Why Local Elections Matter (Even If You’re Not a Fan of Politics)
Local elections in England may not generate the same buzz as a general election, but they impact your daily life more than you might think. Today, voters will head to the polls to elect 1,750 councillors and four regional mayors, including new authorities in Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire. These roles affect local infrastructure, planning permissions, social care, bin collections, libraries, parking, and council tax rates, things that shape the everyday experience of your town or village.
Yet year after year, voter turnout in local elections remains low, especially outside major cities. In 2024, for instance, some wards reported turnout rates under 30%. It’s not because people are lazy. It’s because they feel the system doesn’t represent them. Many feel that politics, whether local or national, has become a closed circuit, run by insiders, for insiders.
But whether or not you cast a ballot, these decisions still get made. Council budgets still get approved. Planning laws still change. And new rules still get passed, often with minimal public scrutiny.
If you’re someone who’s disillusioned with top-down governance and believes real change starts from the ground up, then local elections are one of the most impactful ways to make your voice heard and actually shift outcomes. A handful of votes can make the difference in council ward results. Some local races are decided by margins of fewer than 50 votes.
And even if you don’t fully trust the process, understanding how it operates can be a step towards reclaiming personal agency. Many communities are already bypassing central government where possible, starting community land trusts, managing local services themselves, or supporting independent candidates who reflect their values.
In short, you may not be able to fix Westminster, but you can influence what happens on your street. And that makes local elections worth your time.
The Rise of Financial Awareness, And Systemic Mistrust
A quiet shift is happening across the UK, not in protest marches or party manifestos, but in living rooms and on bank statements. Households are growing increasingly wary of what they’re being told about their financial future. And that scepticism is well-founded.
According to the University of Bristol’s January 2025 financial wellbeing report, there has been a consistent decline in household financial confidence since mid-2024. Over 40% of respondents admitted they were now struggling to keep up with bills or daily expenses. What’s alarming is that this isn’t just hitting the unemployed or vulnerable, it’s affecting middle-income households, small business owners, and pensioners.
The ONS also reported that 59% of UK adults have experienced a rise in their cost of living in just the past 30 days, up from 51% last year. Inflation, while reportedly “moderate,” still cuts into every pound you earn, and wages aren’t keeping pace. Meanwhile, trust in high street banks is steadily falling as more people learn about fractional reserve lending and the fact that personal money in banks is routinely loaned out to drive bank profits.
This landscape is producing a new kind of financial mindset. People are asking more questions:
- What does the Bank of England actually do with interest rates?
- Why is inflation “expected” when it erodes my money’s value?
- Where can I store my savings that isn’t tied to policy decisions, bail-outs, or hidden fees?
It’s not about conspiracy theories, it’s about waking up to the reality that the financial system isn’t designed to protect individual savers. For many, this isn’t new information. But the difference now is that more people are seeing the cracks, and looking for alternatives.
They’re exploring options that aren’t tied to the banking establishment, don’t rely on trust in government, and offer something tangible. That’s where gold, and tools like TallyMoney, enter the conversation.
Political Change is Slow, Your Money Doesn’t Have to Wait
It’s a familiar pattern. Politicians promise reform, make announcements, launch consultations… and then? Nothing changes. Or if it does, it takes years to materialise, and often doesn’t work as intended. For example, councils are still struggling with the long-delayed Levelling Up Fund delivery..
But financial change, your financial change, can happen overnight. And in times like these, it probably should.
In March 2025, the Bank of England held interest rates at 4.5%, citing inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty. While that may sound cautious and responsible, it has a direct knock-on effect: savers still get sub-inflation interest on deposits, while the cost of living continues to rise. So you’re losing money, even if your balance doesn’t change.
That’s why more people are looking to take financial decisions into their own hands. Not in a speculative way. But through a model that’s been around for millennia: owning gold.
And not bars in a vault you can’t access. We’re talking about spendable gold, held securely, measured in weight (not pegged to fiat), and usable via a debit card or instant bank transfer. That’s what TallyMoney has to offer.
You may not be able to speed up political reform. But you can move your money out of the system today, and protect it before inflation eats it tomorrow.
