In the introduction to the 2010 Candidate Survey Report, Pascoe Sawyers commented that…
This is the first survey of candidates that contested a local election on the same day that a general election was held. There is criticism that combining elections in this way devalues the local democratic process but while candidates recognised that the general election dominated the campaign they agreed generally that it helped generate more interest than is normal for a local election.
Pascoe Sawyers, Programme Manager, Political Leadership, I&DeA
The results offer an intriguing view of the campaign experience when local and general elections are combined. A half of candidates believe that a combined election is a good idea but more than a third take a contrary view. Opinion was less sharply divided about the impact of a shared election. A third strongly agreed with a further 40% agreeing that electoral interest is heightened by a general election and that this excitement spills over into the local campaign.