Commentary Part 1: Local Government Chapter 5: Governance Section 24 – Timetables for changing English district councils’ electoral schemes
120.Section 24 amends the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, in relation to electoral schemes in district councils. A district council in England may resolve at any time to change its scheme of elections, rather than being restricted to making this resolution during a permitted resolution period, as was previously the case. Where a district council has passed a resolution to change electoral schemes, it may not pass another such resolution for five years beginning with the day on which the first resolution is passed. Where a district council resolves to move to a scheme of whole council elections, it must also specify, in its resolution, the year in which it will hold its first whole-council election. The only restriction is that district councils in two tier areas are prevented from specifying a year in which the county council in its area holds an election (a “fallow” year). Once the district council has held its first whole-council election it will then hold whole-council elections in every fourth year afterwards. Provision is also made to provide that after a district council has passed a resolution it will continue to hold elections under its previous electoral scheme until the date it specifies as its first year of whole-council elections.