Extraordinary Meeting of the Council

Monday, 9th October, 2017 at 6.00pm

in the Council Chamber at the Council House, Priory Road, Dudley

You are hereby summoned to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council for the purpose of transacting the business set out in the numbered agenda items listed below.

Agenda - Public Session

(Meeting open to the public and press)

Prayers 1. Apologies for absence.

2. To receive any declarations of interest under the Members’ Code of Conduct.

3.

Electoral Arrangements.

Chief Executive Dated: 28th September, 2017 Distribution: All Members of the Council

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Extraordinary Meeting of the Council – 9th October, 2017 Report of the Chief Executive Electoral Arrangements Purpose 1. To consider whether to change the voting system to whole Council elections

following public consultation. Recommendations 2. That the Council notes the results of the consultation in relation to the proposed

changes to local elections. 3. That the Council decides if the present process of elections by thirds should be

changed to whole-council elections once every four years.

4. If the Council chooses to determine that the Authority’s electoral cycle should be changed to whole-council elections once every four years, the date of implementation.

5. If the Council chooses to change the electoral cycle to whole-council elections once every four years, the Council authorises the Chief Executive to issue the necessary public information leaflet as required by the legislation and undertake any further actions necessary to give effect to the content of this report.

Background 6. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council currently elects members by thirds which

means that there are elections every three years out of four involving Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council seats. The Council currently has 72 elected members representing 24 wards and each Councillor is elected for a term of four years.

7. Under section 32 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act

2007, the Council can resolve to move from the present arrangements of elections by thirds to whole Council elections. There are statutory requirements about making such a decision which are set out in Section 33 of the Act:

a) The Council must not pass the resolution unless it has taken reasonable steps to consult such persons as it thinks appropriate on the proposed change. A public consultation has been undertaken and the results are reported in section 13 below;

b) The resolution must be passed at a meeting which is specially convened for

the purpose of deciding the resolution;

c) By a majority of at least two thirds of the elected members voting on it;

d) The resolution must specify the year for the first ordinary elections of the Council at which all councillors are to be elected.

If the resolution is passed then the Council must produce an explanatory document available for public inspection and give the Electoral Commission notice that it has passed the resolution. The resolution must specify the year for the first ordinary elections of the Council at which all Councillors are to be elected.

8. The Council made a resolution at its meeting on 6th March, in setting the budget and

council tax calling on the Chief Executive to commence the necessary statutory procedures to provide for a move to four-yearly all out municipal elections.

9. The Council made a further resolution at its meeting on 10th April, that the Chief Executive be authorised to consult on the principle of changing the Council’s electoral cycle from elections by thirds to four-yearly whole-council elections every four years.

10. A decision to change the electoral cycle would not affect the pattern of the wards that was implemented in June 2004, following a Periodic Electoral Review carried out by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. A decision to change the electoral cycle would therefore have no impact on the number of councillors or the number of wards. Any change to ward boundaries or the number of members of Council can only be implemented following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission.

11. The Council is obliged to take reasonable steps to consult such persons as it thinks appropriate on the proposed change. The consultation activity by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council was made up of the following:

a) The publication of background information and a survey on the Council’s website seeking views on the possible changes to the Council’s electoral cycle. Hard copies of the consultation survey were also made available at Libraries and Leisure Centres across Dudley Metropolitan Borough;

b) Issuing of press releases throughout June, July and August which were picked up by a number of local media outlets;

c) Social media promotion through various council-owned twitter feeds and

facebook pages, pointing people to the online and hard copy surveys;

d) Promoted via Community Council e-bulletins during the consultation period. 12. In summary, the results of the consultation exercise were as follows (with full details

being set out in the Appendix).

13. A total of 1529 responses were received to the consultation. The results show that

1224 (80.1%) of the respondents are in favour of continuing with the current electoral cycle of electing members by thirds, compared to 305 (19.9%) preferring to change the cycle to electing the whole Council every four years.

14. There are a number of issues that members may wish to take into consideration

before making a decision to move to all out elections. 15. Potential advantages of moving to all out elections include:

• Greater political stability and ability to take a longer term view of policy

implementation and decision making; • Financial savings; • More effective political management without the need for an annual election

campaign • Improved corporate and strategic planning over a four year period; • Less confusion resulting from ‘combinations’ of elections for different

organisations (e.g. Parliament, European Parliament, Police and Crime Commissioner, Combined Authority Mayoral and Referenda);

• Potentially higher electoral turnout due to the more decisive nature of all out elections.

Potential advantages of continuing to elect by thirds include: • More opportunity for electors to vote and participate in local democracy; • Greater consistency of councillors by reducing the potential large scale change at

the same time; • A potentially greater mix of new and experienced councillors; • Make-up of the council is potentially more reflective of the changing views of the

electorate; • Continuing to employ a method more familiar to voters; • Whole council elections may be more complex to administer.

This may not be an exhaustive list of potential advantages and disadvantages. Members may perceive further advantages or disadvantages and other views may arise from the consultation.

16. If, Members decide in favour of moving to whole council elections commencing in

2018, the following will apply: • Election of all Councillors will be held every four years after 2018; • As soon as practicable, an explanatory document has to be produced setting

out details of the new electoral scheme (arrangements); and • The passing of the resolution and the availability of the explanatory leaflet has

to be publicised. 17. It should be noted that if a resolution is passed to move to whole council elections as

detailed above, the Council may not pass another resolution in respect of its electoral cycle before the end of five years beginning on the day on which the earlier resolution is passed.

18. If an Extraordinary Council meeting does not pass a resolution to move to whole

council elections, then subject to the Council’s own Constitution, it may reconsider the move to whole council elections at a later date. Council Procedure Rule 15.2 provides that a motion similar to one that has been previously rejected at a meeting of the Council in the past six months cannot be moved unless the notice of motion is signed by at least tem members from at least two political groups.

Finance 19. A move to whole council elections would lead to a financial saving for the Council in

any year where there is no Borough election. A saving of up to £250k could be realised in each year when an election is not held.

Law 20. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health 2007, states that a district

council currently subject to election by thirds or halves may resolve to change to whole Council elections under section 34 of the Act.

Section 24 of the Localism Act 2011 amends the timetable for changing a Council’s electoral schemes, enabling a Council to choose when their electoral cycle can change.

Equality Impact 21. This report complies with the Council’s Policy on equality and diversity.

Human Resources/Transformation 22. A move to all out elections would involve a significant transformation of the existing

service provision in relation to local Council elections. This is reflected in the potential cost savings referred to above.

................................................ Chief Executive Contact Officer: Alison Malkin, Electoral Services Manager Telephone: 01384 815274 Email: alison.malkin@dudley.gov.uk List of Background Papers The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Section 24 of the Localism Act 2011

Proposed changes to local electionsThe future of the ballot box in Dudley

We want to hear your views on proposals for the most radical shake up of the way elections are run at Dudley Council in years.

Currently, elections run every year with a year off every fourth year. Councillors are elected in thirds, where one of the three seats in each of the 24 wards is up for election each year.

New proposals have been put forward to hold one election every four years when all 72 seats will be contested.

All councillors will be elected at the same time.

Please return your completed form to:

The future of the ballot box in Dudley

Communications unit

FREEPOST

MID22308

Dudley DY1 1BR

by 20 September 2017

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Appendix

Example of current and proposed systems

The consultation is open to Dudley borough residents until September 20. The results will be put to a meeting of the full council in October this year where members will vote on the outcome. Two thirds of councillors must vote in favour of change for it to be agreed.

Postcode .................................................................................................................

Gender - male n female n

Age 18-24 n 25-44 n 45-64 n 65+ n

Which of these is your ethnic group

white n black n mixed n asian n other n

Do you have any long term illness, health problem or disability which limits your daily activity?

n Yes n No

We have a popular email newsletter which is full of news, events and information on Dudley borough. Would you like to receive this every month?

n Yes n No Email .............................................................................................

We will not pass your personal information on to any other organisation. It will only be used to contact you about council business.

To request a copy of the survey in an alternative format or language please call Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345Alternatively you can complete the survey online at www.dudley.gov.uk

Year Current system of election in thirdsProposed system of all out elections

2018 One third (24 seats) of the council elected All 72 seats elected

2019 One third (24 seats) of the council elected No elections

2020 One third (24 seats) of the council elected No elections

2021 No elections No elections

2022 One third (24 seats) of the council elected All 72 seats elected

Election by thirdsContinue to elect one third of the council every year (with one year off every fourth year)

n

All out electionsElect all members of the council every four years with no local elections in between

n

The question to you is simple - do you want the current election process to stay the same or opt for all out elections every four years? Tick one box below to indicate your choice.

Potential advantages of all out elections

• Greater political stability and ability to take a longer term view of policyimplementation and decision making

• Financial savings of approximately £250,000 for each year an election isnot held

• More effective political management without the need for an annualelection campaign

• Improved corporate strategic planning over a four year period

• Less confusion resulting from a combination of elections (ie locals withEuropean Parliament etc)

• Potentially higher turn-outs

Potential advantages of continuing to elect by thirds

• More opportunity for electors to vote and participate in local democracy

• Greater consistency of councillors by reducing the potential for large-scale change at the same time

• A potentially greater mix of new and experienced councillors

• The make-up of the council is potentially more reflective of the changingview of the electorate

• Continuing to employ a method more familiar to voters

• Whole council elections may be more complex to administer

Q1 The question to you is simple - do you want the current election process to stay the same or opt for all out elections every four years? Tick one box below to indicate your choice.

1224 (80.1%) Election by thirds - Continue to elect one third of the council every year (with one year off every fourth year)

305 (19.9%) All out elections - Elect all members of the council every four years with no local elections in between

The consultation is open to Dudley borough residents until September 20. The results will be put to a meeting of the full council in October this year where members will vote on the outcome. Two thirds of councillors must vote in favour of change for it to be agreed.

Q2 Post Code

1559 (100.0%)

Q3 Gender

881 (56.6%) male

676 (43.4%) female

Q4 Age

90 (5.8%) 18-24

321 (20.6%) 25-44

663 (42.5%) 45-64

487 (31.2%) 65+

Q5 Which of these is your ethnic group

1408 (91.1%) white

15 (1.0%) black

16 (1.0%) mixed

85 (5.5%) asian

22 (1.4%) other

Q6 Do you have any long term illness, health problem or disability which limits your daily activity?

252 (16.4%) Yes

1284 (83.6%) No

Q7 We have a popular email newsletter which is full of news, events and information on Dudley borough. Would you like to receive this every month? (if yes please supply your email address below)

510 (34.6%) Yes

963 (65.4%) No

Q8 Email

698 (100.0%)

We will not pass your personal information on to any other organisation. It will only be used to contact you about council business.To request a copy of the survey in an alternative format or language please call Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345