Issue - meetings

Meeting: 29/05/2018 - Cabinet (Item 13)

13 UNCONTESTED PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION COSTS pdf icon PDF 83 KB

Decision:

RECOMMENDED:      To confirm the proposal to charge Parish Councils for all their own uncontested elections, at a rate not exceeding the actual costs incurred.

 

Reason for Decision

To re-coup costs incurred by the Borough Council in the organisation of elections on behalf of Parishes.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Long presented a report which proposed to pass on the full costs of uncontested Parish Council Elections to the Parish Councils concerned, both at the four-yearly Parish Council Elections as well as any Casual Vacancies in between.

 

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor C Joyce asked who set the numbers for petitioning for an election, to which it was confirmed that all the elements were set out in legislation.

 

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Moriarty asked for a precis of the response to Snettisham Parish Council, to which Councillor Long explained that he considered that a parish should fund its own election expenses, and it not be paid for by areas which were not affected by it.

 

Councillor Moriarty expressed the view that political parties should not put up “paper” candidates for election causing what he considered unnecessary elections.

 

Cabinet considered that candidates standing for election or standing down in Parishes was more prevalent than the Borough positions.  It was considered that if standing for a seat the election should be hard fought giving voters the opportunity of choosing from a selection of candidates.

 

The Chief Executive referred to the letter from Snettisham Parish and commented that the work involved in preparing for an election was far more than listed.

 

RECOMMENDED:   To confirm the proposal to charge Parish Councils for all their own uncontested elections, at a rate not exceeding the actual costs incurred.

 

Reason for Decision

To re-coup costs incurred by the Borough Council in the organisation of elections on behalf of Parishes.