THE votes have been cast, counted and the results revealed.

The dust has settled on this year's local and European election.

Undoubtedly 2014 will go down in history as a fairly dramatic election.

Nationally — the Liberal Democrats, which just four years ago was THE party Labour and the Conservatives were desperate to cosy up to — have suffered a real battering.

Since the formation of the coalition they have suffered devastating losses. Council seats have been lost up and down the country.

Locally, well relatively, the formerly Lib Dem-controlled Rochdale Council now has just one councillor left from the party, and they have been wiped completely from the political landscape in the city of Manchester.

And here in Bolton, two of our veteran councillors — one Tory, one Labour — have been replaced with UKIP representatives.

This new(ish) party has become something of a phenomenon. Not only did two of their candidates clinch two seats here in Bolton, UKIP came second in many other wards across the borough.

This is even more amazing because UKIP didn't field a single candidate in the last local election in Bolton in 2012.

Both Labour and the Conservatives nationally are claiming the local elections have been a victory for them — but there's no doubting it's been difficult for each of the three major political parties.

Years of austerity measures, unemployment, the seemingly endless tightening of metaphorical belts, food banks, the property bust and dissatisfaction with who is running the country seem to be taking their toll on the electorate.

Fine, we might not all agree with what's happening locally, what's happening nationally, or who is running the country, Greater Manchester or Bolton — and it seems we're voting with our ballot papers.

This year the election turn-out was a staggering five per cent higher than last year in Bolton. Normally five per cent wouldn't seem like a whole lot but when just 35 per cent of the population are voting then it makes one heck of a difference.

But one thing that has struck me is often the people who moan the loudest are the ones who can't be bothered getting off their backsides to vote.

I was absolutely disgusted when I called into my local polling station to vote and chatted to the two very lovely chaps who had been there since 6.30am that morning — this was after 9pm — and they told me just 200 people out of a possible 1,200 folk had turned up to put their cross in the box.

And yet people vote in their millions — and pay for the privilege of doing so — for rubbish like X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and The Voice.

These are votes for someone to sing a song, and yet making your mark to help decide how the country, or your local council, is run is beyond more than 60 per cent of the country.

So, if you don't like the changes these local elections have brought — you know what to do next time. VOTE.