Legal loophole forces euro referendum

8:05am Thursday 30th August 2007

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A LEGAL loophole will force a parish council to pay out £3,000 after a handful of residents called for a referendum on the EU Constitution.

Charfield Parish Council could be forced to increase next year's council tax precept to cover the cost of a parish poll after just nine villagers voted in favour of the referendum at a meeting.

Earlier this month six villagers called for a parish meeting to be held to discuss the need for a national referendum on the EU Constitution.

At the meeting on Tuesday evening, a vote was held to decide whether a parish poll should be carried out.

Despite 10 votes against and only nine votes in favour, the motion was carried, as under the Local Government Act 1972, a parish poll may be demanded by at least 10 electors, or one-third of those present at the meeting voting for the proposal.

Twenty people attended the meeting but one was unable to vote because he does not live in Charfield.

As more than one-third of those attending voted for the motion, it was carried.

David Jones, who spoke at the meeting in support of the motion, said: "It is important that the people of Charfield should be given a chance to express their views.

"I think these people of Charfield should be able to vote on the EU Constitution because until now our government has denied us this."

Mr Jones said he was acting as a member of the Campaign Alliance for Referendums in Parishes (CARP), which has been linked with the UK Independence Party.

CARP is targeting 25 parishes across the country to try to force the government's hand in holding a referendum on the EU Constitution.

The Charfield parish poll will now be held on Thursday, September 20, but the cost, which could be in region of £3,000, will have to be met by Charfield Parish Council.

Parish council chairman Cllr Paul Ashford said: "We think it's disappointing that they've gone down this route.

"It doesn't reflect the feeling within the parish. They could do this every week and bankrupt the parish council.

"We are a small parish. We try to keep our expenditure down and within reasonable limits but this cost could affect other works in the parish.

"We don't see why the parish should be financially responsible for a politically motivated action."

A spokesman from South Gloucestershire Council said: "If the parish meeting is properly convened and the poll is demanded in accordance with law, South Gloucestershire's returning officer has to conduct it in accordance with the rules laid down.

"Whatever the costs are, they will be charged to the parish council. Clearly, we will seek to minimise costs as far as possible."