillor Netty Shepherd, deputy leader of the council, gave perhaps the bleakest explanation of all: politics has become too toxic.

She said the nature of political debate is putting people off standing, adding that it takes bravery to put your name forward knowing you may face abuse.

That should worry everyone, whatever party they support.

Because if normal people decide local politics is not worth the grief, local democracy gets thinner, angrier and worse.

WHY THIS ELECTION MATTERS MORE THAN USUAL

Normally, a borough election would be important but fairly routine.

Bins. Planning. Council tax. Leisure centres. Local services.

But Havant is not in normal times.

This election takes place under the shadow of the biggest local government shake-up Hampshire has seen for decades.

In 2027, elections are due for a new super unitary authority covering Havant, Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport. In 2028, Havant Borough Council and Hampshire County Council are set to disappear.

That means the councillors elected now will be serving during the final chapter of Havant Borough Council as residents know it.

They will be dealing with budgets, services and local decisions while the entire structure of local government is being dismantled around them.

So yes, candidate choice matters.

This is not a sleepy election nobody should care about. It is one of the last chances residents will have to shape Havant Borough Council before it is swallowed into a much larger authority.

THE RAINBOW COALITION FACTOR

Havant Borough Council is currently run by a rainbow coalition made up of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and one Independent.

That arrangement alone makes this candidate row politically loaded.

Opponents will argue the non-Conservative parties are protecting each other to defend control of the council.

The parties themselves will argue they are being practical, focusing resources where they can win, and trying to keep competent candidates on the ballot in a hostile political climate.

Both arguments will land with different voters.

If you are a Conservative or Reform supporter, the pattern looks suspicious.

If you are a Labour, Lib Dem or Green activist who has spent months trying to persuade decent people to stand for election, the accusation may feel unfair and insulting.

That is why this row is so combustible. It is not just about names on a ballot paper. It is about trust.

THE REAL PROBLEM: LOCAL POLITICS IS RUNNING OUT OF VOLUNTEERS

Here is the uncomfortable truth beneath the shouting.

Local politics depends on people giving up evenings, weekends and privacy for relatively little reward.

Councillors get blamed for everything. They sit through long meetings. They read planning documents. They answer angry emails. They get shouted at on Facebook by people who often have no idea which council is responsible for what.

And in return, they are treated like professional villains.

Is it any wonder parties struggle to recruit?

Havant is not unique. Across the country, local parties are finding it harder to build full slates of candidates. The pool of willing volunteers is shrinking. The abuse is growing. The paperwork is heavier. The public mood is nastier.

That does not mean voters should accept limited choice without question.

They should not.

But it does mean the problem may be bigger than one election strategy in one Hampshire borough.

WHAT VOTERS WILL ACTUALLY SEE

On 7 May, a third of Havant's 36 councillors are up for election — one seat in each of the 12 wards.

Every ward will have three candidates.

The Conservatives are standing across the borough. Reform UK is also standing across the borough. Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens are each contesting four wards, but not standing against one another.

That makes the election clean and brutal.

In many places, it will effectively be a three-way battle between the Conservatives, Reform, and whichever rainbow coalition party is on the ballot locally.

That could make results unpredictable.

Reform will hope to capitalise on voter frustration. Conservatives will try to frame themselves as the only party offering a full borough-wide alternative. The coalition parties will hope voters judge them on local records rather than candidate arithmetic.

THE QUESTION RESIDENTS NEED TO ASK

The temptation is to treat this as Westminster-style political drama.

Who stitched up whom? Who is scared of whom? Who is gaming the system?

But residents should ask something more practical.

Which candidate will actually work for my ward during a period of massive change?

Who understands Havant, Leigh Park, Bedhampton, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Waterlooville, Warblington and the villages as real places rather than political territory?

Who will fight for local services when the new super council starts taking shape?

Who will still answer emails after the campaign leaflets stop landing on the doormat?

That matters more than party spin.

THE VERDICT

This is a messy story because both sides have a point.

Voters deserve proper choice. A ballot paper with only three candidates in every ward feels thin, especially at such an important moment for Havant's future.

But it is also true that local democracy cannot function if decent people are too exhausted, abused or disillusioned to stand.

If parties cannot find candidates, the answer is not just outrage. It is more residents stepping forward.

Havant is about to lose its borough council. The next few years will shape how local voices survive inside a much larger authority.

So read the leaflets. Go to hustings if there are any. Ask awkward questions. Check what candidates have actually done locally.

And on 7 May, vote like it matters.

Because this time, it really does.

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*Sources: BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight reporting on Havant candidate choices; Havant Borough Council election context; government local government reorganisation timetable as previously reported.*