Issue - meetings

To receive and consider the recommendations of the Cabinet (Minute 643a) as an amendment to the following Notice of Motion submitted previously to the Council by Councillor Shaw and referred thereto in accordance with Standing Order 8(2), namely 

This County Council regrets that under the current first-past-the-post

system for electing councillors:

1.    A large proportion and usually the majority of the votes cast do not help to elect a councillor, meaning that many voters see their votes wasted over many successive elections.

2.    This situation discourages participation in the electoral process since many people see no point in voting.

3.    A party is able to gain an overwhelming majority on the Council despite receiving only a minority of the votes across the county, reducing voters’ faith in the fairness of elections.

In this light, this Council welcomes the new legislation agreed by the Welsh Assembly to allow councils to choose to change their voting system to the proportional Single Transferable Vote system, which is already used for local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This Council calls on the Government to introduce similar legislation for England so that we can make a choice of the best system for the people of Devon.

Having had regard to the aforementioned, any factual briefing/position statement on the matter set out in Report (CSO/21/7) and other suggestions or alternatives considered at that meeting the Cabinet subsequently resolved:

(a)    note the various voting mechanisms in place and the lack of consistency across various organisations and throughout the UK;

(b)    welcome the current Council campaign that has been designed to

encourage candidates to stand in the Election and also the investment made to promote the Elections and increase public participation through voting safely in person, by post or by proxy;

(c)    welcome any future legislative changes that increases participation in democratic processes; and

(d)     in light of the public being given the opportunity to vote to change the

current voting system in 2011 and the referendum being lost, the Council take no further action on the Notice of Motion.

Councillor Hart MOVED and Councillor McInnes SECONDED that the Cabinet’s advice be accepted and that Council.

(a)   note the various voting mechanisms in place and the lack of consistency across various organisations and throughout the UK;

(b)   welcome the current Council campaign that has been designed to encourage candidates to stand in the Election and also the investment made to promote the Elections and increase public participation through voting safely in person, by post or by proxy;

(c)    welcome any future legislative changes that increases participation in democratic processes; and

(d)   in light of the public being given the opportunity to vote to change the current voting system in 2011 and the referendum being lost, the Council take no further action on the Notice of Motion.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Hart was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED and subsequently thereafter also CARRIED as the substantive motion.

Pursuant to County Council Minute 356 of 18 February 2021 relating to the Notice of Motion set out below as previously submitted and formally moved and seconded by Councillor Shaw that: 

This County Council regrets that under the current first-past-the-post

system for electing councillors:

1.    A large proportion and usually the majority of the votes cast do not help to elect a councillor, meaning that many voters see their votes wasted over many successive elections.

2.    This situation discourages participation in the electoral process since many people see no point in voting.

3.    A party is able to gain an overwhelming majority on the Council despite receiving only a minority of the votes across the county, reducing voters’ faith in the fairness of elections.

In this light, this Council welcomes the new legislation agreed by the Welsh Assembly to allow councils to choose to change their voting system to the proportional Single Transferable Vote system, which is already used for local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This Council calls on the Government to introduce similar legislation for England so that we can make a choice of the best system for the people of Devon.

and having had regard to the advice of the Cabinet set out in Minute 643 (a) of 10 March 2021:

Councillor Hart MOVED and Councillor McInnes SECONDED that the Cabinet’s advice be accepted and that Council.

(a)   note the various voting mechanisms in place and the lack of consistency across various organisations and throughout the UK;

(b)   welcome the current Council campaign that has been designed to encourage candidates to stand in the Election and also the investment made to promote the Elections and increase public participation through voting safely in person, by post or by proxy;

(c)    welcome any future legislative changes that increases participation in democratic processes; and

(d)   in light of the public being given the opportunity to vote to change the current voting system in 2011 and the referendum being lost, the Council take no further action on the Notice of Motion.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Hart was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED and subsequently thereafter also CARRIED as the substantive motion.