BY JACK WELCH

FOR most people, the frantic months of campaigning ahead of last year’s General Election will all be a distant memory.

The normal routine of government has fallen back into place but, as far as this year’s local elections go, it can feel a bit harder to muster the same kind of political enthusiasm again.

In London, which I will not have a vote in anyway, I attended a hustings event arranged by a number of familiar charities that advocate and campaign on disability issues.

With the room absolutely packed and full to capacity, with four of the mayoral candidates under close scrutiny, there is little doubt surrounding the strength of feeling about matters relating to the capital.

However, as coverage is extensive for London and the devolved nations’ votes, it is much easier to neglect the importance of other English elections which will fall on this Thursday, May 5, across the country.

Within Weymouth and Portland, 12 wards will be up for grabs in the first major borough council elections since 2012 and West Dorset District Council will also face a referendum on its current constitution and how the structure of the council operates.

While these matters will feel distant for most who have little engagement in politics, affairs from council tax to regeneration plans for towns like Weymouth will have an impact on all residents.

A lowly 32 per cent of people voted in 2012, which surely cannot be sustainable for the good of democracy.

Worse still is the lack of engagement surrounding the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which will also be held on Thursday.

The inaugural PCC elections, held in 2012, registered a turnout of 15 per cent across the country, with only 16 per cent of those eligible in Dorset coming out to vote.

People will have hopefully learned more about the role and responsibilities of the PCC over the last four years and there are fundamental decisions to be made on the strategy of Dorset Police, which is governed by the PCC office.

The four candidates will doubtlessly have distinct approaches and, as with the coinciding local elections on May 5, ignoring your right to vote simply cannot be an option.