West Dorset District Council's election charge plan prompts objections

West Dorset District Council’s executive committee agreed in principle to start recharging parish and town councils for their share of election costs from April 2019.

Since May 2003, parish and town councils have not been charged for elections in West Dorset after the district council agreed to cover the costs in a bid to improve local democracy.

However, a report considered by the committee stated that since the policy change there had been no significant change in the number of contested elections. Deputy leader Cllr Anthony Alford said that the proposal being put forward was broadly a return to the system that was in place before and was already in place in other parts of the country and even the county.

He said: “Where the district council is responsible for organising elections it doesn’t mean to say that we need to bear the costs. Other authorities in Dorset do recharge the costs of elections to parish and town councils. It does seem to me that the principle is reasonable and it is established, so we are not proposing to do anything controversial."

However, Cllr David Tett disagreed with Cllr Alford’s claims, stating Bridport Town Council had already voiced its objections to the proposals.

He said: “I regard this as a controversial and contentious issue. Bridport Town Council has explained the impact of charging on the council, any change to the existing policy is not at all welcome.”

Cllr Molly Rennie said she was disappointed about the lack of consultation being proposed with the town and parish councils.

She said: “The lack of communication with town and parish councils, considering how much we as a local authority are going to be expecting of them in the near future, does not sound like partnership working.”

Council leader Robert Gould said: “We are not proposing anything that is radically different or unusual. It’s going back to what existed previously and it’s broadly in line with other authorities.”