Election changes on the way?

4:40pm Friday 1st August 2008

Comments (1)   Have your say »

Political parties in Watford are split over proposals that could see the town’s full council elected once every four years.

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 gives local authorities options to reduce the number of councillors from three to one per ward, and change its electoral system from votes every three or four years to once every four years.

Currently, Watford operates a four-year cycle which sees the election of 12 councillors per year over three years. There is then a year with no elections. The Mayor is elected every four years.

While Liberal Democrats have “no appetite for change”, Conservatives and Labourites support electing a full council every four years.

A report presented to Watford Borough Council’s cabinet revealed financial arguments favour holding elections every four years, saving around £400,000 in every cycle.

It also stated voter turn-outs could increase if voters knew the whole council could be overturned, rather than the current system where any change is incremental.

Regarding the number of councillors, the report referred to arguments that there are too many councillors and it is difficult to get “enough (good) candidates” to stand. It added residents are currently over-represented compared to the county council, where one person represents six divisions, but under-represented compared to other democracies, such as France.

Watford Mayor Dorothy Thornhill said there was “little appetite for change” to the election procedure among Liberal Democrats, and felt yearly elections gave the electorate a chance to voice their approval at the ballot box.

However, she said: “I would like to write to the CLG (The Department for Communities and Local Government) as a mayoral authority and ask if it would be possible, were we minded, to go to two member wards. There’s no point having a debate among ourselves unless we do.

“At the moment they’re saying one or three. I feel one would be a distinct misrepresentation of people.”

Andy Wylie, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Human Resources, said the current set up was “too much”.

He said: “Thirty six councillors in this day and age where councillors are no longer full conduits between their public and the council is too much.

“But under law we cannot choose two councillors per ward. Thirty six in a small district borough with a mayoral system looks a bit much but 12 is too little.”

Andrew Mortimer, the Conservative group leader, said “rationalisation” of elections was a good idea and was in favour of votes every four years.

He added: “I would have thought a compromise of two councillors (per ward) could be satisfactory. Certainly one would be quite unrealistic because it would have been a full-time job. With respect to portfolio holders, I think that sort of pay for a single councillor is not enough.”

Labour councillor Nigel Bell said: “We also agree there should be elections every four years. It gives a chance for the administration to do something.”

Should the CLG respond favourably to Mayor Thornhill’s letter, a consultation would take place whereby the public could offer its opinions on both changes to the number of councillors and the election system.

Mayor Thornhill added this week: “We (Liberal Democrats) would never be happy to go to every four years but, if given the go ahead to go down to two councillors and consult, we might as well see what people think.”