Financial winners from Elections
-
Posts
-
Don’t know what the position is in Wrexham and Flintshire but it certainly looks like Chief Executives in many counties can have a significant financial windfall if an election is called and they act as Returning Officer. 2012 National Assembly Elections £21k for Camnarthenshire £0 for Swansea.
Apart from the night of the count do they actually do many extra hours or is all the work done as part of the ‘day job’ . Many Chief Executives will be thanking Teresa May for another election!!Bill-053 – Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM – Local Government (Returning Officers’ Charges) (Wales) Bill
Pre-ballot Information
A Member must provide ‘pre-ballot information’ to set out the intended purpose of their proposed Bill before it is entered into the Presiding Officer’s ballot. This information is set out below.
Policy Objectives of the Bill
1. The Bill would prohibit charges and expenses being paid to Returning Officers for their services at both contested and non-contested elections to Community & Town Councils; City & County Councils; County Borough Councils and subsequent by-elections to those bodies.
2. Such services would include:
a) making arrangements for the election;
b) conducting the election; and
c) discharging all of a returning officer’s duties in respect of the elections.
3. Charges currently paid to Returning Officers for elections to the above bodies range significantly from £20,135.89 paid to the Returning Officer for authority area of Carmarthenshire, to no payment whatsoever made to the Returning Officer for elections in the authority area Swansea.
4. Circa £150,000 was paid to Returning Officers for their services during the 2012 Welsh local government elections.
5. This Bill would prohibit payments to Returning Officers for their services during the election process.
Support received
6. None to date.
Consultation
7. No formal consultation has been conducted other than research into the amounts received by Returning Officers during the 2012 Welsh local government elections
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
