Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 4th December, 2002
|
Bath & North East Somerset Council |
|||
|
MEETING: |
COUNCIL EXECUTIVE |
AGENDA |
|
|
MEETING DATE: |
4TH DECEMBER, 2002 |
||
|
TITLE: |
|||
|
WARD: |
ALL PARISHED WARDS |
||
|
AN OPEN PUBLIC ITEM |
|||
|
List of attachments to this report:- Extract from minutes of Parishes Liaison Meeting. Adapted report that went to the Council 21st November, 2002 |
|||
1 THE ISSUE
1.1 The Council Executive is asked to consider the wishes of the Council regarding the funding of the May 2003 parish elections.
1.2 The Council on 21st November, 2002, received the attached report from the Solicitor to the Council, inviting the Council to determine whether it wished to comment to the Council Executive on the request not to charge parish/town councils the cost of parish elections.
1.3 The Council RESOLVED::
"That the Council supports the request of the Parish and Town Councils not to charge those Councils the cost of the parish elections in May 2003 and requests the Council Executive to carry out the wishes of the Council".
1.4 The issue of funding is an executive matter which the Council Executive is invited now to consider.
1.5 The Solicitor to the Council indicated to the Council that all Parish and Town Councils that responded to an invitation to comment were in favour of the Council exercising its discretion not to recharge the cost of running Parish and Town elections.
1.6 A full set of the 19 responses has been deposited in Political Group Rooms.
2 RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 The Council Executive determines this funding request, taking into account the wishes of the Council.
|
Contact person |
Graham Russell, Democratic Services Manager |
Printed on recycled paper
|
EXTRACT FROM MINUTES OF THE PARISHES LIAISON MEETING - 16TH OCTOBER, 2002. |
PRESENT -: Councillor Les Kew, Vice-Chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council
Representatives of Batheaston, Bathampton, Camerton, Chew Magna, Chew Stoke, Clutton, Combe Hay, Compton Martin, Dunkerton, Englishcombe, Freshford, High Littleton, Keynsham, Marksbury, Newton St Loe, Norton Radstock, Peasedown St John, Publow with Pensford, South Stoke, Timsbury and Ubley Parish/Town Councils
Councillors Ian McInnes, Chairman of ALCA and Douglas Jackson, Chairman Bath & North East Somerset Local Councils Group
Bath & North East Somerset Councillors Gitte Dawson (for Paul Crossley), Peter Jovcic-Sas (Parish Liaison Representative) and Council officers
Apologies for absence: Hinton Charterhouse and Saltford Parish Councils and Bath & North East Somerset Councillors Del Herod, Chair of Council; Paul Crossley, Matt Davis, Francine Haeberling and Phyllis Gay (Group Leaders); and Tom Rees-Mogg (Parish Liaison Representative)
"ARRANGEMENTS FOR PARISH ELECTIONS MAY 2003.
Parish representatives expressed concern about the cost of parish elections and asked about the possibility of using the postal vote to improve turnout and reduce costs. They also felt that the policy of re-charging parishes for the cost of contested elections was inequitable. Vernon Hitchman, Council Solicitor, informed the meeting that the government had been consulting on various voting options and that the November Council meeting would be considering the issue.
Following a proposal from the Parish representatives, it was unanimously
RESOLVED that a request be made to the next meeting of Full Council that Bath & North East Somerset Council cover the full cost of parish elections in future.
Parishes were further asked to debate the issue of postal voting at their next meetings and to feed their views back to the Council.
ReportFundingParishes (vfh)