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TIMING OF LOCAL ELECTIONS UNDER REVIEW
Ways to simplify the timings of local elections are to be looked as part of Government measures to make voting more accessible and relevant.
The ODPM has asked the Electoral Commission to carry out a review of options for simplifying local elections in England, Local Government Minister, Nick Raynsford announced today.
Mr Raynsford said:
“We are looking at all sorts of ways to encourage more people to use their vote, including using modern technology such as mobile phones and the internet. I believe the electorate of the 21st Century expect a cycle of local elections that is clear and readily understood, so we have asked the Electoral Commission to look at options for simplifying the current arrangements.”
The commitment to review the cycle of local government elections was made in the Local Government White Paper– Strong Local Leadership – Quality Public Services. The Electoral Commission will review the current cycle in which many councils elect once every four years, although not all in the same year, while others have elections in three years out of four, or every two years. Any changes would aim to make the timing of elections clearer to electors.
The Electoral Commission will consult widely during the review and will identify options for change in a report to be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by the end of January next year. The options may include proposals for changes in councillor’s terms of office and local authorities’ electoral arrangements. The Commission’s report will include an assessment of the desirability and practicality of the options identified. It will also recommend how the proposed options might be implemented.
As part of the review the Electoral Commission will consider the relationship between local government elections and between other elections such as General Elections. The Commission will also look at cases where elections currently fall in close proximity of time to each other, and the combination (or otherwise) of local government elections with other elections. The views of the Electoral Commission have been sought separately on the proposal to combine the European and local government elections in 2004.
The Terms of Reference for the review ask that the Electoral Commission take into account the extent to which an option for change:
- Would improve councils’ democratic
legitimacy and local accountability;
would enable the electorate and public generally to easily understand
when elections are to be
held and their purpose;
- Would be likely to improve participation
of the local electorate in the electoral process, including participation
of specific groups – such as young people and ethnic minorities – where
participation in the process is particularly low;
- Would be likely to facilitate the effective management of local authorities
and particularly performance improvements in the case of local authorities
categorised as “poor performers” in the Comprehensive Performance Assessments;
and might be facilitated by possible new ways of polling, including
increased postal voting, electronic counting and multi channel e-voting.