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Last night at a full council meeting, councillors voted 46 to 12 in favour of switching to all-out elections from 2016, this would mean electing all concillors once every 4 years. The current system of electing a third of councillors, 3 years out of 4 is widely seen as being disruptive,
Green Party Councillor for Ashley, Gus Hoyt, voted against all out elections, stating the following reasons:
“1- Neither option were any good. The existing chaotic system or moving to all-out at same time as Mayor. I believe Council needs equivalent of US mid-terms to act as gauge on mayor & cabinet and scrutinize properly and effectively. We needed proper choices to deliberate over and this would have to include moving towards PR & voting at 16.
2- With All-Outs then people with an 18th birthday soon after election will have to wait till they are almost 22 before they’ll get to exercise their democratic right.
I just hope that now it’s passed -just – that we can engage younger people in the work of Neighbourhood Partnerships which we’re trying to make far bigger players on the city scene.”
Our Ashley candidate for the May elections, Rob Telford speaking on BBC Radio Bristol said:
“People would like to have a say more regularly then every four years.”
The Green Party’s preferred system was for electing half the councillors every two years but unfortunately this option was not on offer.
The current system of election will continue for the next three years until 2016 when the the new system is introduced, coinciding with the next election of City Mayor.