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.
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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."
Posted by: terry brown, London on 2:42pm Fri 31 Aug 07
Whilst I can understand Charfield Parish Council's concern over cost it should be remembered that the EU has already cost the UK two hundred billion pounds. This is an astronomical amount that, had it been spent in this country, would have provisioned us with top quality education, police, and health services etc.. If you want to keep council taxes down may I suggest you all vote in support of a referendum. Withdrawal from the EU would not only make billions of extra pounds available for the common good but would remove this country from the clutches of the dictatorship which is the EU.
Whilst I can understand Charfield Parish Council's concern over cost it should be remembered that the EU has already cost the UK two hundred billion pounds. This is an astronomical amount that, had it been spent in this country, would have provisioned us with top quality education, police, and health services etc.. If you want to keep council taxes down may I suggest you all vote in support of a referendum. Withdrawal from the EU would not only make billions of extra pounds available for the common good but would remove this country from the clutches of the dictatorship which is the EU.
Posted by: Don Smith, Lechlade on 11:25pm Fri 31 Aug 07
Since when is a democratic right politically motivated?
This is a small price to pay to gag the political classes and let the people get a word in. Democracy shouldn't have a price put on its' head so go for it!
Since when is a democratic right politically motivated?
This is a small price to pay to gag the political classes and let the people get a word in. Democracy shouldn't have a price put on its' head so go for it!
Posted by: rightwingnutjobs, 978-512 on 4:52pm Sat 1 Sep 07
How odd that the people reluctant to spend money on fripperies like health, education and social welfare are so ready to burn council tax payers money on a wholly irrelevant referendum. Perhaps they could hold one asking people their favourite colour or nicest pet.
How odd that the people reluctant to spend money on fripperies like health, education and social welfare are so ready to burn council tax payers money on a wholly irrelevant referendum. Perhaps they could hold one asking people their favourite colour or nicest pet.
Posted by: leftwingauthoritaria
n, exeter on 11:36am Sun 2 Sep 07
Better to "Burn council tax payers money on a wholly irrelevant referendum" instead of burning billions on the EU and the pointless quangos of our Nu-Lab government.
Better to "Burn council tax payers money on a wholly irrelevant referendum" instead of burning billions on the EU and the pointless quangos of our Nu-Lab government.
Posted by: chaz, Mildenhall on 1:46pm Sat 22 Sep 07
Having just been returned to a small parish council in West Suffolk I would like to say that Europe is a big topic across all communities. The people have been lied to in the 1980's when the then government signed up to the Mastricht Treaty and this government denying the public the right to a referendum which was promised as part of the election manifesto.
The small communites need to start with these polls and also with the ballot box be it locally or national elections.
STAND UP BE HEARD and change will come
Having just been returned to a small parish council in West Suffolk I would like to say that Europe is a big topic across all communities. The people have been lied to in the 1980's when the then government signed up to the Mastricht Treaty and this government denying the public the right to a referendum which was promised as part of the election manifesto.
The small communites need to start with these polls and also with the ballot box be it locally or national elections.
STAND UP BE HEARD and change will come
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