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03
Dec
Lib Dem MP claims parish polls ‘too easily misused’ after Ripon vote
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has claimed parish polls can be “too easily misused” after one was held in Ripon last week.
Parish polls can be requested by parishioners to gauge opinion on an issue. They are triggered when 10 people call for one at a parish meeting.
Ripon went to the polls on November 27 when 13 people called for a vote of confidence in Liberal Democrat mayor, Councillor Barbara Brodigan.
Cllr Brodigan lost by 317 to 271 votes but the result is non-binding and Cllr Brodigan has said she will carry on.
The cost of the poll is expected to be between £5,000 and £7,000 and this, along with the turnout figure of 4.66%, led Cllr Brodigan to brand the exercise a “waste of money”.
Liberal Democrat Mr Gordon tabled written parliamentary questions asking the government what assessment it had made of the value for money of parish polls and what progress it had made on implementing a 2014 consultation on modernising parish poll rules.
He also asked if ministers would legislate to strengthen trigger thresholds and prevent the misuse of parish polls.
Devolution minister Miatta Fahnbulleh acknowledged a “significant amount of time” had passed since the consultation but said the “government has no immediate plans to amend the parish poll regulations”.
The Stray Ferret asked Mr Gordon why he had raised the matter in Parliament and whether he felt parish polls had been misused in Ripon.
He said it was a topic that had not been scrutinised in detail for some time. He added:
As few as 10 people can trigger a poll costing thousands of pounds, this seems a peculiarity given the results are non-binding. Like any system and legislation I would expect it to be subject to a proper periodic review.
Parish polls can indeed be a valuable tool, but I am concerned the current framework is too easily misused and doesn’t offer good value for taxpayers.
It is disappointing to see a recent nearby parish poll used as a mechanism to attack a sitting councillor, when we have regularly scheduled elections where people get a chance to case their vote on who represents them.
Hypocrisy claim
Brian McHugh, the proposer of the Ripon parish poll, said it smacked of hypocrisy to criticise the parish poll and not the confidence vote some councillors, including Cllr Brodigan, brought against previous mayor Cllr Jackie Crozier, who subsequently resigned.
He said:
I am shocked by the characterisation and description of the recent parish poll 'being used as a mechanism to attack a sitting councillor.' This is clearly emotive language from the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP and questions must be asked to what has influenced him to be so active in being involved in the local politics of the Skipton and Ripon constituency. Using a legal and democratic process to call attention to failings of a councillor is not 'an attack' and this divisive language does not serve to bring the community and city together.
I note that Mr Gordon did not describe the recent intent to have a vote of no confidence in mayor Crozier as an 'attack on a sitting councillor.' I am afraid that he cannot pick and choose which councillors he chooses to support, otherwise a charge of hypocrisy may be made against him. Indeed, when city councillors have already pointed out that the cost of the poll would come from the council underspend and that there would be no additional cost to electors, it is unfortunate that Mr Gordon should comment without being aware of the facts.
Mr McHugh added Mr Gordon had "actively campaigned for the local Liberal Democrat candidate" in last month's Ripon council by-election and added:
"The timing of Mr Gordon's involvement in parish polls and their effectiveness, raises suspicions that he is trying to silence the electorate from using their legal powers — a deeply disturbing move."
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