Dave Woodhall has an election day message.

I say this at regular intervals, but today you could do the most important thing you do all year. You can go and vote.

You might not think politics is for you, or that your vote doesn’t count, or that all politicians are the same. That’s your opinion and as the saying goes, you’re entitled to it. But politics is for you, and your vote does count. I’m not arguing whether or not all politicians are the same, that’s another argument for another day, but here and now the other two are unanswerable.

Politics isn’t just about Westminster, or Europe, about introducing laws that will be the subject of huge controversy. It affects every aspect of your life. The school your children go to, how your rubbish is collected, how long you have to wait for a bus and whether you feel safe walking the streets at night. All these things and many more are political matters and if there’s anything you don’t like about that list or anything else that happens to you during the day the easiest way you can try to change it is to walk down the road and place your X in the box.

And yes, your vote DOES count. After all, imagine that everyone else thought that and the only one in your ward who bothered to vote was the man from the next street who keeps saying they should all be sent back when they come from, or the bloke who thinks the moon landings were faked, or the one who believes the police should be disbanded and all terrorists freed from prison.

Around the world and down the ages people have died for the right to vote. There are still some who are denied it. So please, use yours.