CONSERVATIVES PUT DEBATE OVER CITY'S ELECTION CYCLE

BACK ONTO COUNCIL AGENDA

Conservative Leader Councillor Peter Abraham is pushing for a debate to be held on the City's election cycle at the next available meeting of the Full Council - on Tuesday, 27th March 2012.

The move is a reaction to the responses he has received from the public, who have overwhelmingly declared a desire to end Bristol's current practice of holding elections-by-thirds and adopt all-out or whole city elections every four years.

Under current legislation (the Local Government & Public Involvement in Health Act), Members can vote for this switch provided they comply with certain conditions, namely that a special meeting is convened to vote on such a resolution, following reasonable consultation, and the motion is carried by a two-thirds majority.

The last time this issue was debated by Full Council, in November 2009, the Lib Dems used their majority to block this process and instead argued for half of all Councillors to face election every two years.

Owing to the fact that the annual Budget-fixing meeting takes place next month (where no other items of business can be taken), the Tories have now tabled a 'Golden' motion for the following month. The status of this resolution means it will definitely be debated and should command enough support for the proposal to finally be put to a vote
later in the year (July).

Conservative Leader Peter Abraham said: "The big debate over whether or not we should have an Elected Mayor has done us all a great service. "It has shown that irrespective of the outcome of the Mayoral Referendum in May, there is huge demand amongst the people of Bristol for change to our anachronistic and peculiar local election system.

"The present arrangement sees Parties having to fight local elections every three out of four years.

"I have always believed in adopting whole city elections as an alternative, because it would save money, provide greater political stability and enable better long-term strategic decision-making.

"In any event, I think it is also important to try to separate the debate over the merits of having a new kind of Mayor - who would serve a four year term - from the obvious deficiencies of our current Council election cycle.

"Now that the Lib Dems no longer have an overall majority, I am confident the Conservative 'Golden' Motion will get sufficient support for the statutory consultation to begin and the matter finally voted upon in July. The earliest we could then expect such all-out elections would then be in May 2013."

Back to Local News Index 27th January 2012