Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [Lords]

I am delighted to discuss this important issue. I immediately disclose an interest: I am a town councillor of some 23 years' standing. I suppose that that is why the National Association of Local Councils came to me to seek to clarify the issue of parish polls. The very reason why we are in this place is to pursue democracy in all its forms, and there is no more democratic a form than what those of us who have been involved in it for a long time would refer to as the first level of representative government, never the lowest. I have been, and still am, proud to represent my community, even if I make it to fewer meetings than I used to. I think that fellow attendees are more grateful for that than I am, but, when I do get to such meetings, they always seem to take twice as long, as one would expect with me. However, I shall not take up a great deal of time now; I shall move on and look at the arguments. The problem with parish polls is that they are subject to abuse. The most recent and well known case is the parish—my memory deceives me, but I believe that it was in either Wiltshire or Hampshire—that decided to call a poll on the Lisbon treaty. As a staunch opponent of the treaty, I might say that that decision was absolutely right and that where that parish went yesterday, perhaps Parliament and the country should go tomorrow. However, I think that I would be quickly ruled out of order, so I shall say only that, as much as I sympathise, the debate was not appropriate at parish level. The great thing about parish polls is that they can be both divisive and, more particularly, very expensive. The real issue is that parish polls are an important element of the way in which parishes function, but the power to call a poll has not been amended for a long period. I could wax lyrical about what would happen if every parish were to carry out a poll on an issue of great importance to them, but polls are not used widely. When they are used, however, they can be abused, so my new clause asks the Government to update an old-fashioned approach. The new clause refers to section 9 of the Local Government Act 1972, which allows a parish poll to be proposed at a parish meeting. The problem is that such parish meetings can involve a very small number of people, so the new clause would increase the number of people and the seriousness that determines when such an issue should be progressed. It is easy to say, "Why would you retain the power within the chairman of the parish?" The fact is that that is how the law is constituted, and I intend not to rewrite the law completely, but to update it. That is the essence of my new clause. I would like to go further, because the conduct of parish polls is another issue, and I shall ask the Minister to respond to that point. Polls are limited to the hours between 4 pm and 9 pm, and, if a parish poll is held at the same time as a local government election, it seems rather silly for them not to keep the same hours. If the Government want to look into that issue, they could find a way to introduce similar times for elections and polls. If they take place at different times, we should limit the time for a parish poll. I have not moved such a proposal, but it should be dealt with if we update this vital part of our democracy. The poll's use is limited. Indeed, I am in a sense trying to limit it further, so that we use polls for their intended purpose, because they have been abused by people who have tried to bring before the parish a completely irrelevant issue as a way of publicising some other issue. That is my point, and I hope that the Minister will immediately see the value of my new clause and cheer up every parish councillor in the land. I remind her that there are many more parish councillors than anything else—there are 80,000 of us. If she wants to curry favour with all those wonderful people, she should accept my new clause.